PROJECT BASED LEARNING
In a normal day at Charleston Collegiate School, students explore real-world problems and challenges using creative thinking, non-routine problem solving skills, and teamwork.
Project-based learning provides sustained learning opportunities for students to produce observable evidence that they have mastered rigorous curricular standards and skills and apply what they have learned to solve the problem at hand with public displays of learning through exhibitions.
"As I crossed the country looking for inspiring examples of education at its best, I was dazzled by what I found at Charleston Collegiate School, and highlighted their great work in my book What School Could Be. This is a school preparing its children for life, not for pointless standardized tests. Engaged kids at CCS learn deeply as they develop essential competencies, personal agency, and a guiding sense of purpose. We all have a lot to learn from this remarkable school, which is leading the way for schools across America."-Ted Dintersmith
Venture Capitalist and American leader in innovation, entrepreneurship, and education
PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AT CCS
From a second grade student writing business proposals for selling their garden produce at the local farmers’ market, donating their earnings to a local non-profit, to a High School sophomore tackling the ‘essential question’ of how a Langston Hughes poem connects to his own life and perspective of the world, our students are creating a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the subject matter and the world around them.
One of the most promising trends in education today is known as Project Based Learning. This approach maintains academic rigor while also focusing on high levels of student engagement and deeper learning concepts. This methodology challenges the traditional notion of how material is presented and challenges how we know if students have learned the material.
Instead of a teacher rushing to try and cover multiple topics, leading to poor retention rates, teachers using a project-based learning approach focus on students’ mastery of the most important topics. By spending more time on carefully selected topics, teachers can allow students greater choice and give them the opportunity to practice additional skills like collaboration and presentations skills.