The Project Approach
The Project Approach shares common features of curriculum design with what are considered effective practices in gifted education. The Project Approach is apart of the school curriculum at Uni Primary School, but is not the only curricular approach to the school day.
- Emphasis on challenging and intellectually engaging material.
- Role of teacher as facilitator of learning.
- Attention to students' interests and learning styles.
- Means of exhibiting strengths and talents of individuals.
- Introduction to inquiry in various fields of study (e.g., acting as young investigators in a particular field).
- Assumed high expectations and capability of students.
- Authentic learning and "real audiences."
For more information about the Project Approach, see the following:
- The Project Approach — Dr. Lilian G. Katz, University of Illinois
- Project Approach Home Page — Dr. Sylvia Chard, University of Alberta
- Issues in Selecting Topics for Projects — Lilian G. Katz and Sylvia C. Chard
ERIC/EECE Digests on topics related to the Project Approach
- Another look at what young children should be learning
- The Benefits of Mixed-Age Grouping
- Child-Initiated Learning Activities for Young Children Living in Poverty
- The Contribution of Documentation to the Quality of Early Childhood Education
- A Developmental Approach to Assessment of Young Children
- Developmentally Appropriate Practice: What Does Research Tell Us?
- Encouraging Creativity in Early Childhood Classrooms
- Integrate, Don't Isolate--Computers in the Early Childhood Classroom
- Problem Solving in Early Childhood Classrooms
- Reggio Emilia: Some Lessons for U.S. Educators
- Resource Rooms for Children: An Innovative Curricular Tool
- Teaching Young Children about Native Americans
