What Is Performance-Based Learning?
According to The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), “Performance-based learning and assessment represent a set of strategies for the acquisition and application of knowledge, skills, and work habits through the performance of tasks that are meaningful and engaging to students.” 1
Put simply, performance-based learning is putting theory to action. It is a type of learning where the real environment is simulated to allow your students to gain actual experience.
Performance-based learning (PBL) is not a replacement of traditional learning instruction but an extension. Existing curriculum need not be replaced but the manner of teaching it, delivering it needs to be enhanced.
Traditional Instruction
Do your students know? | Performanced-based Learning
How well can your students use what they know? 2 |
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As ASCD points out, these two ways of learning do not compete, the challenge on teachers like you lie in finding the balance between them.
Significance
How would you feel about learning all the rudiments of a sport, but never actually played the game? How are we preparing our students to become better “players”?
We educate students to be able to prepare them for their career and life ahead. All the knowledge and theories they learned, however, are meant to be put to actual use. As David James Clarke, founder of Logilent Learning Systems, said, “The difference between skills and knowledge is practice.” 3 Through performance-based learning, tasks, assignments become more “real” and more significant to students.
Sources:
We would like to acknowledge the following source for this article:
Hibbard, Michael K. et al. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. A Teacher's Guide to Performance-Based Learning and Assessment. Retrieved March 14, 2007 from http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.chapter/menuitem.b71d101a2f7c208cdeb3ffdb62108
a0c/?chapterMgmtId=3ecb8aec2ecaff00VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD
1-2 Hibbard, Michael K. et al. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Durham, Jeff W. CertMag. Performance-Based Learning: The Key to Your Success.
Retrieved March 14, 2007 from http://www.certmag.com/issues/oct01/feature_durham.cfm
3 Durham, Jeff W. CertMag.
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