Those who follow our discussions about curriculum and instruction may have heard the phrase "Project Based Learning". When we were kids, this mean building a diorama in a shoebox, or making a paper machee pinata. Today it is much more involved, and much more sophisticated.
Wny is this important? Because the workforce of my parents' generation was more "solo". Each person worked on their piece of the puzzle, and it was moved on to someone else. Our generation works differently. We work on projects and in groups for our entire careers. We know that the "superstar" is the person who can bring together diverse views and personalities, and work effectively as a group to do more than the individual could do on their own.
Here's a good article laying out the key concepts. It explains nicely all of the same things that our staff has seen with Project Based Learning, and why this has been a key part of our curriculum for many years.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/21st-century-skills-changing-subjects-larry-rosenstock-rob-riordan
