Training Starters

A term often used to describe programs that offer student instruction and enrichment activities during nonschool hours (see also:  out-of-school time, increased learning time)

An individual’s sense of being part of his or her community, through interaction and activities that provide tangible connections to the community

An approach that provides students with experiences, resources, and tools that help them develop the knowledge, awareness, understanding and skills necessary to be active, effective citizens prepared to address important issues in their community and the world at large

The study of government and what it means to be a citizen, including the rights and benefits as well as the responsibilities and obligations

Out-of-school learning activities that focus more on exploration and inspiring curiosity rather than on mastery or review of specific academic content; such activities complement formal learning by building students' background knowledge, introducing new ideas and sparking curiosity

A process that highlights students actively collaborating together in small teams and with members of the community with the goal of solving stated

Government in which the supreme power is vested in the people, either directly by the people or by the people through their elected agents; also, as a concept, democracy is a set of ideas and principles dedicated to the preservation of freedom in a society

Involvement in the process of understanding, debating, and participating in the democratic process through political action, education, or voting

Keeping an ongoing record of student work throughout a project and at the end, to determine progress, identify challenges, and demonstrate what is being learned

An open-ended question that a student team crafts (with help from an adult facilitator) and sets out to answer through an organized, project-based learning experience

Guide youth in activities or projects by setting parameters and providing support and structure rather than by directing them

The end result of a project (a video, written report, advertising campaign, community action event, etc.) that students use to represent their work in the project’s culminating activity

A type of evaluation performed for the purpose of improving the performance of a person or program (see also: summative evaluation)

Learning through active exploration, problem solving and manipulation of materials rather than through the more traditional methods of content delivery, such as lectures and textbooks

A guided instructional approach in which learners ask questions, conduct investigations, make discoveries and apply their new understandings

Term used in project-based learning to describe what students must learn or discover in order to answer a driving question

Hours outside of the regular school day, and they are often used for student enrichment activities that augment regular school-time instruction. Out-of-school time can occur before or after school, or in the summer.

Ability to suggest or design solutions to problems for which there may be no one right answer

Planned event or activity that introduces students to a project; launch events are typically brief and designed to ignite curiosity

A student-directed learning strategy by which young learners explore community-related topics of high interest to them through in-depth learning experiences lasting more than 3 days

A system of laws, regulations, and actions endorsed by a government

Students are invited to express opinions and make choices about planning and implementing their own learning experiences

Out-of-school activities that support academic learning by deliberately aligning with school content and academic standards in a way that's engaging and appropriate to informal learning