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Society and innovations
Journal home page:
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The evolution of project-based learning: building soft
skills for the modern workforce
Shodiyakhon INOMKHOJAEVA
Westminster International University in Tashkent
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received July 2024
Received in revised form
15 July 2024
Accepted 25 July 2024
Available online
15 August 2024
The article discusses the current state and challenges of the
education system in Uzbekistan, particularly focusing on the
methods and strategies for teaching and developing pedagogical
skills. It highlights the importance of innovative teaching
methods and the need for ongoing professional development
for educators to improve the quality of education. The
document also emphasizes the significance of cultural and
historical awareness in the curriculum, aiming to foster a well-
rounded and informed student div in Uzbekistan.
2181-
1415/©
2024 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol5-iss7/S-pp283-289
This is an open access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru)
Keywords:
Project-Based Learning,
soft skills,
education technology,
Google Classroom,
21st century skills.
Loyihaga asoslangan ta
’
limning evolyutsiyasi: zamonaviy
ishchi kuchi uchun yumshoq ko
‘
nikmalarni shakllantirish
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
loyihaga asoslangan ta’lim,
soft skills,
ta’lim texnologiyasi,
Google Classroom,
21st century skills.
Maqolada O‘zbekiston ta’lim tizimining hozirgi holati va
muammolari, xususan, pedagogik mahoratni o‘rgatish va
rivojlantirish uslublari va strategiyalariga e’tibor qaratilgan.
Unda ta’lim sifatini oshirish uchun o‘qitishning innovatsion
uslublari muhimligi, pedagog kadrlar malakasini doimiy
oshirib borish zarurligi ta’kidlangan. Hujjatda, shuningdek,
O‘zbekistonda har tomonlama barkamol va bilimli talabalar
jamoasini shakllantirishga qaratilgan o‘quv dasturida madaniy
va tarixiy ongning ahamiyati ta’kidlan
gan.
1
BEAP Lecturer, Westminster International University in Tashkent.
Жамият
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Эволюция
проектного обучения:
формирование
гибких навыков для современной рабочей силы
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
проектное обучение,
гибкие навыки,
образовательные
технологии,
Google Classroom,
навыки 21
-
го века
.
В статье обсуждается текущее состояние и проблемы
системы образования в Узбекистане, в частности, особое
внимание уделяется методам и стратегиям обучения и
развития педагогических навыков. В ней подчеркивается
важность
инновационных
методов
обучения
и
необходимость постоянного профессионального развития
педагогов для повышения качества образования. В
документе также подчеркивается важность культурной и
исторической осведомленности в учебной программе,
направленной на формирование всесторонне развитого и
информированного студенческого состава в Узбекистане.
Education in the 21st century has experienced considerable changes, with
emphasis now being placed on developing not only traditional academic skills but also
soft ones. Soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving and leadership,
are essential in today's integrated and complex world (Robles, 2012; Laker & Powell,
2011). This is driven by rapid technological advances and the dynamic working
environment which is a global village. As a result, new staff needs to be both versatile and
capable of adapting quickly.
Whereas soft skills are not specified according to occupation or specific industry,
the very opposite is true for hard skills. Compared with hard skills which are of a
technical and job-specific nature, soft skills play an important role in trying to get people
to interact with one another effectively and maintain a good relationship with any
company both of which are subjects used over and over again (Poláková et al., 2023).
When seeking success in modern working environments, cooperation and
interdisciplinary tasks are par for the course, and it is therefore essential to be good at
communicating. These skills are vital in job-related in-service training when a team
member does not directly supervise you (but still has some authority over your output)
as well as working with colleagues for completed projects.
Project-Based Teaching (PBT) provides an excellent medium for fostering basic
skills. PBT brings academic knowledge and real-world projects together in such a way
that students must apply what they know to problems beyond their current level of
understanding. By taking part in PBT, students will enhance their capability for critical
reflection and learn the group spirit requisite for success both in educational institutions
and in society at large. The deep integration of technology in education, mediated
primarily through platforms such as Google Classroom, has greatly facilitated the
development of these skills.
Google Classroom offers a single place to create, distribute, and evaluate
assignments. In this way students and teachers can advance smoothly together,
practicing what has been learned with ease It is significant that what you learn is not only
limited to bookish knowledge. The platform's discussion boards, real-time feedback, and
shared documents provide a more interactive and engaging learning experience that
keeps learners active. On top of this, being able to turn everything into electronic data
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means students can focus on what interests them the most and present those ideas
effectively (Poláková et al., 2023).
Given the tangible advantages of bridging technology
with educational platforms to cast soft skills, there are problems and contradictions to be
addressed. To make effective use of technology in education, this should be done in a way
that enables our students to meet the demands of society, both as citizens and as
workers. This means developing strategies carefully and methodically, which can succeed
in consistently overcoming these challenges. It calls for providing a strong support
system for inculcating these skills in the minds of young people. Only then will they
become adequately equipped for the future requirements of modern workers. Blank The
tradition of educational methods has had a major impact on the development of PBT. The
period from the 1890s to the 1920s was characterized by rapid technological and
organizational change which turned the US from a predominantly agricultural society
into an industrialized one. Major social institutions like public high schools and new
places of work came into being at this time, leaving their mark on the cognitive and
interactional skills development of young people.
The philosopher and educator John Dewey formulated a pioneering theory of
education. With lived experience as its foundation, he believed that learners could
become self-directed in learning if they first reflected on what they had learned. Dewey's
educational philosophy is characterized by the flow from informal to formal educational
practices, especially through a project-centered education within and beyond the
classroom. This model can help to create an environment for personal growth, stimulate
creativity, and also promote effective social change.
In the nineteenth century Max Weber, a sociologist, introduced the concept of
corporate capitalism. This theory brought with it large-scale bureaucracies that merged
individual citizens into impersonal and rationalized institutions. Weber referred to these
"iron cages" for living as the places of work, hospitals, and public primary and secondary
schools that existed under rationalized management. A process of rationalization
transformed every aspect of life. This cultural transformation, which overtook Europe a
few generations after it had already struck England, was underpinned by advances in
mathematics, physics, and biology that provided the technological basis for discoveries.
In the early 1900s, Frederick Taylor's Scientific Management revolutionized
production methods. Taylor's approach was to keep an eye on workers as they worked to
determine the specific activities of their jobs, data which he then used to calculate how
much time it took for each activity and reward efficient workers while firing those who
fell behind. This rationalization of administering and planning was an essential condition
in modern industrial production.
Before the advent of new manufacturing methods, craftsmen would often expand
their dwellings or places of business one by one along a path they followed. This suggests
that craftsmanship at the time was constrained by the technical and scientific knowledge
available to them. Their expertise was based on the information they could observe and
learn directly within the confines of their workshops. Over time, widespread
apprenticeships emerged, further developing and passing on these skills.
Apprenticeships frequently included teaching in Mathematics, physical sciences,
and mechanical drawing, 1974.: Braverman. This, however, through the big-scale
production specialization of management and ordered operation led to the destruction of
handwork traditions. It caused craft knowledge to be split from craft competence and
marrow on the bones, so to speak. This then was "deskilling" work for workers. The
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Language of Scientific Management public school reformers used to reorganize the entire
educational system. they will also see things without speaking, And he continued,
emphasizing centralization and specialization in that subject area, half a century later:
age-grading division of knowledge into separate subjects self-contained class-rooms with
one teacher (Tyack & Cuban, 1995).Throughout the Gilded Age in America, public schools
were places where instruction students and their parents to conform with norms
expectations that industrializing rapidly society required for them (Cf.Dead Workers
Union, 1992).This is what left of progressive culture. It embraced the belief that children
are a precious gift and need to be protected and nurtured (Gratton et al., 2004). Young
people were protected from exploitation as child workers by public schools. At last
compulsory-education facilities were provided and child labour was abolished: Lumber
jobs like weaving in the house children's wages had long subsidized impoverished
families.
In 1897, John Dewey founded an experimental school in Chicago, intending it to
function as a workshop or laboratory where children could actively engage in learning.
Dewey envisioned this environment as a place where each child could freely explore,
create, and compile their own work, encouraging them to live actively and question their
surroundings. Dewey saw education as a process of reconstructing experience to add
meaning and enhance one’s abilities, both in the present and in the future. He
emphasized the importance of equipping students with the tools to successfully control
their own cognitive processes, enabling them to navigate social situations effectively,
build meaningful relationships, and understand the material conditions that shape their
world.
Dewey's educational ideas were reflected in the concept of the school as a social
laboratory. By the 1920s, his concepts had significantly influenced education policy.
Public schools were tasked with teaching students how to live as good citizens within a
social order that combined political participation with the practical demands of hard
work (Aronowitz, 2004). The purpose of schools was to keep children off the streets and
prepare them for the market’s demands, instilling loyalty among classmates and
reinforcing social bonds within families, including parents and grandparents.
The push for public education, which began during the Gilded Age, helped ensure
that more people could acquire basic literacy skills while simultaneously establishing a
social order suitable for an industrializing nation. With greatly increased secondary
school enrollment and graduation rates, subsequent generations surpassed their parents
in educational achievement. In high-technology industries, the vocational diversification
of high school curricula and the professionalization of teaching were crucial in preparing
students for future employment opportunities.
The project method, which emphasized purposeful action and experiential
learning, was central to Progressive Education. While the method was also influenced by
educators like Jesse O. Pillsbury and William H. Kilpatrick, Dewey's belief in purposeful
activity inspired Kilpatrick to develop educational practices that persist to this day. This
approach emphasized integrating life skills into the curriculum and encouraging active
participation from both students and teachers (Bowen, 1981).
After World War II, the U.S. education system underwent a process of 'pluralist
accommodation,' aimed at adapting to new economic forces without marginalizing
diverse populations, such as immigrants. This prevented the formation of racial or ethnic
ghettos. School systems aligned with the social relations of corporate enterprise,
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adopting decentralized decision-making and top-down control of information and
outcomes.
Since the 1980s, in response to an increasingly bureaucratically appointed
administration (Dai and Stanwick, 1993) many pedagogies that K-12 educational
institutions approved have become more demanding. Labor unions, active in diverse
places and with different kinds of approval from one school area or city to another, are
demanding interlocking with the management (Wu Cheng Mao Yi Zhu Ju, 1990), and
pressures to improve student outcomes all work to require strictness.
Schools are now required to present a standards-based curriculum, set
examinations, and measure performance to ensure accountability (Monahan, 2005).
Research has shown that noninstructional variables, such as parental education
levels and community factors, significantly affect test results (Kohn, 2000). However,
regardless of this, the university and graduate studies have persisted in predominance by
testing for promotion and graduation.
Internships, service learning, and community-based experiences allow young
people to reshape their place when facing tough challenges in a community. They learn
skills to become professionals. This type of work-based learning experience gives
opportunities to gain vocational and professional knowledge, skills, and values required
for a successful transition into early adulthood.
Community-building also helps young people develop a sense of the larger
implications of their actions. Civic networks in the city and solidarity groups, based on
volunteerism, social achloritic trust, and mutual support structure the environment for
personal, educational, social, and mental perspectives. These networks facilitate
cooperation, communication, and the development of the skills necessary to face identity
issues and make informed decisions about careers.
Based on the equally experiential learning work of John Dewey, this project-based
learning approach seems particularly timely. Project-based learning gets students to
learn knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry how questions and task-setting
effort (Markham, 2003). It creates a social environment for reborn many occupational
methods and worldviews in the light of rapid technological change.
Because of the problems that come with the ongoing technology change, education
has turned its attention to using what students already know to find, trade, understand,
and make new information. As a possibly disruptive idea, project-based learning
understands that students have a role to play in making new knowledge. According to
Christensen et al. (2008), this way of learning encourages mental habits that lead to
success in the global economy, both personally and professionally. The goal of project-
based learning is to create professional networks between students, teachers, and people
outside of school.
The idea of legitimate peripheral involvement (LPP) by Jean Lave and Etienne
Wenger shows how important contextual learning is. In this type of learning, the activity,
surroundings, and society all play a role in how people learn. Participating in social events
as a project-based learner raises their level of participation and builds both hard and soft
skills through community involvement (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Julian Orr saw an artisanal
culture among workers in casual communities of practice. In these communities,
experienced practitioners use stories to show how good they are at their jobs and teach
newcomers how to become good at their jobs. By sharing stories, these groups keep and
share hard-won knowledge and professional traditions alive (Orr, 1996).
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In high-tech workplaces, technicians work at the border between theory and
practice. They use complex tools, methods, and knowledge to turn physical objects into
symbolic groups. They take care of both mechanical and living processes, keeping the real
world and the world of ideas in balance (Barley, 1996). Young people joining technology
jobs in late-entrepreneurial "creative towns" need to learn the skills needed for "new
trades." Finding your way around new tools and services in redesigned urban areas
requires these skills. Design thinking is a way of finding new technologies and services
that is based on people's wants. It supports the role of education in preparing young
people to deal with problems in society (Brown, 2008). The way "life behavior" and "life
opportunities" combine in Max Weber's idea of "lifestyle" shows how important social
factors are in determining life chances. Late modernization forces, such as globalization
and abstract systems that separate people from familiar places (Cockerham et al., 1993;
Giddens, 1991), limit the living choices that young people have today. Young people are
using mobile computers and networked contact tools more and more, and project-based
learning is becoming more popular at the same time. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube,
and Twitter make it possible for people all over the world to talk to each other instantly.
This gets young people involved in politics and social issues (Venturelli, 2001; Giroux,
2006). These computer networks create "virtual communities" that bring together young
people from all over the world and encourage them to work together creatively and do
good things for others. Electronic partnerships help young people get involved in more
ways than just getting knowledge and using social networks and project-based learning.
They encourage a culture-centered approach to computers and information systems by
giving young people the chance to work together on artistic projects, get involved in
politics, and change their communities. With its roots in hands-on learning, project-based
learning is a complete way to build the soft skills that today's workers need. Using digital
tools like Google Classroom, teachers can make classrooms that are fun, and involved,
and prepare students for the difficulties they will face in modern workplaces. Progressive
behavioral therapy (PBT) can help close educational gaps and give young people the
skills they need to succeed in a world that is changing quickly.
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