The following blog post was written by Lauren Davis.To read more newsworthy blog posts from Eye On Education, subscribe to our Insights eNewsletters.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) place an emphasis on process, not just content. Yes, teaching content knowledge is important, but it's even more important to teach the learning process, so students become independent learners who can obtain knowledge on their own. After all, gathering knowledge is a skill that students will need in the future, when there no longer is a teacher "giving them" the facts.

As a result of the CCSS, the terms project-based learning and problem-based learning, which have been around for a while, are starting to get a lot of buzz. Educators believe those learning experiences are a perfect way to meet the CCSS. Project- and problem-based learning teach students the learning process, and they also meet other CCSS requirements. For example, they help teach students to "value evidence"; to "respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline"; and to "use technology and digital media strategically and capably" (The CCSS, p. 7).

However, as those two terms become more and more popular, they're also causing a lot of confusion. Are they the same thing? Is one "better" for the Common Core? How will you know which one to do in your classroom? Let's get to the bottom of it. 

To read more about project-based and problem-based learning, download
"Project-Based vs. Problem-Based Learning: Which is Better for the Common Core?."