Most educators know through experience and classroom data that lecture is the least effective method of teaching (See References 1); its role as input for students is sharply reduced in Common Core teaching; however, much of the Direct Interactive Instruction paradigm (See References 2) is retained: Teachers will still give input through modeling of the learning objective -- also known as "I do, you watch." Teachers will deliver lesson plans with Structured Practice -- "We do together." Teachers will move students to Guided Practice -- "You do, I support." And the final product will be the result of Independent Practice -- "You do." This last element, however, steps away from multiple choice standardized testing, as group/project work replaces it.
The assessments of Independent Practice create any number of products and projects. They may begin -- and be graded -- as a lively discussion group, then become a Readers Theater that acts out a text, segue into a translation game for complicated vocabulary, and end with a writing assignment that reflects the rigor of the thought processes employed. Where a previous writing prompt might be "Explain how Antony only says nice things about Brutus," a Project-Based assessment might include the much more challenging "Create a group-write parody of Antony's funeral speech by changing the situation to a modern-day terrorist dilemma."
If an ELA class at 11th-grade level is reading a required novel such as "Lord of the Flies," previous traditional methods -- out of Spark's Notes, usually -- might have included journals of character analysis, plot development charting and essays on the themes involved in the Golding novel. Project-based learning (See References 3) may include any of those, but also incorporates assignments, such as the physical creation of a model of the island setting -- including the mathematics of graphing the land and deriving linear equations -- as well as group research pieces implementing educational and legal systems relating to the ecosystem. The students might chart, discuss and group-think how these systems decay as the novel proceeds. Portfolios and Power Point presentations would be required, as well as group presentations with annotated bibliographies. Complexity and rigor would be mandatory, as well as group thinking, sharing and co-creation.
What this means for teachers is a more complex lesson plan, one that will require the backward design template. (See References 4) This means that teachers will begin units with both standards to teach and assessments/projects already in mind, and lessons will be planned around those already-existing elements. This careful planning is a great step forward for education, combining the best of the traditional, direct-instruction model with the excitement and cognitive strength of group work and shared thinking.