We have discussed Problem Based Learning in some of our faculty meetings and some may be on the design team for the new PBL approach. Maybe you have no idea what it is!
We want to know:
What do you think PBL is?
How do you think you can use it in your class?
What benefits and detriments do you see in PBL?
Right now my model for PBL in my discipline is to offer parts or all of the curriculum in a holistic way so that students can engage with it in the form of problems or challenges in order to apply what I have modeled for them from my expertise. The students then demonstrate their interest, growth and development, and achievements through specific demonstrations of knowledge and/or skills that relate to the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI found success with a project or problem based assignment in one particular instance this year with my very diverse (in ability and background in Catholicism) freshman religion class. I found by framing a project in the form of a problem-create and perform a Liturgy of the Word, I was able to differentiate in terms of student choice and academic ability, and follow the students' progress by observing them do research and then a series of practices in order to be prepared for the final presentation in the chapel.
I cannot say I implemented project or problem based learning in my class, but I did find this example to be valuable for the differentiation and opportunity for more student-based, personalized learning.
The link below describes standard based PBL, using the word "Project" in the description but also implying problems to be investigated and solved by students with an introduction from and guidance by the teacher. Note the case study approach for science and applied math examples.
ReplyDeletehttp://classroom-aid.com/2012/02/07/case-studies-make-learning-relevant-to-students/
Here is a basic explanation in a video.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8
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ReplyDeleteContinued...which those topics are explored. Students learn how to discover answers for themselves.
ReplyDeleteFor those of us committed to a PBL approach, the benefits can perhaps best be summarized by the following ways in which we seek to shift the paradigm of curriculum and instruction:
· From allowing students to passively consume information
o To requiring students to actively produce and demonstrate knowledge
· From unengaged pupils satisfied with temporary recall of topic covered
o To passionate students committed to discovery and thorough understanding
· From unconnected presentation of separate subjects
o To integrated consideration of interdisciplinary problems
· From indifferent students overburdened by competing assessments
o To dedicated students motivated by purpose and meaningful choice
· From a system that discourages intellectual risk and penalizes failure
o To a system that encourages learning from failure as an integral part of problem solving
· From teacher-designed projects assigned to meet isolated objectives
o To student-designed, teacher-critiqued projects created to solve real problems
This is a response by Dan Peightel, posted by Allison White Although I use PBL as shorthand for both problem-based learning and project-based learning, I try to keep clear the distinction between the two. It is certainly possible to engage in problem-based learning on a “micro” level that does not turn into a full-blown project. In such a case, the teacher, instead of presenting information, poses a question or series of questions and helps students discover and test answers. This kind of problem-based learning is older than Socrates, and it can be accomplished with no more technology than a stick to draw in the dirt. But, on most occasions when I talk about PBL, I am talking about the kind of long-term inquiry learning that develops into large-scale, interdisciplinary projects. Because students are beginning to experience the effects of interactive, integrated, individualized learning outside of school, I believe they and their parents will increasingly demand this kind of on What is PBL?
ReplyDeletePBL, to me, means problem-based learning and project-based learning, the creation of larger, overaching activities that teach students how to solve big problems. It includes getting students to make connections between subjects and with their own personal life and goals. I teach college prep sophomores and juniors and Ryken sophomores, so PBL has to complement the basic skills work of reading comprehension, writing, vocab, grammar, etc. that these boys need. They can't solve a problem if they don't have the right equipment in their tools belts, so to speak. So PBL can be part of the scaffolding that I already use with them, slowly enabling each student to work independently and effectively.
ReplyDeletePBL forces me as the teacher to think about the big picture, the longterm, and my students' futures. I can't just stay in my little world of English, rhapsodizing over the joy of correct commma placement and the use of hyperbole. I have to look outside my classroom to other classrooms and the world. This can be difficult because it seems so important and to take so long to teach students the basic skills of my subject. How am I ever going to have the time to teach these overarching problems? But I know that PBL tends to be high interest for students or if not that, it does engage students and stretch them beyond what I imagined they could do.
Plus, if I create PBL activities correctly, students will still learn the skills they need for my subject area. I (and my department) need to decide what those essential skills are and what (if anything) can be sacrificed. And if I can't sacrifice anything, can I still use PBL? Can I mix PBL with my current teaching methods? I don't think we have to be all PBL all the time, but there's growing evidence that it's a good idea to use PBL with today's students.
PBL also equals time. Time for teachers to plan individually and together. I think teachers are apprehensive about PBL because it does take a lot of time in the beginning. Once the system is in place, it's like anything else, requiring maintenance and adjustments. But we're asking teachers to invest a lot of time right now. Some teachers don't want to do that or can't. Others don't want to stretch themselves. We need to prove that PBL works, that it improves the academic progress of our students, particularly college prep students. If we can do that, more teachers will want to be part of designing this type of curriculum.