21st Century Learning & Development
Problem Based Learning
Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy often used in high education, which aims at cultivating students to be independent problem solvers, self-directed life long learners and team players (Hung, 2014). It puts the focus on the student as being the key to his or her success. PBL is not only useful in classroom practices, but this learning theory also provides students with essential life skills that will allow them to be successful into their adult lives, their careers etc. Motivating students to want to learn is an important, and relatively essential part to teaching(Woods, 2006). According to Dr. Woods of McMaster University, PBL creates that
motivation (Woods, 2006). Problems themselves appeal to human desire for resolution and harmony…(Woods, 2006), meaning that when we see a problem, it is natural for us to want to solve it. This is where PBL is a phenomenal learning strategy to utilize in the classroom. Engagement in PBL learning allows students to participating in meaning-making learning over fact-collecting (Rhem, 1998). They learn through contextualized problems and situations that are generally formed in open-ended questions that do not have a “right” answer. This allows for the students to apply knowledge they already to have to new situations, in order to investigate meaningful solutions to the problem. All of this can be done through group work or independent investigation that allows for the achievement of high levels of comprehension, the development of more learning and knowledge-forming skills and the development of social skills for the student(s) involved in PBL (Rhem, 1998). As stated above, PBL is very student based, but that does not mean the teacher completely bows out of the lesson being taught. Instead, teachers are there as a facilitator who guides the learning process and encourages an environment
that promotes inquiry. PBL promotes within the student critical thinking and creative skills, improvement of problem solving skills, provides an increase in motivation and assists students in adapting knowledge to new situations (Rhem, 1998). All of which are highly important skills, which will be needed in the student’s adult lives.
Here are some teaching strategies you can use when implementing problem based learning into your classroom.
Teaching Strategies
1. Actively be a “Guide on the Side”. Allow the students to solve problems for
themselves, and only intervene when necessary or you are needed. This will teach students to think for themselves and they will evenutally begin to rely on themselves to solve their problems, rather than calling to you, the teacher.
2. Provide the students with real world problems they are to solve. By doing this, the students will be able to better relate to the problems/questions/situations you are posing to them. Their solutions will therefore be more thought out and knowledge based, rather then giving them an unrealistic situation
3. Set your classroom up into tribes. As we know, PBL can be group orientated. By setting up your classroom into tribes, students will have the opportunity to communicate with each other and share their knowledge and ideas to each other while engaging in PBL. This will allow for the transfer of knowledge to take place between students. In this setting, a student may discuss an idea that the other students had never thought of before. Thus, their repertoire of knowledge will expand, allowing them to better preform in future PBL tasks.
4. Give the student’s choice/options. Allowing the students to have choice when it comes to how they present their assignments, projects, etc. motivates the students to go above and beyond the required guidelines. Topics should be relevant to current class material but should also be flexible enough that students have some control over their own learning. If students are genuinely interested in the topic, then they are much more likely to dig deeper when it comes to creating a solution to the posed problem/question.
Technology is a crucial part of our lives and our students lives. Below are technological tools that allow for a better understanding of problem based learning
Technology Tools
1. Use Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning. Edutopia provides a great “series” of Problem Based-Learning strategies, descriptions, examples, and much more that are at the users fingertips. This website provides the user with multitude of different resources that are all centered around PBL. The user has access to discussions that are centered around PBL, which they can participate in if they want to. Different videos, that demonstrate PBL, how it is implemented in the classroom, how to embed it throughout the students assignments/projects and much more. In addition, this website is linked to other websites and resources that are all built around PBL in the classroom. For example, a Pinterest Board is linked to Edutopia that has many PBL resources, all free to use.
2. eCity http://ecity-project.eu. This virtual (Simcity like) game is geared more towards, secondary school students, to have them participate in PBL, in addition to getting them interested in Engineering as a potential career path. The main objective of eCity is to design, develop and validate a pedagogical methodology that is supported by an online, collaborative, city-development simulation that continuously explores Problem Based Learning. Problems or challenges can be fed into the platform of the student’s city as homework, teamwork, curricular activities, or big/small projects. The game engages students in PBL, as well as teaches them necessary life skills such as the benefit of collaboration.