Problem-Based Learning in Middle and High School
From WikEd
[edit] Descriptions and Definitions
Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional strategy in which students actively resolve complex problems in realistic situations. It can be used to teach individual lessons, units, or even entire curricula. The problems are ill-structured problems and lacking of an easy solution. The problem is presented to students who are asked to apply reasoning, questioning, researching, and critical thinking to find a solution to the problem. It is "focused, experiential learning (minds-on, hands-on) organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems” (Torp and Sage, 2002, p. 15). The emphasis of problem-based learning is not on the outcome but on the process, with a focus on students learning to become self-reliant and eventually independent. 3 Also see [Problem-Based Learning in Wikipedia]
[edit] Characteristics of Problem-Based Learning
- The activity is grounded in a general question about a problem that has multiple possible solutions and methods of addressing the question.
- Learning is student-centered; the teacher acts as facilitator.
- Students work collaboratively toward addressing the general question.
- Learning is driven by the context of the problem and is not bounded by an established curriculum. 7
[edit] The Process of Problem-Based Learning
- Problem Generation: The problems must address concepts and principles relevant to the content domain.
- Problem Presentation: Students must "own" the problem, either by creating or selecting it.
- Student Collaboration: Working in small groups, students collaborate on the problem, refine and sort their knowledge to find a solution, and then present their solution (or final product) to the whole group with in-depth explanations of their results.
- Teacher Facilitation: Acting primarily as cognitive coaches by facilitating learning and modeling higher order thinking, teachers give students control over how they learn, providing support and structure. They help the class create a common framework of expectations using tools such as general guidelines and timelines. Periodic embedded assessments of various types not only provide teachers with a sense of the students' developing thinking throughout the teaching and learning sequence but also prompt students to address whole to part and part to whole relationships in the problem. 3
- Student Presentation: In order to bring the problem to acceptable closure, students present their problem solutions as a team and they are evaluated as a team for this performance assessment, but they were also evaluated individually through the embedded assignments and any final concept check. As students present their solutions and listen to other presentations, they self-assess using a question guide provided by the teacher. All of this information is brought together in the debriefing session where students examine how the various solutions differed and why. Students evaluate themselves by analyzing both the way they handled the problem this time and how they would approach it differently if they were confronted with it again knowing what they now know both about this particular issue and about strategies for handling problems in general. 8
[edit] Application in classrooms and similar settings
Problem-based learning can be considered to be a synthesis of several academic approaches. It is firmly rooted in constructivist learning theory, which describes learning as an active process where learners build new ideas or concepts based upon their existing knowledge. PBL emphasizes student-directed learning pathways, in which each student selects and transforms information, forms a hypothesis, and creates investigations. Constructivist thought is also evident in the PBL model of thinking. It transforms the teacher’s role from lecturer, or knowledge-holder, to that of a guide, and it conceptualizes the student as a thinker or a discoverer instead of a "blank slate” or "sponge.”
Problem-based learning also goes hand-in-hand with inquiry-based leaning, another approach that has gained significant support in recent years. Inquiry-based learning stresses student discovery and construction of knowledge and student experiences are considered the key to authentic learning. PBL includes every important aspect of the inquiry-based approach, but addresses student questions developed around a specific problem, instead of a more general topic.
The combination of valuable characteristics from different systems of educational thought is what makes problem-based learning so successful. Learning and instruction are transformed into an exciting and meaningful task. Nearly every problem-based learning unit will become and interdisciplinary unit as the students gather and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines in their quest for solutions. Their inquiry and exploration leads to learning key concepts, principles, content knowledge, and strategies necessary to solve the challenges presented by the problem. 5
[edit] How could PBL benefit students?
The list of reasons includes the fact that problem-based learning (PBL) ends up orienting students toward meaning-making over fact-collecting. They learn via contextualized problem sets and situations. Because of that, and all that goes with that, namely the dynamics of group work and independent investigation, they achieve higher levels of comprehension, develop more learning and knowledge-forming skills and more social skills as well. This approach to teaching brings prior knowledge into play more rapidly and ends up fostering learning that adapts to new situations and related domains. 2
[edit] Evidence of effectiveness
The following is the description of a study completed by Nancy Cerezo, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina Problem-Based Learning in The Middle School: A Research Case Study of the Perceptions of At-Risk Females, Published by RMLE Online, Research in Middle Level Education, 2004 Volume 27, Number 1.
- The purpose of this study was to examine problem-based learning and how students in the middle grades math and science classes perceive its effectiveness. The researcher used structured interviews to understand the perceived changes in students’ learning processes and self-efficacy.
- Qualitative results indicated high levels of perceived success with problem-based learning. On all the identified components of changes in students learning processes and self-efficacy—self-confidence, group dynamics, self-motivation, and independence—all students indicated problem-based learning had positive reactions. Results indicated all students benefited from problem-based learning in one way or another. Data revealed that students’ perceptions indicated problem-based learning helped them to be more confident in taking control of their learning. 3
Many other research studies show similar effects. In general, PBL research shows a slightly positive effect on achievement scores with much larger positive gains on indicators such as: critical thinking and problem solving skills, abilities related to accessing, analyzing, organizing, and communicating information, student attendance patterns and disciplinary behaviors (Glassgow, 1997; Jones, Rasmussen & Moffitt,1997). Perhaps one of the most interesting benefits of problem-based learning is that parents report that their children discuss what they are learning in school even before they are asked! 5
[edit] Critics and their rationale
Critics of problem-based learning say, however, that such teaching might be too abstract for concrete-thinking undergraduates who have yet to grasp basic theories.4 They also claim that ill-structured learning negates teacher planning, active instruction, and a curriculum linked to local, state, and national educational standards. 5
James A. Whitson, John St. Julien, and Eugene Matusov, University of Delaware wrote in The Quest for "Authenticity" in Problem-Based Learning: Reflections on PBL in Pre-Service Teacher Education Courses:
- "We have concluded that the effectiveness of the problem in our classes was not determined solely by the quality of the problem itself, in terms of its design, substantive relevance, or other characteristics of the problem. Success was determined, rather, by whether or not the students "owned" the problem as a real problem for them, as the problem with which they really were engaged. In some sections, this happened. In other sections of our courses, although students were indeed working on the problem as a class assignment, the problem they were actually engaged with was the "schoolish" problem of how to complete this course requirement with an acceptable grade for this assignment. Instead of asking themselves and each other questions arising from the "authentic" problem (such as "What charges could I bring against this defendant under our state’s criminal code?" or "Can I find precedents in the case law reports that will help me defend my client against some of these charges?"), students were asking their instructor more familiar "schoolish” questions, such as "how many sources do we need to get from the Internet for this part of the assignment?”6
- "No matter how realistic the problem is, in this sense, as designed by the instructor, it is still possible that the problem, as it is being worked on by the students, could be transformed by more familiar schoolish strategies for negotiating course requirements. We have heard mathematics teachers say that, although PBL could be used for teaching the more applied areas of mathematics, there are vast and fundamentally important topic areas within the mathematics curriculum that could not be taught using PBL.” 6
[edit] Alternative explanations due to Diversity or Gender considerations
Nancy Cerezo, University of North Carolina Greensboro writes in Problem-based learning in the middle school : A research case study of the perceptions of at-risk females, (2004):
- "Documented studies have stated problem-based learning is successful in both university and K-12 settings while additional investigations have suggested that problem-based learning may be especially productive with students at-risk. The phrase at-risk students, conjures many ideas to different people including race, sex, language, and learning capabilities. This study concentrated on female students "at-risk” of failing middle school math or science. The issues that related to this group were identity, classroom environment, and effective instruction.
- Research indicates at-risk students improve in the science and mathematics classroom when opportunities provide nurturing of peer relationships. Research suggests that collaboration fosters minority student success. "Collaboration within the group is an element of PBL that is necessary to accomplish problem resolution”. Students expressed their beliefs that problem-based learning cases help the learning environment. Students were overwhelmingly positive in their responses pertaining to liking problem-based learning. All of the 14 participants responded yes to the interview question of whether or not they liked problem-based learning. Interview responses describing how problem-based learning had assisted them included being better organized, paying better attention, keeping on task, learning from others, processing information, and how to use it in real-life situations. Participants responded that they noticed how PBL had helped them change their learning processes, and enabled them to complete more assignments in all their classes. 3
[edit] Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories
- As a 6th grader at South Middle School (Arlington Heights, IL) our team of approximately 120 students took part in a PBL activity. Our problem was to figure out what to do with a huge piece of land (an old army base) near the school. Although this may seem like a daunting task for most 6th graders, we were given the opportunity to think creatively and make an impact in our community. After numerous ideas were discussed, each person chose the team they wanted to work on. Our "job" was to research monetary costs, contact community leaders with our idea (my group's idea was make it Section 9 housing), talk to the community about our idea and develop and proposal for "the board." Although I took part in this PBL a long time ago (although we never were told what we were doing was a "PBL") I still remember the positive impact it made in my learning; I became more confident, improved group communication, and took pride in my team's hard work.
I attended a workshop on Problem Based or Inquiry Based Learning a few years ago. I was apprehensive at first, but quickly discovered how useful a teaching tool it could be in my mathematics classroom. I have tried to implement occasional projects, but find it difficult to develop problems that won't seem to superficial to my students. What are some good resources for locating "problems" of this type? M FOshee
[edit] References and other links of interest
1. Problem-Based Learning in Wikipedia
2. James Rhem, Executive Editor, Problem-Based Learning: An Introduction, The National Teaching and Learning Forum, December 1998 Vol. 8 No. 1. http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9812/pbl_1.htm
3. Cerezo, N. (2004). Problem-based learning in the middle school : A research case study of the perceptions of at-risk females. Research in Middle Level Education Online, 27(1). Retrieved from http://www.nmsa.org/portals/0/pdf/publications/RMLE/rmle_vol27_no1_article4.pdf
4. Bridget Murray, Learning Strategies: Learning From Real Life, Monitor On Psychology, Volume 31, No. 1, January 2000
5. Dr. Jodi J. Haney, Project Co-Director Project Excite, From Problem Solving to Taking Action, 2005
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/edhd/programs/excite/pbl/model.html
6. James A. Whitson, John St. Julien, and Eugene Matusov, University of Delaware, The Quest for "Authenticity” in Problem-Based Learning: Reflections on PBL in Pre-Service Teacher Education Courses, http://www.udel.edu/educ/whitson/files/PBL-Authenticity.htm
7. Glazer, E. (2001). Instructional models for problem-based inquiry. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and Technology. Available Website: http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/ProblemBasedInstruct.htm.
8. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, http://www.imsa.edu/programs/pbln/problems/garb/garb2gold19.html
9. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy introduction to PBL's and how to design a PBL, http://www.imsa.edu/programs/pbln/tutorials/
