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Problem Based Learning
Problem Based Learning is suggested as a teaching technique that is very effective for case study program preparation. This section includes a description of Problem Based Learning, how to get started, and suggestions on ways to make it most effective.
The Basics of Problem Based-Learning
A presentation by Virginia Felstehausen, Ph.D., Texas Tech University
Problem-based learning is a relatively new approach to teaching that shifts the emphasis from the “sage on the stage” to an interactive method that engages students in grappling with real-life problems in such a way that they develop solutions and new ways of thinking through the process.
Complex, real-world problems are used to motivate students to research the concepts and methodologies they need to know to work through these problems. It is student-centered and inquiry based instruction.
Problem-based learning will help students develop the ability to:
- Think critically
- Analyze and solve problems
- Find, evaluate and use appropriate learning resources
- Work cooperatively in teams/small groups
- Demonstrate versatile and effective communication skills, both verbal and written.
How Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is done:
Phase one:
- Students are presented with a problem (e.g., case study, research paper, videotape)
- Students work in permanent groups to organize their ideas and previous knowledge related to the problem and attempt to define the broad nature of the problem.
Phase two:
- Throughout the small group discussion , students pose questions (“learning issues”) that delineate aspects of the problem they don’t understand.
- These learning issues are recorded by a group member and help generate and focus the discussion.
- Students are continually encouraged to define what they know and what they don’t know.
Phase three:
Students rank, in order of importance, the learning issues generated during the discussions. They decide which questions will be followed up by the whole group and which issues can be assigned to individuals, who later teach the rest of the group. Students and professor also discuss what resources will be needed to research the learning issues and where they can be found.
Phase four:
When students reconvene, they explore the previous learning issues, integrating their new knowledge into the context of the problem. Students also are encouraged to summarize what they have learned and connect new concepts to old ones. Students continue to define new learning issues as they progress through the problem.
Getting started: strategies for using PBL Groups in your classes
Start group work early in the course –preferably the first day of class. Explain why you think using groups is a good strategy; then ask students to report on past experiences they have had working in teams. Conduct what will be the first of many activities that promote positive group interactions.
EXAMPLES OF FIRST-DAY ACTIVITIES
Have them do activities that are not crucial to the ultimate outcome/work of the group.
__Write a group biography
__Take a short pretest on course content given first to individuals, then to groups
__ conduct a learning style survey such as the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (or see the learning style inventories in the text: Chapter 3, pp. 74-75.
FORMING GROUPS
__Creation of heterogeneous groups can expose students to new ideas and distribute assets and liabilities evenly. __Heterogeneous groups can either be selected intentionally or randomly.
__Develop some ground rules
Encourage students to take ownership of their performance as a group by asking them to establish and enforce group ground rules. This is usually most successful if established in the first week or two of class. Consider asking each group to sign two copies of their ground rule, giving one to the instructor and keeping one in a group notebook.
STUDENTS’ ROLES WITHIN THE GROUP
When each student feels individually accountable for his/her own performance, the “free rider” is discouraged and contributors to group effort are rewarded. One way to promote individual accountability is to formulate a role for each student in the group and ask students to rotate the roles among group members every week or after every problem or assignment.
Discussion Leader – Keeps group on track; maintains full participation Recorder – Records assignments, strategies, unresolved issues, data; convenes group outside of class. Reporter – Reports during whole-class discussion; writes final draft of assignment. Accuracy Coach – checks group understanding; finds resources.
Making PBL Work in Your Classroom
Prepare your syllabus to reflect revised learning objectives. Find appropriate problems to address the content covered in your course. Introduce your students to group process and learning skills that will help him/her be successful in a PBL environment. Accept the uncertainty of a different classroom strategy
Characteristics of Good Problem-Based Learning Problems:
Must engage students’ interest and motivate them to probe for deeper understanding of the concepts being introduced. Require students to make decisions or judgments based on facts, information, logic, and/or rationalization. Should be complex enough that cooperation from all members of the student group will be necessary in order for the group to effectively work toward a solution. Initial questions in the first stage of the problem should be: *Open-ended; *Based on previously learned knowledge and/or; *Controversial. Content objectives of the course should be incorporated into the problems, connecting previous knowledge to new concepts and connecting new knowledge to concepts in other courses and/or disciplines.
The power of PBL lies in the ability of the group to synthesize what they have learned and connect that new knowledge to the framework of understanding that they are building.
Suggestions for Writing Problem-Based Learning Problems:
Step 1
Choose a central idea, concept or principle that is always taught in your course.\ Then think of a typical end-of-chapter problem, assignment, or homework that usually assigned to students to help them learn that concept. Identify the learning objectives that student should meet when they work through the problem.
Choose a central idea, concept or principle that is always taught in your course.\
Step 2
Think of a real-world context for the concept under consideration. Possibilities include developing a story-telling aspect to an end-or-chapter problem or researching an actual case that can be adapted to meet the objectives of your course.
Step 3
Introduce that problem so that students will be able to identify learning issues that will lead them to research the targeted concepts. As you write the problem, ask yourself:
What learning issues should be identified? How will the problem be structured? What resources will the students need? What end product do you expect?
Step 4
Write a teaching guide for yourself that details the instructional plans for incorporating the problem into your course. The guide can/should indicate plans that intersperse various teaching/learning modes in your classroom (e.g., mini-lectures, whole-class discussions and small group work with groups regularly reporting)
Step 5
Students need to learn to identify and utilize learning resources on their own; but it can be helpful if you indicate a few good sources for them to get started.
Incorporating PBL into a typical undergraduate course is a challenge worth meeting. It will assist students in developing the lifelong learning skills that will help them succeed in college and beyond. – Dr. Felstehausen
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