Problem-Based LearningPresented by

Amanda Ballard

“True learning is based on discovery . . . rather than the transmission of knowledge.”

John Dewey

Shape of the Day

• What is Problem-Based Learning?

• Why PBL?• Components of a PBL unit• A Sample PBL Unit• How to Design & Teach a PBL unit

What is PBL?

• Inquiry-based • Begins with an ill-structured problem

The Ill-structured Problem

Is based on • desired learning outcomes • learner characteristics• compelling, real world situations

Role of the Teacher

• Designs the problem• Anticipates teaching & learning events

• Investigates & gathers resources

• Models and coaches students

Role of the Students

• Confront the problem• Determine know / need to know• Define the problem• Design a plan to solve the problem

• Gather information• Construct potential solutions• Select & present the ‘best fit’

Advantages of PBL

• Any subject, any grade• Learner-centred• Students acquire content knowledge, skills and attitudes

• Assessment as Learning

Bottom Line:PBL fosters life-long

learners, and…

life-long learners make good citizens!

Why Students Like It

• Learning is driven by challenging, open-ended questions

• Students collaborate• Students’ learning is self-directed

• It’s authentic & relevant!

History of PBL

• 1960’s – Discovery learning• 1970’s – McMaster University medical school

• 1985 – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

• 1990’s – Medical schools across North America and Europe

• 2000’s and beyond – Elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, universities and professional schools

What is behind PBL?

• Based on the constructivist theory of learning

• Promotes active learning by challenging students to learn to learn

• Inquiry-based• Well-constructed problems stimulate students’ curiosity and engagement

Where does PBL fit?

Inquiry Learning

Cooperative/Collaborative

Learning

Project-BasedLearning

Problem-BasedLearning

Case Studies

What’s the Difference?

Project-BasedLearning

• Individual or group• Teacher defines the

problem• Teacher identifies

action steps• Create a product

Both• Teacher as guide• Students at centre• Real-world

connections• Active learning• Self and peer

assessment

Problem-BasedLearning

• Groups• Students define the

problem• Students identify

action steps• Create a solution• Metacognition

Bottom Line: In Problem-Based Learning, students have more controlover their own learning and the processes involved.

Components of a PBL Unit

• Stakeholder• Ill-structured Problem• Teacher as Coach• Constraints• Formative Assessment• Problem-Solving• Metacognition• Assessment

Student As Stakeholder

• Increases ownership• Provides a form of apprenticeship in a discipline

• Perspective-taking• A key decision maker• Must be someone with Authority, Responsibility, and Accountability

The Ill-structured Problem

• Needs more information before it becomes clear

• Can be solved in more than one way

• Has more than one resolution• Changes sometimes with new information

• Is ambiguous and unclear

Teacher As Coach

• Metacognition• ‘Guide-on-the-side’

Constraints

• A well-designed problem is constrained to the issues on which the teacher wants students to focus

Assessment

• How will I know if students are learning what I want them to learn?

• Many familiar assessment tools can be utilized to monitor students’ group work (skills), critical thinking (metacognition) and learning (facts)

Problem-Solving

• Students will need to find potential solutions to the problem and determine which solution is the best fit

Metacognition

• Students think about their thinking

• What do I think the problem is? Why do I think that? Has my perspective changed? How?

G.R.A.S.P.S.

G GoalR RoleA AudienceS SituationP Product or PerformanceS Standards/Criteria

Sample Problem

The Flow of the Problem

The Flow of the Problem• Meet the problem• Know/Need to Know• Define the Problem Statement

• Gather Information• Share Information• Generate Possible Solutions

• Determine Best Fit Solution• Present the Solution• Debrief the Problem

Understandthe Problem

Explore theCurriculum

Resolve theProblem

Understand the Problem

1. Meet the problem– Students are introduced to the

problem

Sample Problem

• Who killed Simon & Piggy?

Metropolitan PoliceKings Cross

_____________________________

Date: April 30, 1955

To: Investigative Team

From: Chief of Police

Subject: Deaths of Simon and Piggy

See attached letter.Open an investigation immediately.

Dear Chief Gordon,

We, the parents of the students of Kings Cross School for Boys, hereby file this complaint and demand that the police investigate the deaths of Piggy and Simon.

It is a complete travesty that these two boys did not make it home after miraculously surviving the horrific plane crash on the island. After the crash, all of the boys went on to spend weeks on the island. They managed to organize themselves to hunt for food and build shelters and take care of each other. Yet, somehow, two of the oldest and strongest boys died on the island.It is inexplicable that such a thing should happen. We deserve answers, for ourselves and for our children. The surviving boys are traumatized by their experience and will never be the same. The least we can do is help them understand why two of their friends did not make it home.We await your prompt reply regarding the status of this complaint.

Sincerely,The parents of the Kings Cross School for Boys

Understand the Problem

2. Know/Need to Know– Students determine what they know

and what they need to know to solve the problem

– Students start to identify action steps toward solving the problem

– Note: in some cases students may need more information or background knowledge to define the problem

Learning Issues Board

What We Know Need To Know Plan of Action•2 boys died – Piggy & Simon

•Plane crashed•Boys spent weeks on island

•They found food and shelter

•They were friends (care for each other)

•What are they traumatized about?

•Where was the pilot?

•How did they die?

•Were there any predators on the island?

•Did the boys like each other?

•Read the novel

Hunches: Simon and Piggy died on the islandThey were stranded on the islandThey got sick or injured and couldn’t get help

The Kicker!

• On day 2, students receive a memo from the Crown Council asking for a recommendation regarding who should be charged for the boys’ deaths.

Understand the Problem

3. Define the Problem Statement– Students write a statement

defining the problem– Students add to learning

issues board, identify learning objectives and make a plan

Problem Definition

Determine whether or not charges should be laid in the deaths of Simon and Piggy and against whom, while being just and fair and responding to the parents’ demand for answers.

Learning Objectives

• Read and understand texts• Understand both literal and symbolic meanings

• Use oral language• Select and use a range of reading strategies

• Interpret, analyze and evaluate ideas

• Write and represent ideas

Explore the Curriculum

1. Gather information

- Darwin

- Golding Leadership styles

Explore the Curriculum

2. Share Information– Presentations, Jigsaw

Explore the Curriculum

3. Generate Possible Solutions

• Who could be held responsible for Simon and Piggy’s deaths?– Ralph: failed as leader– Jack: led boys into savagery– Beast/Fear: caused boys to go crazy

Resolve the Problem

1.Determine Best Fit Solution– Evaluate the options and

choose the ‘best’ one

*Remember, there is no ‘right’ answer

Resolve the Problem

2. Present the Solution– Students present their

proposed solution to the class– Students defend their position

using criteria which are meaningful to the discipline

Resolve the Problem

3. Debrief the Problem– Students compare the different

solutions proposed by each group– What are the pros/cons of each?– What would you have done

differently?– Do you think your presentation

was effective?

Examples of PBL Across The Curriculum

• “Lord of the Flies” (English)• The Ebola Problem (Math/Socials/Science)

• The Black Death (Social Studies/Math)

• Mosquito Coast (Geography/Science/Math)

• Genetic Disorder Problem (Science)

Designing a PBL Unit

Not a Topic, a Problem

• Not the Civil War…The Draft Riot

• Not Acids and Bases…Acid Spill on the Highway

• Not art history…’Degenerate Art’ during World War II

Not a Topic, a Problem

• Not the Civil War…The Draft Riot

• Not Acids and Bases…Acid Spill on the Highway

• Not art history…’Degenerate Art’ during World War II

Where to start

• Look in the news, textbook, fiction, tv, life

• Take your summative assessment activities and work backwards

• Make cases out of word problems or essay questions– Example: In essay format, discuss what you think Golding says about civilization and civilized behaviour in “Lord of the Flies”

• Adapt a project– Example: Genetic Disorder Problem

Designing a PBL Unit

• Determine content – what you want students to learn

• Identify the stakeholder• Create the problem• Layout the plan & identify the constraints

• Plan assessment

Determine Content

Fine Arts Science

Social Studies

Salmon

• What fish look like• Design a fish farm• First Nations Art• Stories and Legend• Protest songs

• First Nations Culture• Careers• Geography• Conservation• International Issues/ Trade

• Ecology & ecosystems• Tools & technology• Pollution• Lifecycle

Identify the Stakeholder

• Fishermen• Consumers• Fish farmers• Conservationists• Land developers• Mayor of small fishing village• Aquarium

Write Problem Introduction

• You are a land developer who has just discovered that you will not be able to build on a parcel of land in which you have already invested a large sum of money. Plans have been drawn up and workers have been hired. You must find a way to develop the land or risk losing your money and reputation.

• Follow-up with minutes from public hearing explaining the issue with developing this particular area of land: it is home to a salmon spawning stream that would be threatened by development

Map Out The Problem

• Take a look at your lecture notes for the subject/issue and identify resources that students could use

• Make a list of possible activities• Determine the skills you want students to learn and how you will teach them

• Make sure the problem is constrained to just the issues you want students to explore

Plan Assessment

• Facts• Skills• Analysis• Reflection

Ideas: Problem Log, Portfolios, Rubrics

Learning Strategies

• Note-taking organizers• Reading strategies (e.g. ‘Shower of Stars’)

• Teacher as expert• Jigsaw• Graphic Organizers (web, t-chart)• Adding Up Logically: Making Inferences

• Presentation Outline• Reflection Journals

Differentiation

• You can use the same tools that you would use in any other lesson

• Many of the learning strategies are tools to differentiate

• Examples: providing research materials, breaking the problem into steps/tasks, graphic organizers with fill-in-the-blanks, researching in pairs, vocabulary list

Samples & Resources

Genetic Disorder Problem

1. Understand the Problem• As the head cytologist in a fertility ward, you have just performed a test on a pregnant woman who is having complications with her pregnancy. The couple had trouble conceiving and are worried about losing the baby. They want to know what is happening and what it means for future pregnancies.

• The test results are back. You have a photograph of the chromosomes removed from a single embryonic stem cell taken from the 3 week old embryo.

2. Explore the Curriculum• How will we find out what’s

wrong with the unborn patient?

3. Resolve the Problem• What will you tell the

couple about the diagnosis, how it happened and what to do about future pregnancies?

Questions

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