1. Session 4
Problem-Based Learning:
An Overview
What is PBL?
Why PBL?
How to do PBL?
BEd (Secondary)
ES001: EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY:
LEARNERS AND LEARNING
2. What is Problem-Based Learning (PBL)?
“An education process that requires the learner to go through the
same activities during learning that are valued in the real world…
The intent is to challenge the learner with problems found in
practice both as a stimulus for learning and as a focus for organizing
what has been learned for later recall and application to future
work.”
(Professor Howard Barrows as quoted
in Boud & Feletti, 2001)
01/29/15 2
3. What is Problem-Based Learning (PBL)?
The essence of problem-based instruction involves the
presentation of authentic and meaningful situations that
serve as starting points for student investigation and inquiry.
01/29/15 3
5. 01/29/15 5
Characteristics of PBL
• The problem is the starting point of learning
• Subject matter is organized around the problems rather than
the discipline
• Forces the students to work and learn the basic principles of
the subject in the context of solving a problem
• Real world problem – appeared unstructured
• Problems call for several sources of knowledge
• Self-directed learning is primary
• Students assume major responsibility for
information/knowledge acquisition.
6. Characteristics of PBL
• Learning is collaborative, communicative and co-operative
• Peer learning, peer teaching & group presentation are
essential
• Role of teacher: facilitates & coaches through questioning and
cognitive coaching.
• Development of inquiry & problem solving skills is as
important as content knowledge acquisition
• Production of artifacts + exhibits
• The learning environment of PBL is characterised by
openness, active student involvement, + an atmosphere of
intellectual freedom
01/29/15 6
9. 01/29/15 9
PBL At-A-Glance
An educational methodology that involves:
Real world challenges
Higher order thinking skills
Interdisciplinary learning
Independent learning
Information mining skills
Teamwork
Communication skills
10. Why PBL?
Some Learner Outcomes
PBL was not designed to help teachers convey huge quantities of
information to students.
Inquiry, Critical
Thinking + Problem-
Solving Skills
Integration of
curricula knowledge
into the solution of
authentic problems
Teamwork,
Presentation,
Communication
Skills
Skills for
Independent
Learning, Intrinsic
Motivation
14. 01/29/15 14
The Problem-Solving Cycle: An Example
1. Define the main problem
2. Identify subsidiary issues and research questions
3. Generate possible explanations, hypotheses
4. Make links to relevant theories and research
5. Generate alternative solutions
6. Choose appropriate solutions
7. Test out the chosen solutions
8. Evaluate results/outcomes
DYNAMIC AND ITERATIVE
15. Meeting the Problem
Problem scenario acts as a stimulus to scaffold and extend a
realistic context students may encounter in the future
• Developing collegiality
• Individual reading, reflection and inquiry
• Commitment to team roles and the group
• Brainstorming and articulation of probable issues
• Reaching consensus on the problem statement
• Commitment to deliberate on the problem scenario and
problem analysis
01/29/15 15
16. Problem Analysis and Learning Issues
Students’ prior knowledge is activated
Ideas are generated that call for further learning
Students are required to work independently on their own, searching
for information through various resources (e.g., books, journals,
Internet resources)
• Brainstorming & analysis of problem (e.g., generation of possible
explanations and hypotheses)
• Identification of learning issues and formulation of learning
objectives
• Assignment of self-directed learning and peer teaching tasks
PBL facilitator prompts to ensure key areas are not overlooked
01/29/15 16
17. 01/29/15 17
Discovery and Reporting
Students report their discovery of learning to their own groups
• Peer teaching
• Students gather to share the new information they have
individually discovered
• Group collaboration and communication skills through
questioning and seeking of further information from each
other
18. Solution Presentation and Reflection
• Present solution to problem scenario
• Reflect on and evaluate their knowledge, understanding and
approach
• Contextualize and apply knowledge to the situation
• Demonstrate their new knowledge
• Sometimes, more questions may be asked
01/29/15 18
19. Overview, Integration and Evaluation
• Closure to the problem based learning
• PBL facilitator summarizes and integrates what has been
learned and highlights gaps in knowledge
• Students critique their learning resources (e.g., value,
reliability and usefulness for future learning)
• Reflect on the new knowledge they have learned as a result
of the problem
• Members of groups also evaluate their performance as
learners in terms of being problem-solvers, self-directed
learners, and as members of the team
01/29/15 19
Notas del editor
PBL is based on Constructivism/Social Constructivism:
Understanding through interaction with problem scenario & learning environment
Piaget (1970) suggested that one of the motivations for intellectual development was the ‘cognitive conflict’ that arises between the child’s experience of the world and understanding it
Problem inquiry create cognitive conflicts that stimulate learning
Students are active problem solvers
Collaborative processes require social negotiation and evaluation of one’s understanding leads to knowledge construction
Emphasis is on knowledge acquisition rather than application
Problem Encounter
Define the main problem and highlight specific keywords and issues
Inductive and deductive analyses
Problem Analysis
Generate and articulate specific questions
Generate possible explanations and hypotheses based on prior experiences or knowledge
Make links to relevant theories/research
Formulate learning objectives
Peer Teaching and Discovery
Formulation and Evaluation of Solution
Generate and choose appropriate solutions based on theory and research
Evaluate solutions
Problem Statement: Students’ interpretation of the problem. An overarching statement of the problem; the problem stated in its most succinct and comprehensive form
Learning Issues are topics where students need to search and study in order to solve or explain the problem (usually state in the form of questions)
Hypotheses/Explanations: Informed guesses or research-based explanations to the learning issues
Learning Objectives: Specific learning objectives when researching on the learning issues