Understanding Problem-based Learning
From Problem Solving to Taking Action
by Dr. Jodi J. Haney, Project Co-Director
An Elementary School in Northwest, Ohio closes temporarily because of a suspected uncontrolled mold growth. Students in a new “state of the art” high school complain of severe headaches, nausea, and lightheadedness. A rural community in central Ohio protests that a nearby family farm is responsible for potential community health issues. Headlines such as these are commonly found in local newspapers and television newscasts alike. These news stories highlight environmental problems facing our communities and provide important information about the potential causes and effects. Meanwhile, schools and teachers are faced with the difficult task of motivating students to learn the outlined local, state, and national standards that guide our educational systems. So why not dive into real problems and help generate real solutions, while at the same time attaining current education-al goals. Sound Intriguing? Let problem-based learning show you the way.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational strategy that has received a great deal of attention over the past several years. PBL is really not a new idea. The model has roots in John Dewey’s Progressive Education era (originating in the early 1900’s), as it is a highly student centered strategy that offers students’ educational opportunities to investigate real world issues. Problem-based learning gained recognition through its popularity with medical schools in the early1960s. Disappointed with the level of performance of their students in the field, the Harvard Medical School curriculum team sought out new instructional strategies to better prepare their students for the realities of the profession. To put PBL strategies to the test, in the early 1980’s Harvard researchers examined the performance of students experiencing PBL strategies in comparison to students experiencing the traditional curriculum. The data revealed that the PBL students scored slightly higher on achievement tests, but the real gains were noted in the PBL students’ performance-based skills that are required of practicing physicians (Torp & Sage, 1998). Since this time, many medical schools across the county employ PBL to enhance the readiness of their graduates for the world that awaits them.
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!
There are many models to guide PBL experiences, however underlying all of the PBL models are ill-structured, interesting, and relevant problems for students to solve using inquiry skills. The medical models are case study based and typically start with a short vignette of a patient suffering from a few noted symptoms. Medical students then use these clues to access further information and make a diagnosis. Other PBL models present students with an interesting and relevant problem, offer students opportunities for hypothesis testing through inquiry, and use decision making strategies to derive a solution.
The Project EXCITE PBL model, called an Odyssey to signify an active and process-oriented voyage, infuses ideas from the best available models and offers a unique and important dimension (service learning) in the final phase of the learning experience. Our PBL Odyssey model consists of four main phases: Meet the Problem, Inquiry and Investigation, Build Solutions, and Take Action (see Figure above).
During the Meet the Problem phase, students are presented with an ill-structured and developmentally appropriate local problem to investigate. After the students have outlined what they currently know and what they need to know about the problem, they identify possible resources for learning and generate a beginning hypothesis (an inference as to the cause of the problem). They then devise a plan to guide them through the next learning phase, Inquiry and Investigation. Here, students use inquiry skills and available resources to uncover needed information and collect data. Students revisit the problem by sharing findings from their group investigation, revise their original ideas/hypotheses and summarize what they now understand to be true. When students have unraveled the problem and have constructed deeper understandings of the related content, they generate possible solutions to the problem. They then use critical thinking skills to weigh the pros and cons associated with the possible solutions in order to establish a best-fit solution. Learning does not stop here however, as perhaps the richest part of the experience is yet to come. After students decide upon a best-fit solution, they develop a plan to take action, encouraging active citizenship and social responsibility. Action projects might consist of creating an informational product to communicate their newly constructed knowledge, designing and constructing a model or prototype, developing an action oriented project, or voicing concern through letter writing, campaigning, etc. During this phase, service learning is actuated, as students apply their newly acquired knowledge, skills, and dispositions to better society. Reflectivity is emphasized throughout the Odyssey as students are given frequent opportunities to respond to questions in a daily reflection log.
Importantly, EXCITE Odysseys are interdisciplinary. They promote both deeper understandings of content and the acquisition of skills related to science, mathematics, language arts, social sciences and health, among others. Because they are framed by real problems that face real people, they provide opportunities for students to examine, discuss, and clarify the ethical issues related to the problem at hand.
Critics of PBL claim that ill-structured learning negates teacher planning, active instruction, and a curriculum linked to local, state, and national educational standards. To the contrary, PBL teachers must over plan and over prepare, since students’ inquiries will take many turns along the way. Problem-based learning teachers implement and assess student learning using research based strategies such as cooperative learning, inquiry, and authentic assessments. Moreover, the PBL experience is framed by educational standards and is easily woven across the curriculum.
Recently, interdisciplinary teacher teams in Northwest and Northeast Ohio have designed and implemented locally relevant PBL Odysseys focusing on environmental health science issues such as indoor air quality, household chemical exposures, and urbanization. Their Odysseys will be available as national curriculum models in the near future. Sound EXCITING? Stay tuned!
References:
Torp, Linda, Sage, Sarah. (1998). Problems As Possibilities: problem-based learning For K-12 Education. Alexandria, VA: Association For Curriculum And Development.
Glasgow, Neal. (1997). New Curriculum For New Times: A Guide To Student-Centered Problem-Based Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA:Corwin Press, Inc.
Jones,Beau Fly, Rasmussen, Claudette M., & Moffitt, Mary C.(1997). Real Life Problem Solving: A Collaborative Approach To Interdisciplinary Learning. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association.
