What Is PBL?

Student-centered; faculty-facilitated

Problem-based learning is a pedagogical strategy for posing significant, contextualized, real world situations, and providing resources, guidance, and instruction to learners as they develop content knowledge and problem-solving skills (Mayo, Donnelly, Nash, & Schwartz, 1993). In problem based learning, students collaborate to study the issues of a problem as they strive to create viable solutions. Unlike traditional instruction, which is often conducted in lecture format, teaching in problem based learning normally occurs within small discussion groups of students facilitated by a faculty tutor (Aspy, Aspy, & Quimby, 1993, Bridges & Hallinger, 1991).

Because the amount of direct instructon is reduced in problem based learning, students assume greater responsibility for their own learning (Bridges & Hallinger, 1991). The instructor's role becomes one of subject matter expert, resource guide, and task group consultant. This arrangement promotes group processing of information rather than an imparting of information by faculty (Vernon & Blake, 1993). The instructor's role is to encourage student participation, provide appropriate information to keep students on track, avoid negative feedback, and assume the role of fellow learner (Aspy et al., 1993).

Evolution of Problem Based Learning

Although the roots of problem based learning can be traced back through inquiry training, John Dewey, and apprenticeships, recent evolution of the pedagogy was pioneered at Case Western Reserve University in the early 1950s. The structure developed by this university now serves as the basis of the curriculum at many secondary, post-secondary, and graduate schools including Harvard Medical School (Savery, 1994). In fact, over 80% of medical schools use the problem based learning methodology to teach students about clinical cases, either real or hypothetical (Vernon & Blake, 1993, Bridges & Hallinger, 1991).

Going Beyond Content

The ability to solve problems is more than just accumulating knowledge and rules; it is the development of flexible, cognitive strategies that help analyze unanticipated, ill-structured situations to produce meaningful solutions. Even though many of today's complex issues are within the realm of student understanding, the skills needed to tackle these problems are often missing from instruction. Typical problem solving taught in schools often tends to be situation specific with well-defined problem parameters that lead to predetermined outcomes with one correct answer. In these situations, it is often the procedures required to solve the problem that are the focus of instruction. Unfortunately, students skilled in this method are not adequately prepared when they encounter problems in which they need to transfer their learning to new domains, a skill required to function effectively in society (Reich, 1993).

Real-life problems seldom parallel well-structured problems; hence, the ability to solve traditional school-based problems does little to increase relevant, critical thinking skills students need to interact with life beyond classroom walls. Well-structured problems with their sterile environments in which there is only one right answer simply teach students about problem solving, not how to problem solve. In real life, we seldom repeat exactly the same steps to solve problems; therefore, the lockstep solution sequence taught in well-structured classroom problems is seldom transferable. Instead, real-life problems present an ever-changing variety of goals, contexts, contents, obstacles, and unknowns which influence how each problem should be approached. To be successful in their chosen career, students need practice solving ill-structured problems that reflect life beyond the classroom. This skill is the goal of problem based learning.

References

Aspy, D.N., Aspy, C. B., & Quimby, P.M. (1993). What doctors can teach teachers about problem-based learning. Educational Leadership, 50(7), 22-24.

Bridges, E. M., & Hallinger, P. (1991, September). Problem-based learning in medical and managerial education. Paper presented for the Cognition and School Leadership Conference of the National Center for Educational Leadership and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Nashville, TN.

Mayo, P., Donnelly, M. B., Nash, P. P., & Schwartz, R. W. (1993). Student Perceptions of Tutor Effectiveness in problem based surgery clerkship. Teaching and Learning in Medicine. 5(4), 227-233.

Reich, R. (1990). Redefining good education: Preparing students for tomorrow. In S. B. Bacharach (Ed.) Education reform: Making sense of it all. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Savery, J. (1994, May). What is problem-based learning? Paper presented at the meeting of the Professors of Instructional Design and Technology, Indiana State University, Bloomington, IN.

Vernon, D. T., & Blake, R. L. (1993). Does problem-based learning work? A meta-analysis of evaluative research. Academic Medicine, 68(7) 550-563.

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