Introduction to Problem Based Learning Strategies

Video Transcription

Hello. Thank you for joining me today to talk about our introduction to problem-based learning strategies. We're going to start by looking at some essential questions. By the end of today's tutorial, we'll be able to answer, what is problem based learning, and what does problem based learning look like in the classroom?

So what exactly is problem-based learning? Problem-based learning requires students go through an extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge, while allowing for some degree of student voice and choice. Its rigorous progress is carefully planned, managed, and assessed to help students learn key academic content, practice 21st-century skills such as collaboration, communication, and critical thinking, and create high-quality, authentic products and presentations.

So what does the PBL classroom include? We're going to look at a couple of indicators for the PBL classroom. And with the example we're about to do in a few minutes, we'll look at each of these indicators more in depth.

PBL includes student inquiry. An example of this might be the Genius Hour opportunity that a lot of the tech companies use. We talked about this previously when we first talked about blended learning, but Genius Hour is time set aside each day for students to work on a pet project and see what comes of it.

PBL also has a teacher as facilitator, rather than a direct instructor. There's an emphasis on flexible thinking and an emphasis on problem-solving. There are also opportunities for self-directed learning and collaboration. And it's a celebration of intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation. Remember, intrinsic means the student derives pleasure from the learning itself, rather than from some sort of extrinsic motivator. And PBL has active student engagement.

Let's look at an example of PBL in the classroom. Today's example is for an elementary school. And the objective is this. A focus of the elementary school is teamwork and being kind to one another. It's an anti-bullying focus.

Second-grade classes across the school have been tasked to create a new recess game that encourages working together, teamwork, while reminding students of the terms and expectations of the school's behavior plan, with particular focus on being kind. Students will generate ideas, collaborate with one another, effectively use technology, and take on various roles in the group.

For student inquiry, students are given time during the regular school day to brainstorm their project. This is their Genius Hour. And they will eventually collaborate with one another in small groups with students of varying levels. The teacher acts as a facilitator. So even though the teacher is the one who posed the problem, the teacher does not directly instruct, but acts as a facilitator who students bounce ideas off of and who offers support to the groups.

There's an emphasis on flexible thinking. Students and teacher are all flexible. Students, because they're working in groups, will be encouraged to be flexible as they are working together. There is also an emphasis on problem-solving. Students are encouraged to not only solve the problem posed for the project, but also the others that arise.

There's also opportunities for self-directed learning. Students are taking charge and are problem-solving, collaborating, evaluating, and creating. They're setting their own schedules, and they're self-pacing. And collaboration-- students are working together. They're collaborating, they're negotiating, et cetera.

There's also a celebration of intrinsic motivation. The teacher does not extrinsically motivate students with treats, et cetera. Students have high self-efficacy and want to do well on the project for themselves, their classmates, and the school. And there's also active student engagement. Students are actively engaged because they're self-motivated and have brainstormed and created various solutions to a problem that is meaningful to them.

Let's take a moment to reflect. How can you incorporate PBL into your classroom? In your opinion, what are some pros and cons associated with PBL?

This is PBL in a nutshell. We talked about today what PBL is and what it looks like in the classroom.

Now it's your turn to apply what you've learned in this video. The additional resources section will be super helpful. This section is designed to help you discover useful ways to apply what you've learned here. Each link includes a brief description, so you can easily target the resources you want. Thank you for joining me, and happy teaching.