John P. Henry Program Director Educational Information and Resource Center (EIRC) eirc

1. Educational Information and Resource Centerwww.eirc.org John P. Henry Program Director Educational Information and Resource Center (EIRC) www.eirc.org jhenry@eirc.org 856-582-7000 ext. 146 Cell: 609-330-9218 www.eirc.org/challenger Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

2. The Problem Based on national reports and the decline in student test scores, there is a need to improve enrollment in the STEM areas. The lack of emphasis in the STEM fields in our schools and the enormous commitment demonstrated by other countries to succeed in science and technology, has placed the United States at risk.

3. Consider the following facts…. • By 2010, if current trends continue, more than 90 percent of all scientist and engineers in the world will be living in Asia. • South Korea, with one-sixth of our population, graduates as many engineers as the US. • More than 50 percent of all engineering doctoral degrees awarded by US engineering colleges are to foreign nationals.

4. With security concerns there is a reduction in the number of foreign students available to study and work in the US, while these students have increasing opportunities to study and work in their home countries and other nations. The number of engineering degrees awarded in the US is down 20 percent from the peak year of 1985. Although US fourth graders score well against international competition, they fall near the bottom or dead last by 12th grade in Mathematics and Science, respectively.

5. What is Problem Based Learning? (PBL) is a student-centered educational approach that organizes curriculum and instruction around carefully crafted ill-structured" problems. Students gather and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines in their quest for solutions. Guided by teachers acting as cognitive coaches, they develop critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative skills as they identify problems, formulate hypotheses, conduct data searches, perform experiments, formulate solutions and determine the best "fit of solutions to the conditions of the problem. Problem-based learning enables students to embrace complexity, find relevance in their learning, and enhance their capacity for creative and responsible real-world problem-solving.

6. PBL consists of two complementary interrelated processes consistent with constructivism Curriculum Design • Teachers design an ill-structured problem based on desired curriculum outcomes, learner characteristics, and compelling, problematic situations from the real world. One big question or essential questions. • Teachers develop a sketch or template of teaching and learning events in anticipation of students' learning needs • Teachers investigate the range of resources essential to the problem and arrange for their availability

7. PBL consists of two complementary interrelated processes Cognitive Coaching • Students actively define problems and construct potential solutions • Teachers model, coach, and fade in student support • Teachers give students time to think • Teachers guide them to, not give them the resources needed to solve problems

8. Characteristics of PBL • Learning is student centered. • Independent and group investigation for construction of knowledge • Real-world context. Making connections between what students are learning and their own lives. • Development of critical thinking skills • Time to analyze and solve problems • Student autonomy and choice. • Decisions are student initiated and self-directed. • Group collaboration and teamwork, developing social and communication skills.

9. Characteristics of PBL • Collaboration with external sources for advice. • Not limited to the four walls of the classroom or the teacher as the primary source for information. • Encourages mastery of technological tools. • Prepares students for the work force by building problem solving skills. (Teaches them to think for themselves) • Role changes for the teacher and student--Teacher as facilitator, not the expert on the topic

10. Characteristics of PBL • Ongoing evaluation, not a single evaluation element • Teacher adapts and adjusts to change • Teacher as scenario writer • Inquiry questioning by the teacher and student • Supportive and non-competitive climate for students

11. Characteristics of PBL • Interdisciplinary oriented. demonstrates connections between classes • The focus is on the process more so than the solution • Multiple outcomes instead of a single answer, or right or wrong

12. How does PBL work? • Students confront a problem. • In groups, students organize prior knowledge and attempt to identify the nature of the problem. • Students pose questions about what they do not understand. • Students design a plan to solve the problem and identify the resources they need. • Students begin to gather information as they work to solve the problem.

13. Problem-based learning has as its organizing center an ill-structured problem which... • is messy and complex in nature • requires inquiry, information-gathering, and reflection • is changing and tentative • has no simple, fixed, formulaic, "right" solution • Appeals to human desire for resolution/ equilibrium/harmony

14. Examples of ill-structured problems used in PBL You are a scientist at the state department of nuclear safety. Some people in a small community feel their health is at risk because a company keeps thorium piled above ground at one of their plants. What action, if any, should be taken?

15. Examples of ill-structured problems used in PBL You are a consultant to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. A first draft of a plan for the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone has received strong, negative testimony at hearings. What is your advice regarding the plan?

16. Examples of ill-structured problems used in PBL You are a a science advisor at NASA. A planet much like the earth has experienced massive destruction of elements of its biosphere. What is causing the destruction of plant life? Can new plants from earth be successfully introduced to help save the planet's environment? Bill Orton, 2nd grade, Williamsburg, VA

17. Examples of ill-structured problems used in PBL You are a thirty-six year old single working mother with a five year old daughter. Upon your husband's death, you receive $20,000 in worker's compensation and $10,000 in stock option shares. How can you invest this money so that by your daughter's 18th birthday, its growth is maximized? LuAnn Malik, Community College of Aurora, Aurora, CO

18. Examples of ill-structured problems used in PBL You are a stockholder of a major oil refinery in Louisiana which has mined oil from wetlands in the southern part of the state. You have received pressure from publicity about the wetlands to make it property of the federal government so that it can be protected. What will you do? Christine Vitale, 4-5 multi-grade, Arlington Heights, IL

19. Examples of ill-structured problems used in PBL Develop, design, and demonstrate the feasibility of a self-contained, self-sustaining human community in a place that is not yet considered habitable. Woodbury and Williamstown High School, Grades 9-12

20. Examples of ill-structured problems usedin PBL Paper or Plastic

21. PBL addresses student needs by taking learning theory into account with PBL: • Students take on an active role in their educational experiences. • Students are actively involved in the learning process, and they learn in the context in which knowledge is to be used. • Students are empowered with the responsibility of managing a largely self-directed learning process so that they are better equipped to take on the responsibilities of mature professional life. • Students are encouraged to develop the skill of transferring knowledge into new domains, a skill that students can carry with them throughout their lifetimes.

22. Teacher as coach… Models/coaches/fades in support: • Asking about thinking • Monitoring learning • Probing/ challenging students' thinking • Keeping students involved • Monitoring/ adjusting levels of challenge • Managing group dynamics • Keeping process moving

23. Student as active problem-solver • Active participant • Engaged • Constructing meaning

24. Problem as initial challenge to promote motivation and attention • Appeals to human desire for resolution/ equilibrium/harmony

25. PBL Model • Present the Problem, Scenario, or Situation • State hypotheses, ideas, theories, design brief, or problem statement • List what is known • List what is unknown, or needed to know • List what is needed to be done: Action Plan, who will do what • Gather and analyze information (Dynamic Governance) • Present Findings The equivalence in decision making creates immediate buy in with feelings of identity. It inspires creativity and a sharing of ideas. Leaders find they are better informed and able to lead easier. In DG, a decision is made by consent decisions instead of consensus, vs. traditional winner/loser roles. A proposal is put on the table, and, rather than focusing on whether they are completely "for" the proposal, individuals react quickly, indicating whether it falls within their range of tolerance for achieving the group aim. Decisions are made by both the hierarchical layers involved and feedback on implementation of the decision gets back to the top. The double linking principle means that an organization becomes more responsible and can quickly adapt.

26. A notorious algebra problem concerns the time at which two railway trains will pass each other: Two trains leave different stations headed toward each other. Station A is 500 miles west of Station B. Train A leaves station A at 12:00 pm traveling toward Station B at a rate of 60 miles per hour. Train B leaves Station B at 2:30 pm for Station A at a rate of 45 miles per hour. At what time will the trains meet? Reading this question, one might respond, "Who cares?", or, "Why do we need to know this?" http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/ProblemBasedInstruct.htm#pbi01

27. What are the benefits of PBL? • Motivation: PBL makes students more engaged in learning because they are hard wired to respond to challenge and because they feel they are empowered to have an impact on the outcome of the investigation.

28. What are the benefits of PBL? • Motivation • Relevance And Context: PBL offers students an obvious answer to the questions, "Why do we need to learn this information?" and "What does what I am doing in school have to do with anything in the real world?"

29. What are the benefits of PBL? • Motivation • Relevance And Context • Higher-Order Thinking: the ill-structured problem scenario calls forth critical and creative thinking by suspending the guessing game of, "What's the right answer the teacher wants me to find?"

30. What are the benefits of PBL? • Motivation • Relevance And Context • Higher-Order Thinking • Learning How To Learn: PBL promotes metacognition and self-regulated learning by asking students to generate their own strategies for problem definition, information gathering, data-analysis, and hypothesis-building and testing, comparing these strategies against and sharing them with other students' and mentors' strategies.

31. What are the benefits of PBL? • Motivation • Relevance And Context • Higher-Order Thinking • Learning How To Learn • Authenticity: PBL engages students in learning information in ways that are similar to the ways in which it will be recalled and employed in future situations and assesses learning in ways which demonstrate understanding and not mere acquisition. (Gick and Holyoak, 1983).

32. Similarities to PBL and What Employers Want Willingness to share information and ideas Commitment to work in teams Responsiveness to change Sense of ownership with work and ideas Willingness to take calculated risks, without fear of consequences

33. Similarities to PBL and What Employers Want Multicultural experiences and or the ability to communicate in multiple languages Ability to communicate clearly and honestly with peers, teachers, administrators, and experts from other organizations Understanding of business strategy and how to create shareholder value Commitment to continuous learning and skill development

35. Mark Swiger