The Challenge Of Problem Based Learning

First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Problem-based learning is a way of constructing and teaching courses using problems as the stimulus and focus for student activity. This edition looks at the topic in the light of changes since the first edition (1991). There are new chapters on the impact of PBL, and inquiry and action learning.

If a fundamental goal of schooling is to prepare young people for the unknowable future, why do we assign students so many clearly defined tasks with predetermined solutions? According to educator and creativity expert Ronald A. Beghetto, the best way to unleash students' problem solving and creativity—and thus prepare them to face real-world problems—is to incorporate complex challenges that teach students to respond productively to uncertainty. In this thought-provoking book, Beghetto explains How to foster "possibility thinking" to help students open up their thinking in creative, sometimes counterintuitive ways. The process of lesson unplanning, a way of transforming existing lessons, activities, and assignments into more complex classroom challenges. Four basic action principles that teachers and students can use to design and solve complex challenges both inside and outside the classroom. The steps for creating legacy challenges, which require students to identify a problem, develop a solution, and ensure that their work makes a lasting contribution. With planning forms and detailed sample activities, this practical guide will enable teachers at every grade level to design a full range of challenges in any subject area. Invite uncertainty into your classroom—and discover what your students are capable of.

Grade level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, k, p, e, i, s, t.

In this book, the authors address some basic problems in the learning of biomedical science, medicine, and the other health sciences. Students in most medical schools, especially in basic science courses, are required to memorize a large number of "facts," facts which may or may not be relevant to medical practice. Problem-based learning has two fundamental postulates--the learning through problem-solving is much more effective for creating a body of knowledge usable in the future, and that physician skills most important for patients are problem-solving skills, rather than memory skills. This book presents the scientific basis of problem-based learning and goes on to describe the approaches to problem-based medical learning that have been developed over the years at McMaster University, largely by Barrows and Tamblyn.

This book discloses ways in which learners and teachers manage complex and diverse learning in the context of their lives in a fragile and often incoherent world. It explores both the theory and the practice of problem-based learning and considers the implications of implementing problem-based learning organizationally.

Engaging and motivating students--especially the least motivated learners--is a daily challenge. But with the process of problem-based learning (PBL), any teacher can create an exciting, active classroom where students themselves eagerly build problem-solving skills while learning the content necessary to apply them. With problem-based learning, students' work begins with an ill-defined problem. Key to this problem is how it explicitly links something important in students daily lives to the classroom. This motivational feature is vital as students define the what, where, and how of resolving the problem situation. Problem-based learning may sound potentially chaotic and haphazard, but it rests on the firm foundation of a teacher's work behind the scenes. The teacher develops a problem long before students see it, specifically choosing the skills and content the problem will emphasize and matching those to curriculum and standards. Though a PBL problem will have no "right" answer, the teacher structures the experience so that specific learning takes place as students generate the problem-solving steps, research issues, and produce a final product. The teacher guides without leading, assists without directing.

“This book closes a gap in the PBL literature. It is a thoroughly researched, well documented and engagingly written three part harmony addressing conceptual frames, recurring themes, and broadening horizons. An essential addition to your library.” Professor Karl A. Smith, University of Minnesota “…a comprehensive guide for those new to PBL, and suitable for those new to teaching or for the more experienced looking for a new challenge.” Dr Liz Beaty, Director (Learning and Teaching), HEFCE “This book vividly articulates the key ideas of PBL and provides new PBL practitioners with key guiding posts for its implementation. It is an excellent contribution to the art of using PBL.” Associate Professor Oon-Seng Tan, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore ·What is problem-based learning? ·How can it be used in teaching? · How does problem-based learning affect staff and students? · How do we assess and evaluate it? Despite the growth in the use of problem-based learning since it was first popularised, there have been no resources to examine the foundations of the approach and offer straightforward guidance to those wishing to explore, understand, and implement it. This book describes the theoretical foundations of problem-based learning and is a practical source for staff wanting to implement it. The book is designed as a text that not only explores the foundations of problem-based learning but also answers many of the frequently-asked questions about its use. It has also been designed to develops the reader's understanding beyond implementation, including issues such as academic development, cultural, diversity, assessment, evaluation and curricular models of problem-based learning. Foundations of Problem-based Learning is a vital resource for lecturers in all disciplines who want to understand problem-based learning and implement it effectively in their teaching.