Project and Problem Based Learning John Henry EIRC jhenry@eirc.org http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/home http://cctec-pbl.wikispaces.com
Project and Problem Based Learning Students Deserve it The World Demands it
PBL FRAMEWORK Pedagogy Assessment Content Technology PROJECT or SCENARIO Pedagogy Assessment Content Technology RESOURCES & CONSTRAINTS
Constructivism Learning as an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current or past knowledge. Students continually build upon what they have already learned.
What does the research say in regards to students? Increased attendance Growth and self-reliance Improved attitude toward learning (Thomas, 2000) Academic gains equal to or better than other models (Boaler, Education Week 2004) Opportunities to develop complex skills (SRI, 2000) Access to a broader range of learning opportunities
What does the research say in regards to teachers? Increased collaboration among colleagues Opportunities to build better relationships with students (Thomas, 2000)
What does the research say about PBL? A three-year 1997 study of two secondary schools -- one that used open-ended projects and one that used more traditional, direct instruction -- found striking differences in understanding and standardized achievement data in mathematics.
What does the research say about PBL? In a five-year study, researchers at SRI International found that technology-using students in Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project-Based classrooms outperformed non-technology-using students in communication skills, teamwork, and problem solving.
What does the research say about PBL? The Center for Learning in Technology researchers, led by Bill Penuel, found increased student engagement greater responsibility for learning increased peer collaboration skills greater achievement gains by students who had been labeled low achievers
What does the research say about PBL? Lakeview School in Ill., use PBL to reach students who are struggling in traditional schools by implementing a curriculum that is based on "doing things based on real world situation.“ while addressing state standards -- and uses a project-based approach that incorporates cultural awareness, sustainability and other themes.
PBL Articles http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/PBL+Articles
Average Retention Rates Lecture…Sit and Get Passive Average Retention Rates PBL Active Learning
Bloom's Taxonomy PBL encourages Creativity New Old
Always think outside the box FedEx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alSQpinagp0
Engage the Student and the Achievement will Follow Achievement Gap or Engagement Gap? 85% of Middle and High School Students report being bored in their classrooms
Example of Engagement and Problem Solving Activity Toxic Popcorn Interest, hands-on, interactive and collaborative
Toxic Popcorn Scenario A can of highly toxic popcorn has contaminated a circle of approximately 4 feet in diameter. The toxic area extends to the ceiling. If the toxic popcorn is not transferred to a safe container for decontamination, it will contaminate the region The popcorn is estimated to have a safe life of exactly 15 minutes before it explodes. It’s up to you to save the day!
What do you know about PBL? Why Do Problem Based Learning (PBL)? What are the differences and similarities of Project and Problem Based Learning ? What are the characteristics of PBL? What is a typical process for PBL? What are the benefits and obstacles of PBL How is technology used with PBL? How can PBL be incorporated across academic disciplines? What are the student and teacher roles when doing PBL? How do you assess PBL?
The core idea of Project and Problem Based learning is that real-world problems or situations capture students' interest and provoke serious thinking as the students acquire and apply new knowledge in a problem-solving context
Project Based Learning? Is a teaching and learning model that focuses on the central concepts and principles of a discipline, involves students in problem solving and other meaningful tasks, allows students to work autonomously and in groups to construct their own learning, culminates in realistic, student generated products.
Problem-Based Learning Defined Finkle and Torp (1995) state that "problem-based learning is a curriculum development and instructional system/process that simultaneously develops both problem solving strategies and disciplinary knowledge bases and skills by placing students in the active role of problem solvers confronted with an ill-structured problem that mirrors real-world problems"
Why Do PBL? The National Problem: As a result of a relative decline in student achievement … and interest of students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)-related careers … the United States IS AT RISK.
Why Do PBL? 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. In 2004 chemical companies closed 70 facilities in the United States and have tagged 40 more for shutdown. Of 120 new chemical plants around the world will be in the United States. 50 will be in China.
Why Do PBL? In the US only 15% of the undergraduates receive their degrees in natural sciences or engineering. Past 3 years alone, China & India have doubled production of 3- and 4-year degrees in engineering, computers science and IT, while the US production of engineers is stagnant and CS and IT have doubled. Losing Interest
Why Do PBL? Think critically and be able to analyze and solve complex, real-world problems Find, evaluate, and use appropriate learning resources Work individually and cooperatively in teams and small groups Demonstrate versatile and effective communication skills, both verbal and written Use content knowledge and develop skills to become life-long learners in order to succeed in a global economy
Framework for 21st Century Learning http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21/
The standard includes six strands, which reflect the Framework for 21st Century Learning: 21st Century Skills Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Creativity and Innovation Collaboration, Teamwork, and Leadership Cross-Cultural Understanding and Interpersonal Communication Communication and Media Fluency Accountability, Productivity, and Ethics Understanding by Design UbD template (lesson plan development) http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2009/final.htm 21st Century Themes Global Awareness Financial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial Literacy Civic Literacy Health Literacy
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
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 business strategies Commitment to continuous learning and skill development
What are the similarities between Project Based and Problem Based Learning? Both instructional strategies are intended to engage students in authentic, "real world" tasks to enhance learning. Students are given open-ended projects or problems with more than one approach or answer, intended to simulate professional situations. Both approaches are student-centered and the teacher acts as facilitator or coach.
What are the similarities between Project Based and Problem Based Learning? Both approaches are student-centered and the teacher acts as facilitator or coach. Students work in cooperative groups for extended periods of time In both approaches, students seek out multiple sources of information. There is often a performance-based assessment.
What are the differences between Project Based and Problem Based Learning? In Project based learning, the students define the purpose for creating an end product. In Problem based learning, the students are presented with a problem to solve.
What are the differences between Project Based and Problem Based Learning? In Project based learning, the students present their conclusion and there is an end product. In Problem based learning, when the students present their conclusion, there may or may not be an end product.
PBL vs. PBL Problem Based Learning Project Based Learning - Project Based Learning is an instructional strategy in which students work in cooperative learning groups to create a product, presentation, or performance. -Project Based Learning typically engages students with a question . That question is then used to create a final product that somehow answers the question. - Focuses more on the final product, than the process of creating it. Problem Based Learning -Problem Based Learning is an instructional strategy in which students work in cooperative learning groups to investigate and resolve a problem. - Problem Based Learning problems are typically based on real-world issues or situations. Students are able to apply prior knowledge and experiences to the problem at hand. - Focuses more on the process of problem solving, rather than the outcome. Similarities Both deal with a motivating prompt, a question or problem, that has to be addressed by creating a solution or product. Each is a valid instructional strategy that promotes active learning and engages students.
PBL consists of two complementary interrelated processes 1. Curriculum Design Teachers design an ill-structured problem based on desired curriculum outcomes, learner characteristics, and compelling, problematic situations from the real world 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
PBL consists of two complementary interrelated processes 2. Cognitive Coaching Students actively define problems and construct potential solutions Teachers model, coach, and fade in supporting and making explicit students' learning processes
Problem-based learning has as its organizing center an ill-structured problem which... is messy, Ill-structured 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 Sets up need for and context of learning
Creatively Speaking, Part Two: Sir Ken Robinson on the Power of the Imaginative Mind
Examples of PBL Scenarios 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? Summer Challenge 1992, IMSA
You are a consultant to the Department of Fish and Wildlife 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? John Thompson, Ecology, IMSA
You are a science advisor at NASA You are 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
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
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
Develop, design, and demonstrate the feasibility of a self-contained, self-sustaining human community in a place that is not yet considered habitable. Woodbury High School, Advanced Technology Class, Grades 9-12
Paper or Plastic
Exploring the Environment Examples of Scenarios http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/ Exploring the Environment http://www.cotf.edu/ete/
NJ Green Program of Study www.njgreenprogramofstudy.org Career and Technical Web 2.0 Technology http://careerandtechnical.wikispaces.com/ NJ Green Program of Study www.njgreenprogramofstudy.org The science of sustainability
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.
PBL addresses student needs by taking learning theory into account with PBL: 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.
Teacher as coach… Models/coaches/fades in: Asking about thinking Monitoring learning Probing/ challenging students' thinking Keeping students involved Monitoring/ adjusting levels of challenge Managing group dynamics Keeping process moving
Student as active problem-solver Active participant Engaged Constructing meaning
What are the benefits of PBL? Motivation: PBL makes students more engaged in learning because they are hard wired to respond to dissonance and because they feel they are empowered to have an impact on the outcome of the investigation.
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?"
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?" Starting the thinking at Adaptation Level is important. (See Rigor and Relevance Framework.)
What are the benefits of PBL? Motivation Relevance And Context Higher-Order Thinking Learning How To Learn: PBL promotes student 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.
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).
Technology and PBL Web 2.0 http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/Web+2.0+Resources E-Portfolios http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/E-Portfolios
Ms, McIntyre introduced a “project” to her students Ms, McIntyre introduced a “project” to her students. She plopped a packet of papers on each student’s desk and explained that each student would create a poster about water-borne bacterium and how it can be harmful to humans. The packet included assignment sheets with due dates and grading policy, a guide for designing the poster, and a list of websites and books to use.
PBL is not… Giving students a project, that is hands-on, with step by step instructions, designed and guided by the teacher that results in a student produced product. This process is missing student voice and choice, and may not be relevant to a student
Redesign this Project Ms, McIntyre introduced a “project” to her students. She plopped a packet of papers on each student’s desk and explained that each student would create a poster about water-borne bacterium and how it can be harmful to humans. The packet included assignment sheets with due dates and grading policy, a guide for designing the poster, and a list of websites and books to use.
Design a PBL Lesson Redesign an existing lesson Integrate technology Connect to CTE tracks Focus on areas of low academic student performance in the sciences
Common Characteristics and Process of Problem Based Learning
The Process for Teachers Scenario or Problem Design PBL environment Resources Assessment Collaboration
Characteristics of PBL Learning is student centered. Learning occurs in small student groups. Teachers are facilitators or guides. Problems form the organizing focus and stimulus for learning. Problems are a vehicle for the development of problem-solving skills.
Process of PBL 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. The 5-E’s http://faculty.mwsu.edu/west/maryann.coe/coe/inquire/inquiry.htm
Students learn and practice team building and social skills by working in cooperative teams and sometimes with people in the community
Includes expectations for the project, based on the learning outcome Includes expectations for the project, based on the learning outcome. These are stated at the beginning of the project and are designed by the teacher to state standards.
Exploring the Environment PBL Study Guide http://www.studygs.net/pbl.htm Exploring the Environment http://venom.cet.edu/ete/teacher/teacher.html
Technology Integrated http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/Web+2.0+Resources
Benefits and Obstacles of PBL
Benefits of PBL Problem-based learning encourages students to take control and become active in their learning. Research tends to suggest that when compared to graduates from a traditional program, PBL graduates are better prepared for professional life with advanced level interpersonal skills, the ability to work effectively in cross and interdisciplinary teams and lifelong learning skills. As more PBL graduates make their way into the workforce the reputation of PBL will grow and it is likely that employers could show preference for graduates with the types of knowledge, skills and attitudes developed and encouraged by problem-based learning
PBL Benefits proactive thinkers critical thinkers problem solvers PBL learners become: proactive thinkers critical thinkers problem solvers capable of self-assessment self-sufficient and self-motivated able to find and use appropriate resources technologically advanced leaders as well as team players capable of communicating ideas and listening to others eager to jump into the next challenge or problem situation
Obstacles Described by Teachers It takes a lot of preparation time We don't have the resources We lack administrative support and support from other teachers You often feel uneasy because you're not knowledgeable about the content The open-ended, no right or wrong answer aspect of project work can be threatening
Obstacles Described by Teachers Administrators can fault you for not covering the curriculum There are risks associated with giving up teacher control Students may not participate and are not always self-motivated
Obstacles Described by Teachers students may have difficulty with higher order thinking or open-ended problems There is a risk that students might not learn much, or receive much of value from Problem Based Learning unless designed right
Benefits Described by Students We got to choose what to work on. We learned that we can make a difference There was a clear goal that was a challenge to work on There was an audience for the product and we knew we had to meet the deadline and present it to the audience.
Benefits Described by Students We weren't afraid to try things we didn't know because the teacher said we would have the opportunity to reevaluate and try again. Everyone felt needed and had a part. Nobody got left out We didn't need to use our texts, and we were actively doing things and learning something.
Benefits Described by Students We were using skills we knew we would need in our jobs, like using time wisely, exercising responsibility, and not letting the group down. We learned that when the real world is the source of evaluation, you had better have your act together. Yes, enjoyed it, felt like I had more responsibility.
Benefits Described by Students I liked it, got a lot of ideas out, but did need some guidance some times. Like the idea of going off on our own to research everything possible instead of being limited by teacher specification.
Benefits Described by Students Communicating with outside sources, and making contacts for information. How to communicate and work with the corporate world, make contacts. How to write, how to work with other people in groups How to be a leader.
Teacher and Student Role in PBL. The teacher plays the role of facilitator, working with students to frame worthwhile questions, structuring meaningful tasks, coaching both knowledge development and social skills, and carefully assessing what students have learned from the experience.
Teacher and Student Role in PBL. Students are at the center of the work to be accomplished. The classroom environment is student centered, not teacher directed. Students are responsible for brainstorming, solving problems, working together, documenting, evaluating their progress and presenting their findings.
Educational Features Traditional Instruction Emphasizes Project and Problem Based Learning Emphasizes Focus of Curriculum Content Coverage Knowledge of Facts Learning “building-blocks skills in isolation Depth of Understanding Comprehension of Concepts and Principles Development of complex problem-solving
Educational Features Traditional Instruction Emphasizes Project and Problem Based Learning Emphasizes Scope and Sequence Follows fixed curriculum Proceeds unit by unit Narrow, discipline-based focus Follows student interest Large units composed of complex problems or real-world issues Broad, interdisciplinary focus Teacher Role Lecturer and director of instruction Expert Resource provider and participant in learning activities Advisor
Educational Features Traditional Instruction Emphasizes Project and Problem Based Learning Emphasizes Teacher Role Lecturer and director of instruction Expert Resource provider and participant in learning activities Advisor Focus of assessment Products Test scores Comparison with others Reproduction of information Process and products Tangible accomplishments Criterion performance and gains over time Demonstration of understanding
Educational Features Traditional Instruction Emphasizes Project and Problem Based Learning Emphasizes Materials of instruction Texts, lectures and presentations Teacher-developed exercises sheets and activities Direct or original sources: printed materials, interviews, documents and other sources Data and materials developed by students Use of Technology Ancillary, peripheral Administered by teachers Useful for enhancing teacher’ presentation Central, integral Directed by students Useful for enhancing student presentation or amplifying student capabilities
Using your classroom, the school or the local community as a context for learning, design your own PBL Scenario and Lesson. Include… . Background Information to engage students 2. Student Relevance 3. Scenario 4. NJCCCS Use the NJ DoE UbD template Download at… http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2009/ Or PBL template at… http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/CCTEC
Resources PBL for Teachers http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/ Seymour Papert: Project-Based Learning. Inside a state juvenile correctional facility http://www.edutopia.org/seymour-papert-project-based-learning Project Based Learning from Educational Leadership http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb08/vol65/num05/Project-Based_Learning.aspx Global Perspectives - http://www.cotf.edu/earthinfo
Resources Exploring the Environment http://www.cotf.edu/ete/ Project InSTEP Teacher Instructional Designs http://instep.cet.edu/instrucdes.html PBL Essentials http://www.pbli.org/pbl/generic_pbl.htm PBL in Math http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/pbl/sd96/knowns.html PBL Clearinghouse http://www.udel.edu/pbl/problems/ Project and Problem Based Learning http://www.uoregon.edu/~moursund/Math/pbl.htm
Project Based Learning site for students to practice skills http://www.studygs.net/pbl.htm