PROBLEM–BASED LEARNING; A STRATEGY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY Petra E. Avillán-Leon, M.Ed. ESL PRTESOL Annual Conference Powering up for the 21 st Century November12-13 Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

Why is PBL a strategy for the 21 st Century?

 “The 21 st century skills required by the new world we live in are sustained by the use of PBL in our classrooms. The leadership qualities, the collaborative work, the use of internet for researching, the cultural awareness and the critical thinking necessary for the citizens of the 21 st century to contribute effectively to our society are all there.” Avillán

What is PBL? Problem-based learning  Student-centered  Research-based (students)  Understanding a problem is the goal  Real-world problems  Students  Plan their process  Team work  Technology Project-based Learning  Student-centered  Uses research  A project is the goal  The teacher provides Instructions  Real-world problems  Students perform tasks  Team work  Technology

Problem- based Learning  Problem-based learning (PBL) is a total approach to education. As defined by Dr. Howard Barrows and Ann Kelson of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine PBL is both a curriculum and a process.

The curriculum consists of carefully selected and designed problems that demand from the learner acquisition of critical knowledge, problem solving proficiency, self-directed learning strategies, and team participation skills.

The process replicates the commonly used systemic approach to resolving problems or meeting challenges that are encountered in life and career. Taken from Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction :.

Estratégias Educativas de Base Científica  Desarrollo de Conceptos  Comprensión Lectora  Aprendizaje Cooperativo  Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas  Integración Escolar

PBL in ESL classes  1. Language input and output are comprehensible Students working in groups need to make themselves understood, so they naturally adjust their input to make it comprehensible. They are often linked to specific, concrete context.  2. Language input and output are developmentally appropriate Language input need to be in the zone of proximal development (Vygotsy, 1978) to stimulate language acquisition. Students in cooperative groups provide each other with developmentally appropriate language input.  3. Language input and output are redundant and frequent. The small group setting allows a far higher proportion of language input and output.

PBL in ESL cont…  · 4. Language input and output are functional/communicative.  Learning about a language is quite different from acquiring the language. Language input and output in PBL are representative of the way a speaker will use the language in everyday settings.  5. Learning context is supportive for speech to emerge Peers are far more supportive than in the traditional classroom because they are interdependent in order to know what others know.

PBL in ESL cont…  6. Students’ attention shift from using accurate forms of the target language to meaning  Language becomes the instrument with which the students complete the activities.  7. Students are motivated and empowered.  The advantages of increased motivation and ownership in learning may have a strong impact especially for ESL.

Let’s start a PBL lesson  I. What is PBL? – Introduce the strategy to the students  II. Select a problem to solve  III. Chart the PBL process  IV. Plan the final product  V. Do the Research  VI. Prepare the project  VII. Present the project  VIII. Reflect on the learning experience

References   resl/files/print_advantagesforESL.pdf resl/files/print_advantagesforESL.pdf  de-base-cientifica de-base-cientifica 