PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING WHERE DO WE BEGIN? Cindy Mierzejewski and Marcelle McGhee Office of Professional Development and Curriculum, BCIU

Essentials Questions  What is problem-based learning?  What makes PBL effective?  What are the best strategies to use?  How do I assess projects?  How can I begin to integrate PBL in the classroom?

What is Problem-Based Learning? Give One – Get One Activity  Fold a sheet of paper in half lengthwise. On the left side, list statements about what you know about problem-based learning.  Move around the room and share with other participants. In each case, you will “give” one of your thoughts to another participant and “get” one of their thoughts.  Record other participants’ thoughts on the right side of the paper as you meet with them.

What is Problem-Based Learning?

What is Problem-Based Learning?  PBL engages students as stakeholders immersed in a messy, ill-structured, problematic situation.  PBL organizes curriculum around the holistic problem, enabling student learning in relevant and connected ways.  PBL creates a learning environment in which teachers coach student thinking and guide student inquiry, facilitating learning toward deeper levels of understanding while entering the inquiry as a co- investigator.

What is the Impact of PBL on Learners?  Increases Motivation  Makes Learning Relevant to the Real World  Promotes Higher Order Thinking  Encourages Learning How to Learn  Requires Authenticity

Steps for Problem Design  Step One: Get Results  Step Two: Prepare Students  Step Three: Monitor Performance  Step Four: Review Results  Step Five: Closure

Step 1 – Get Results  Start with a lesson/unit that you already have or a new unit that you are developing  Identify what you want students to “Know” and “Be Able to Do”  Identify standards with which these align

Step 2 – Prepare Students  Build interest before the project begins  This can be done when the last unit as the last unit is finishing or at the very begin on the new unit  Advance organizers: questions, graphic organizers, visual presentations, banner ads, slides, bulletin board displays, and role-plays  Samples on pp  Quick Write

Step 3 – Monitor Performance PLANNING THE RESULT  What will be the product at the end of the project?  How does this project address those items that were identified as what the students need to know and be able to do?  What is the launch question or authentic problem?  How rigorous is the content? What prior knowledge is this based upon?  What will the timeline be for completion? What will the milestone timelines be?  What materials (digital and non-digital) do they need to complete the project?

What are the best strategies to use? Principles of Learning  Students’ existing knowledge base influences their learning  Learning usually progresses from the concrete to the abstract.  People learn most effectively through practice.  Effective learning requires feedback.  Expectations affect performance.

What are the best strategies to use? HIGH-YIELD INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES  Identifying similarities and differences  Summarizing and note taking  Nonlinguistic representations  Cooperative learning  Setting objectives and providing feedback  Questions, cues, and advance organizers

What are the best strategies to use?  Scaffolding – read the article on Scaffolding and complete the Frayer model for the term “Scaffolding”  Cooperative group roles  Rubrics for roles

Step 4 – Review Results  Student Self-assessment  Self-assessment checklists or rubrics  Evaluation Rubrics

Step 5 - Closure  Summary of project and check for understanding  Building Foundation for future lessons/units  Recognitions

Where can we get ideas for problem- based learning? You can get more ideas on projects for problem- based learning and lots more ideas for resources on the CBL learning.