Problem Based Learning

If asked, most educators would agree that one essential goal of education is the
development of students who are effective problem solvers for the Information
Literacy Age. Most reports, such as the national SCANS (Survey of Necessary
and Comprehensive Skills) and Goals 2000 documents, recommend such
instruction. Most school goal statements allude to the need for critical thinking
and problem solving skills. Recent California Frameworks in Mathematics and
Science reflect consensus on this educational goal. But often such instruction in
problem solving takes the approach of teaching models to students to apply to
neat case studies rather than the messy problems of a real world.
Research indicates that critical thinking and problem solving skills are not
typically addressed in the classroom. A number of studies indicate that in the
typical classroom, 85% of teacher questions are at the recall or simple
comprehension level. Questions that elicit synthesis and evaluative skills of
thinking are rarely asked. The media portrays teachers as asking such simple,
mindless questions in movies such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Dead
Poet's Society".
In Problem Based Learning (PBL) environments, students act as professionals
and confront problems as they occur - with fuzzy edges, insufficient information,
and a need to determine the best solution possible by a given date. This is the
manner in which engineers, doctors, and, yes, even teachers, approach problem
solving, unlike many classrooms where teachers are the "sage on the stage" and
guide students to neat solutions to contrived problems.
What is Problem Based Learning?
Problem Based Learning is a curriculum development and delivery system that
recognizes the need to develop problem solving skills as well as the necessity of
helping students to acquire necessary knowledge and skills. Indeed, the first
application of PBL was in medical schools which rigorously test the knowledge
base of graduates. PBL utilizes real world problems, not hypothetical case
studies with neat, convergent outcomes. It is in the process of struggling with
actual problems that students learn both content and critical thinking skills.
Problem based learning thus has several distinct characteristics which may be
identified and utilized in designing such curriculum. These are:
1. Reliance on problems to drive the curriculum - the problems do not test
skills; they assist in development of the skills themselves.
2. The problems are truly ill-structured - there is not meant to be one
solution, and as new information is gathered in a reiterative process,
perception of the problem, and thus the solution, changes.

3. Students solve the problems - teachers are coaches and facilitators.

4. Students are only given guidelines for how to approach problems - there is
no one formula for student approaches to the problem.
5. Authentic, performance based assessment - is a seamless part and end of
the instruction.
(Adapted from Stepien, W.J. and Gallagher, S.A. 1993. "Problem-based
Learning: As Authentic as it Gets." Educational Leadership. 50(7) 25-8 and
Barrows, H. (1985) Designing a Problem Based Curriculum for the Pre-Clinical
Years.
Problem Based Learning assists students to solve problems by the process of
continually encountering the type of ill-structured problems confronted by adults
or practicing professionals. As with information literacy, PBL develops students
who can:

Clearly define a problem

Develop alternative hypotheses
Access, evaluate, and utilize data from a variety of sources
Alter hypotheses given new information
Develop clearly stated solutions that fit the problem and its inherent
conditions, based upon information and clearly explicated reasoning

Students with such ingrained skill are well prepared for occupations which rarely
have a supervisor who has time, inclination, or knowledge to tell the worker what
to do. They are also well prepared for the explosion of knowledge which gluts the
world today.
Stages in Problem Based Learning
In the PBL curriculum, one may note three distinct phases of operation by
students. Whether gathering knowledge through a variety of sources on the
Internet, through print sources, or by speaking with experts, these stages
explicated below are characteristic of PBL. Each step in the process is "hot
linked" to a sample lesson developed by a SCORE Teacher on Assignment.
Stage 1: Encountering and Defining the Problem
Students are confronted with a real world scenario through authentic looking
correspondence. Students may be asked to present to the Ancient World
Architectural Review Board regarding their perspective about how and why great
ancient monuments were built. They may ask some basic questions such as :

What do I know already about this problem or question?

What do I need to know to effectively address this problem or question?

What resources can I access to determine a proposed solution or

hypothesis?

At this point, a very focused Problem Statement is needed, though that statement
will be altered as new information is accessed and understood.
Stage 2: Accessing, Evaluating and Utilizing information
Once they have clearly defined the problem, students might access print, human,
or electronic information resources. In the case of the Southern Illinois Medical
School, professors may be interviewed or medical texts examined. In the case of
a city plan, calls to human resources such as the town manager or staff
engineers might be of use. The Internet can be a focal point of research when a
problem is constructed with that purpose. In the case of the sample problem,
students may find a rich diversity of perspectives and resources preparatory to
phase 3. Part of any problem is evaluation of the resource. How current is it?
How credible and accurate is it? Is there any reason to suspect bias in the
source? When utilizing the information, students must carefully appraise the
worth of the sources they have accessed. If evaluating sites which theorize about
these monuments and how and why they were built, students must carefully note
and evaluate the accuracy and credibility of information posted at that site.
Stage 3: Synthesis and Performance
In this stage, students construct a solution to the problem. Students may create a
multi-media production, a presentation to a body such as the U.N. Commission
on Human Rights or the Ancient World Architectural Review Board, or a more
traditional written paper focused around an essential question. In all cases, the
students must re-organize the information is new ways. This is unlike an
assignment which asks them to " make a report about the Palestinians and
Israelis." This latter leads to use of the Internet as if it were a giant cyberspace
encyclopedia. An assignment which asks students to propose a solution to the
conflict between the Palestinian people and the Israelis involves a question which
forces re-organization of information and consideration of perspectives.
Problems in Implementation
Cultural change is required to implement PBL. Students trained in the more
traditional model of teaching, which features the teacher as "sage on the stage"
and disseminator of knowledge, will experience culture shock of a sort. Students
will wish to know expectations for a high grade. Though constructing a rubric with
a teacher may allay fears, there is initial suspicion of the new approach.
Students must also learn to be part of the group. As with real life tasks, one
person cannot conduct all research and make the entire presentation of the

problem solution. Complaints about "hitchhikers" (those in the group who do not
pull their own weight) will be heard from hard working students and their parents.
Teachers also experience major adjustments. More preliminary work must be
done to design the problem and to ensure that there are enough materials
available (in print, online, and through human resources) for this resource's
ravenous approach. They must learn to construct problems that assist students
to learn appropriate skills and knowledge. And they must learn to facilitate, rather
than direct, student learning.
The Rewards
Though change from a teacher-centered to a problem and project based
environment causes discomfort, those that have made the transition speak of
new energy and enthusiasm for their classes. Students praise challenging tasks
that prepare them for learning. For more information, see the Problem Based
Learning online resources below:

The University of Delaware has numerous articles about PBL including

teaching art, science, and other courses. A good teacher resource.
http://www.udel.edu/pbl/
Howard Barrows, Southern Illinois School of Medicine (A medically
focused analysis of PBL.) http://www.pbli.org
Illinois Math and Science Academy (Includes K-12 applications in various
disciplines.) http://www.imsa.edu/

If you have further questions about PBL, please email Bob Benoit of the Butte
County Office of Education at bbenoit@bcoe.butte.k12.ca.us. Bob has directed a
PBL project which included six high schools and 30 teachers over the last four
years.
A Selected Problem Based Bibliography
Books:

Barrows, H. (1994) Practice-Based Learning: Problem-Based Learning

Applied to Medical Education. Springfield, Il: Southern Illinois University
School of Medicine
Barrows, H. (1985) Designing a Problem Based Curriculum for the PreClinical years. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Boud, D., Felleti, G. (1991) The Challenge of Problem-Based Learning.
London: Kogan.
Woods, Donald R. (1994). Problem-Based Learning: How to Gain the
Most from PBL. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Donald R. Woods, Publisher.

Selected Articles

Barrows, Howard. See Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Homepage for an extensive list of articles published in medical journals.
Gallagher, S., Rosenthal, H., and Stepien, W. (1992) "The Effects of
Problem-Based Learning on Problem Solving. Gifted Child Quarterly,
36(4), 195-200.
Knoll, Jean W. (1993). "An Introduction to Reiterative PBL." Issues and
Inquiry in College Learning and Teaching. Spr/Smr. 19-36
Stepien, W. and Gallagher, S., and Workman, D. (1993) "Problem-Based
Learning for Traditional and Interdisciplinary Classrooms." Journal for the
Education of the Gifted, 16(d4), 338-357.
Stepien, W. and Gallagher, S.A. (1993). "Problem-based Learning: As
Authentic as it Gets." Educational Leadership. 50(7), 25-8