Problem-Based

Learning
“True learning is based
on discovery . . . rather
than the transmission of
knowledge.”

John Dewey
 Shape of the Day
• What is Problem-Based
Learning?
• Why PBL?
• Components of a PBL unit
• A Sample PBL Unit
• How to Design & Teach a PBL
unit
 What is PBL?
• Inquiry-based
• Begins with an ill-structured
problem
The ill-structured Problem
Is based on
• desired learning outcomes
• learner characteristics
• compelling, real world
situations
 Role of the Teacher
• Designs the problem
• Anticipates teaching &
learning events
• Investigates & gathers
resources
• Models and coaches students
 Role of the Students
• Confront the problem
• Determine know / need to know
• Define the problem
• Design a plan to solve the
problem
• Gather information
• Construct potential solutions
• Select & present the ‘best fit’
 Advantages of PBL
• Any subject, any grade
• Learner-centred
• Students acquire content
knowledge, skills and
attitudes
• Assessment as Learning
 Bottom Line:
PBL fosters life-long
learners,
and…
life-long learners make good
citizens!
 Why Students Like It
• Learning is driven by
challenging, open-ended
questions
• Students collaborate
• Students’ learning is self-
directed
• It’s authentic & relevant!
 History of PBL
• 1960’s – Discovery learning
• 1970’s – McMaster University medical
school
• 1985 – Illinois Mathematics and Science
Academy
• 1990’s – Medical schools across North
America and Europe
• 2000’s and beyond – Elementary schools,
middle schools, high schools,
universities and professional schools
 What is behind PBL?
• Based on the constructivist theory
of learning
• Promotes active learning by
challenging students to learn to
learn
• Inquiry-based
• Well-constructed problems stimulate
students’ curiosity and engagement
 Where does PBL fit?
Inquiry Learning

Cooperative/
Collaborative
Learning

Project-Based Problem-Based
Case Studies
Learning Learning
 What’s the Difference?

Project-Based Both Problem-Based

Learning • Teacher as guide Learning
• Individual or group • Students at centre • Groups
• Teacher defines the • Real-world • Students define the
problem connections problem
• Teacher identifies • Active learning • Students identify
action steps • Self and peer action steps
• Create a product assessment • Create a solution
• Metacognition

Bottom Line: In Problem-Based Learning, students have more control

over their own learning and the processes involved.
Components of a PBL Unit
• Stakeholder
• ill-structured Problem
• Teacher as Coach
• Constraints
• Formative Assessment
• Problem-Solving
• Metacognition
• Assessment
Student As Stakeholder
• Increases ownership
• Provides a form of
apprenticeship in a discipline
• Perspective-taking
• A key decision maker
• Must be someone with Authority,
Responsibility, and
Accountability
The ill-structured Problem
• Needs more information before
it becomes clear
• Can be solved in more than one
way
• Has more than one resolution
• Changes sometimes with new
information
• Is ambiguous and unclear
 Teacher As Coach
• Metacognition
• ‘Guide-on-the-side’
Constraints (Limitations)
• A well-designed problem is
constrained to the issues on
which the teacher wants
students to focus
 Assessment
• How will I know if students are
learning what I want them to
learn?
• Many familiar assessment tools
can be utilized to monitor
students’ group work (skills),
critical thinking (metacognition)
and learning (facts)
 Problem-Solving
• Students will need to find
potential solutions to the
problem and determine which
solution is the best fit
 Metacognition
• Students think about their
thinking
• What do I think the problem
is? Why do I think that?
Has my perspective changed?
How?
 G.R.A.S.P.S.
G Goal
R Role
A Audience
S Situation
P Product or Performance
S Standards/Criteria
Sample Problem
The Flow of the Problem
The Flow of the Problem
• Meet the problem
Understand • Know/Need to Know
the Problem • Define the Problem Statement

• Gather Information
Explore the • Share Information
Curriculum
• Generate Possible Solutions

• Determine Best Fit Solution

Resolve the
Problem • Present the Solution
• Debrief the Problem
Understand the Problem
1. Meet the problem
– Students are introduced to the
problem
 Sample Problem
• Who killed Simon & Piggy?
 Metropolitan Police Dear Chie
fG ordon,
Kings Cross We, the pa
rents of the
School for students o
_____________________________ demand th
Boys, here
by file this
f Kings Cro
ss
at the polic complaint
Piggy and e investiga a n d
Simon. te the death
so f
Date: April 30, 1955 It is a com
plete trave
not make it sty that the
home after se two boy
horrific pla miraculous s did
ne crash o ly surviving
all of the b n the islan the
oys went o d. After th
To: Investigative Team island. Th
ey manage
n to spend
weeks on
e crash,
hunt for fo d to organ th e
od and buil ize themse
each other. d shelters lves to
Yet, some and take c
strongest b how, two o a re of
From: Chief of Police oys died o
n the islan
f the oldes
t an d
d.
It is inexpli
cable that
We deserv such a thin
e answers g should h
Subject: Deaths of Simon and children. T
he survivin
, for ourse
lves and for
a pp en .
their experi g boys are ou r
e n ce a n d w traumatize
Piggy least we ca
n do is help
ill never be
the same.
d by
of their frie them unde Th e
nds did no rstand why
t make it h tw o
ome.
We await y
See attached letter. this compla
our promp
t reply rega
int. rding the s
tatus of
Open an investigation Sincerely,
immediately. The paren
ts of the K
ings Cross
School for
B o ys
Understand the Problem
2. Know/Need to Know
– Students determine what they know
and what they need to know to
solve the problem
– Students start to identify action
steps toward solving the problem
– Note: in some cases students may
need more information or
background knowledge to define
the problem
 Learning Issues Board
Hunches: Simon and Piggy died on the island
They were stranded on the island
They got sick or injured and couldn’t get help

What We Know Need To Know Plan of Action

 Learning Issues Board
Hunches: Simon and Piggy died on the island
They were stranded on the island
They got sick or injured and couldn’t get help

What We Know Need To Know Plan of Action

• 2 boys died – • What are they • Read the novel
Piggy & Simon traumatized
• Plane crashed about?
• Boys spent weeks • Where was the
on island pilot?
• They found food • How did they
and shelter die?
• They were • Were there any
friends (care predators on the
for each other) island?
 The Kicker!
• On day 2, students receive a
memo from the Crown Council
asking for a recommendation
regarding who should be
charged for the boys’ deaths.
Understand the Problem
3. Define the Problem Statement
– Students write a statement
defining the problem
– Students add to learning
issues board, identify
learning objectives and make a
plan
 Problem Definition
Determine whether or not
charges should be laid in the
deaths of Simon and Piggy and
against whom, while being just
and fair and responding to the
parents’ demand for answers.
 Learning Objectives
• Read and understand texts
• Understand both literal and symbolic
meanings
• Use oral language
• Select and use a range of reading
strategies
• Interpret, analyze and evaluate
ideas
• Write and represent ideas
Explore the Curriculum
1. Gather information

- Darwin
- Golding Leadershi
p
styles
Explore the Curriculum
2. Share Information
– Presentations, Jigsaw
Explore the Curriculum
3. Generate Possible Solutions
• Who could be held responsible
for Simon and Piggy’s deaths?
– Ralph: failed as leader
– Jack: led boys into savagery
– Beast/Fear: caused boys to go
crazy
 Resolve the Problem
1. Determine Best Fit Solution
– Evaluate the options and
choose the ‘best’ one

*Remember, there is no ‘right’

answer
 Resolve the Problem
2. Present the Solution
– Students present their
proposed solution to the class
– Students defend their position
using criteria which are
meaningful to the discipline
 Resolve the Problem
3. Debrief the Problem
– Students compare the different
solutions proposed by each group
– What are the pros/cons of each?
– What would you have done
differently?
– Do you think your presentation
was effective?
 Examples of PBL
Across The Curriculum
• “Lord of the Flies” (English)
• The Ebola Problem
(Math/Socials/Science)
• The Black Death (Social
Studies/Math)
• Mosquito Coast
(Geography/Science/Math)
• Genetic Disorder Problem
(Science)
Designing a PBL Unit
Not a Topic, a Problem
• Not the Civil War…The Draft
Riot
• Not Acids and Bases…Acid
Spill on the Highway
• Not art history…’Degenerate
Art’ during World War II
Not a Topic, a Problem
• Not the Civil War…The Draft
Riot
• Not Acids and Bases…Acid
Spill on the Highway
• Not art history…’Degenerate
Art’ during World War II
 Where to start
• Look in the news, textbook, fiction,
tv, life
• Take your summative assessment
activities and work backwards
• Make cases out of word problems or
essay questions
– Example: In essay format, discuss what you
think Golding says about civilization and
civilized behaviour in “Lord of the Flies”
• Adapt a project
– Example: Genetic Disorder Problem
 Designing a PBL Unit
• Determine content – what you
want students to learn
• Identify the stakeholder
• Create the problem
• Layout the plan & identify
the constraints
• Plan assessment
 Determine Content
• First Nations Culture
Social • Careers
Studies • Geography
• • Conservation
What fish look like
• • International Issues/ Trade
Design a fish farm
• First Nations Art
• Stories and Legend
• Protest songs
Salmon

Fine Arts Science

• Ecology & ecosystems

• Tools & technology
• Pollution
• Lifecycle
Identify the Stakeholder
• Fishermen
• Consumers
• Fish farmers
• Conservationists
• Land developers
• Mayor of small fishing village
• Aquarium
Write Problem Introduction
• You are a land developer who has just
discovered that you will not be able to
build on a parcel of land in which you
have already invested a large sum of
money. Plans have been drawn up and
workers have been hired. You must find a
way to develop the land or risk losing
your money and reputation.
• Follow-up with minutes from public hearing
explaining the issue with developing this
particular area of land: it is home to a
salmon spawning stream that would be
threatened by development
 Map Out The Problem
• Take a look at your lecture notes
for the subject/issue and identify
resources that students could use
• Make a list of possible activities
• Determine the skills you want
students to learn and how you will
teach them
• Make sure the problem is constrained
to just the issues you want students
to explore
 Plan Assessment
• Facts
• Skills
• Analysis
• Reflection

Ideas: Problem Log, Portfolios,

Rubrics
 Learning Strategies
• Note-taking organizers
• Reading strategies (e.g. ‘Shower of
Stars’)
• Teacher as expert
• Jigsaw
• Graphic Organizers (web, t-chart)
• Adding Up Logically: Making
Inferences
• Presentation Outline
• Reflection Journals
 Differentiation
• You can use the same tools that you
would use in any other lesson
• Many of the learning strategies are
tools to differentiate
• Examples: providing research
materials, breaking the problem into
steps/tasks, graphic organizers with
fill-in-the-blanks, researching in
pairs, vocabulary list
Samples & Resources
Genetic Disorder Problem
1. Understand the Problem
• As the head cytologist in a fertility
ward, you have just performed a test on
a pregnant woman who is having
complications with her pregnancy. The
couple had trouble conceiving and are
worried about losing the baby. They
want to know what is happening and what
it means for future pregnancies.
• The test results are back. You have a
photograph of the chromosomes removed
from a single embryonic stem cell taken
from the 3 week old embryo.
2. Explore the Curriculum
• How will we find out what’s
wrong with the unborn
patient?
3. Resolve the Problem
• What will you tell the
couple about the diagnosis,
how it happened and what to
do about future pregnancies?
 Questions
• ??