Problem Based Learning

What is Problem Based Learning?

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem. PBL empowers learners to collaborate in teams with the mentorship of their teachers, as they research and pose solutions for real world problems (L. Lane, personal communications, March 14, 2016).  In my eyes, the goal of PBL is to help students lead their learning. By this, I mean having them identify their own learning needs as they attempt to understand a problem and synthesize solutions for it. In order for PBL to occur successfully in the classroom, I need to emphasize that the teacher must create a classroom for this to work. In my eyes this classroom would include….

• A strong community
• Reinforcing group work ethics 
• Drawing on everyone's talents 
• Being open to ideas from all students and promoting cooperation skills in the classroom 

Steps in Problem Based Learning 

http://www.slideshare.net/Littlejerry0122/problem-based-learning-28209350

A Personal Example of PBL?

It was quite ironic to me that I just recently learned about Problem Based Learning in EDUC 4P28 because I have a very recent example of this style of learning for students. Every Tuesday I volunteer at a school in St. Catharines and just a few weeks ago the teacher asked the students to answer the question: ‘How can we make our schools more diverse and accepting of various cultures'? The students were then put into groups and had to collaborate in order to create a solution or response for this real-world problem that many school communities face. First the students had to research possible ways to improve diversity in schools and then they had to create their own solution. One group thought it would be most beneficial that we Skype students from other countries and learn about their culture and way of life. They created specific questions we could ask the other students while on Skype and suggested facts we could teach them about the Canadian culture. In my eyes, this was a great response to the question and also a great example of Problem Based Learning! Students were problem-solving, developing their research and social skills, engaging in their learning, and communicating effectively with their peers!

Ideas for Problem-Based Learning

So I decided to brainstorm more examples of PBL that I could incorporate into my future teachings or for current teachers to jump-start PBLM in their classrooms! 

• How can we limit food waste in the school cafeteria?
• How could we improve access to healthy food in our community?
• How could we better include Syrian refugees into our school community?

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I think this style of teaching is very beneficial and engaging for our students! It is important to incorporate real world problems into our teachings because this keeps the teaching relevant and allows students to find purpose in their education! In my eyes, all teachers can easily incorporate PBL into their classroom since there are always global and local issues happening in our world. Below is an example of Problem Based Learning in a United States elementary school. Lets all give it a try in our classrooms and help students learn social skills at the same time as developing solutions for real world problems. 

References 

Video retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd52gP1Wsgg

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