Getting Started with Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
PB-what? PB&J? No PBL--Problem-based Learning. The subject of the online course I am taking at Drake University. I've been asked three questions to initiate this week's online lesson:
Of all the courses to choose from to earn credit towards my promotion in a couple years, I chose Problem-based Learning because it is a concept that I have heard of--have some guesses about--but in reality have little or no formal knowledge of. I remember first hearing of PBL as a formal concept when some teachers from The Netherlands visited my college and presented on the concept, as their college's curriculum was entirely PBL. Subsequently, I learned that the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) right in my own backyard also had a curriculum entirely built on the concept of PBL. Still knowing nothing formally about the concept, my interest was sparked. I have always striven to create an environment in my classroom where students are doing a whole lot more work than I am. In other words, I have been a fan of student learning that might be called self-directed, real-world-based, inquiry-based, curiosity-driven, authentic, or maybe even problem-based. I'm not sure. I am sure, thought, that I detest lecturing to my students. I don't necessarily feel like I have a vast reservoir of knowledge that I want to impart to my students. I don't believe knowledge to be something held by the few and disseminated to the privileged. My views have always been to the contrary. Honestly, I see myself as a learner in the classroom (even when appointed as the teacher) just as much as the students are learners. I believe in the power of community to create new knowledge. I believe in the power of dialogue. I believe learning is a process of discovery that comes through interacting socially. I suppose on some level, I feel that PBL has something to do with these beliefs of mine. It sounds compatible. I guess that's what drew my to the course.
From this course, I guess I expect to learn about applying some formal structure to what I have likely practiced on and off through the years with no formal structure, training, or solid knowledge of theoretical underpinning. I'm not sure to what degree I will "formalize" my practice of PBL, but having such knowledge will surely inform my practice and will hopefully make it more effective. I expect that through writing and through dialogue with my colleagues in the class, I will come away with some good practical ideas I can use in my own teaching.
I hope that by studying the theory of PBL and by discussing it in practice with colleagues, I will be more confident when implementing such projects and will have a stock of supporting theory and practical ideas to draw from as needed.
All in all, I am looking forward to this experience for many reasons. It should be good.
- Why did I decide to take this course?
- What are my expectations?
- What effect do I hope this course makes on my teaching?
Of all the courses to choose from to earn credit towards my promotion in a couple years, I chose Problem-based Learning because it is a concept that I have heard of--have some guesses about--but in reality have little or no formal knowledge of. I remember first hearing of PBL as a formal concept when some teachers from The Netherlands visited my college and presented on the concept, as their college's curriculum was entirely PBL. Subsequently, I learned that the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) right in my own backyard also had a curriculum entirely built on the concept of PBL. Still knowing nothing formally about the concept, my interest was sparked. I have always striven to create an environment in my classroom where students are doing a whole lot more work than I am. In other words, I have been a fan of student learning that might be called self-directed, real-world-based, inquiry-based, curiosity-driven, authentic, or maybe even problem-based. I'm not sure. I am sure, thought, that I detest lecturing to my students. I don't necessarily feel like I have a vast reservoir of knowledge that I want to impart to my students. I don't believe knowledge to be something held by the few and disseminated to the privileged. My views have always been to the contrary. Honestly, I see myself as a learner in the classroom (even when appointed as the teacher) just as much as the students are learners. I believe in the power of community to create new knowledge. I believe in the power of dialogue. I believe learning is a process of discovery that comes through interacting socially. I suppose on some level, I feel that PBL has something to do with these beliefs of mine. It sounds compatible. I guess that's what drew my to the course.
From this course, I guess I expect to learn about applying some formal structure to what I have likely practiced on and off through the years with no formal structure, training, or solid knowledge of theoretical underpinning. I'm not sure to what degree I will "formalize" my practice of PBL, but having such knowledge will surely inform my practice and will hopefully make it more effective. I expect that through writing and through dialogue with my colleagues in the class, I will come away with some good practical ideas I can use in my own teaching.
I hope that by studying the theory of PBL and by discussing it in practice with colleagues, I will be more confident when implementing such projects and will have a stock of supporting theory and practical ideas to draw from as needed.
All in all, I am looking forward to this experience for many reasons. It should be good.
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