PBL: More Initial Questions

Questions I must consider...

• What is PBL?
• What might PBL look like in your classroom?
• What changes would you have to make?
• How would the wide variety of learners in your classroom benefit from PBL?

Problem-based learning (PBL) is the use of real-word problems as a vehicle to bringing "content" to students in the classroom. It has it's origin in medical training. Howard Barrows pioneered this method with his students as a way of getting them to exercise their clinical skills of reasoning and investigating. The process starts with what is known and progresses from there.

PBL could find its way into my classroom in a number of ways. In fact, it might already be there. In my Composition II course, last year, I ran a research project that I entitled "Knowledge Quest." At the time, I had no working knowledge of PBL, but as I said before, my commitment to methods that involve student-centered learning, high-degrees of collaboration, and views of knowledge as something socially-constructed and negotiated seems to place me not far from PBL proper. In the "Knowledge Quest," teams of students define broad, topical questions around a broad subject area. I used art. So, as a class, we went through a process that yielded topical questions (as opposed to factual or interpretive questions) like "Why are human beings obsessed with creating and consuming art?", "What is the role of art in a troubled world?", "Who determines the purpose and value of art and how is that determined?", "How does art shape public policy?", "Does the artist have a responsibility to his community?", and so forth. This was the starting point. Each team (or quest) had a different question which drove them forward in their research. They had to consult many different kinds of sources, both primary and secondary, as the pursued answers to their driving quest/tion. It ended up being a pretty good project, I think. While it is not pure PBL, I think it could be easily tweaked to take advantage more fully of the PBL framework.

I'm not exactly sure what kinds of changes I would have to make to more fully utilize PBL with this Knowledge Quest project. Perhaps, as it stands now, the KQ project is more project-based learning than problem-based. As I reflect back on it, the basic products resulting in the end were very similar. In a real PBL class, the products would all be very different depending on the very different solutions the students came up with for their defined problem. Perhaps, to make the KQ project more PBL, I need to hand more over to the students, allowing them to define their own projects more so.

Given the diversity of learners in my classes, PBL could be of great benefit to learners, as they could pursue solutions to their defined problems in ways that fit their individual learning styles.

What is Meaningful Learning?

I knew I should have taken that learning course in undergrad as part of my psych major. Instead, I took a course in applied mental health issues. It seemed more glamorous at the time as I had notions of one day going into clinical psychology--helping people with all their mental ailments, getting paid the big bucks to listen. Learning theory sounded just a bit too textbook-ish to me. Now, however, as part of my PBL course I am faced with questions about and references to learning theory--something I know little about.

Jonassen, Howland, Moore, and Marra do a fine job providing a survey of prevalent theories on the subject in their Learning to Solve Problems with Technology. In light of this reading, I am asked the following questions:

• How do the authors' definition of learning compare with your own?
• What aspects of learning theory are vital for your students?
• How can technology enhance learning?

Jonassen et. al. present summary statements of 13 different established learning theories, after which they affirm that learning encompasses all the competing theories--that it is too complex to be resolved with a single idea, that all the theories describe some aspect of human learning.

I can buy that, I suppose, even though the stance lacks conviction and seems a bit too convenient. I do agree that learning is a complex process. That is undeniable. Of the theories presented, the ones I embrace most fully in my own practice as a teacher are "Learning is Social Negotiation," "Learning is Knowledge Construction," and "Learning is Distributed Among the Community." These principles as described by Jonassen et. al. are principles I espouse to my students as we engage in the complex process of making sense of things, of making meaning, of learning. I believe these aspects of learning to be closely tied to the act and process of writing (what I teach), so these aspects are most vital for my students.

How can technology enhance learning? When we learn with technology as opposed to from technology, a distinction Jonassen et. al. make (11) technology enhances learning. To use technological means as just another way to distribute "content" to students is insufficient. Rather, technology--whatever it might be--should be used as a tool to construct and/or negotiate meaning. This is how it can enhance learning. This concept makes me think about implications with online learning (the subject of my master's thesis). How can online technology be used to enhance the learning experience in an online class rather than just be an alternative way of delivering the same old content? This is something I think about often. I'm sure my practice of teaching online demonstrates some answers, but I have more work to do. Perhaps this is something I will investigate as part of the PBL course project I will complete. The wheels are turning...

PBL to Create Active, Accountable Learners

I'm not sure how I developed my methods for teaching--they grew somewhat organically out of experience, I suppose, but what I've learned about PBL so far feels so very familiar to me. I understand the distinctions the authors are making between PBL and "traditional" methods of teaching, but I guess my approaches have never been very traditional. I've always advocated for active learning. I refuse to assume "traditional" roles of teacher as disseminator of knowledge and student as passive recipient. I force students to take responsibility for their own education. I have for a long time now been using collaborative learning strategies in my classroom despite their inherent difficulties. Many of my projects are "inquiry-based." I don't pretend of feel the need to have all the answers in my classroom. I don't believe in simplifying the complex issues for the sake of "easier" teaching and learning. I believe in the difficulty of complexity--in problematizing issues students are quick to oversimplify. Critical thinking is one thing I value highly in my classroom. I believe that knowledge is socially constructed and that meaning is communally negotiated. From what I read, these ideas and attitudes seem to be well-aligned with PBL. I am faced now with three questions:

• How can you develop thinkers in your classroom rather than passive recipients of information?
• How does PBL differ form traditional teaching methods?
• How does PBL differ from other inquiry forms of instruction?

Kain offers some advice for developing thinkers rather than passive recipients. He suggests allowing students to struggle with the puzzle even when we, as teachers, know the answer. It is through the struggles that real and lasting learning will occur. I often tell my students at the start of the semester that it is my hope they will leave my course with more questions than answers, for the ability to form the questions and a willingness to struggle with the complexities of the questions is worth far more than the satisfaction of a simple answer which brings inquiry and curiosity to an end. The teacher's role in this, as I have experienced, and as suggested by William Kilpatrick (cited in Kain 2), is to provide the student with the "experiences in learning to pose the questions and to work out solutions."

Some of the ways PBL is not like "traditional" methods of teaching is that learning occurs in a real-world context, motivation is real, the focus is on inquiry more so than on verification, the learning process is valued more than the product, and the student directs the learning more than the teacher.

PBL has an inquiry-based method of instruction, but it is not the only one. Other inquiry forms include project-based learning and case study learning. While PBL has similarities to these other forms, it is markedly different as well. PBL differs from project-based learning in that the focus is more on process than product. In project-based learning all student projects will be more or less the same, but with PBL the learner defines the problem and the solution; therefore, the end product will vary greatly from student to student. PBL is also broader than the case study method in that the work extends far beyond the discussion of a narrative case study. According to Kain, "The PBL approach as presented here provides learners with a series of artifacts that are not collapsed into a narrative summary" (4). The learners themselves examine the issue, define the problem, and propose multiple, alternative solutions. After this work, the dialogue characteristic of the case study approach ensures. PBL is a broad, process-oriented, inquiry-based instructional approach.

Shadows from My Past

I've been asked, "In what other settings might you consider using PBL?" Thinking back, it seems to me that in fact I have been using it for some time now, but never had a label for it. Outside of my career in education, going way back to my former life as an IT management consultant, I recall using a PBL approach to working with my clients. Articulate the presenting problem or issue (the ill-structured problem?). Engage in initial inquiry or discovery. Define the problem. Develop multiple alternative solutions. Select the best. Devise an implementation plan. Execute the plan. Measure the results. Determine next steps. From what I've read so far about PBL, it sure reminds me of the work I did with clients while consulting. I think PBL has both organizational and individual applications.

Theory Into Practice

I've been digging into the reading for the PBL course and am faced with some questions. The first reading is from Problem-Based Learning by Daniel L. Kain. In his preface, he discusses how, as a teaching professional, one's work extends beyond the classroom walls. The question I am faced with initially is...

• How does Kain encourage you to think beyond classroom walls and become a reflective professional?

Well, the audience for Kain's book is K-8 teachers, but his encouragement still applies to my level at the community college. He starts off by saying his book offers no answers, but rather "a framework to learn how to raise questions about issues that are important to your work as a teacher" (xiii). He says that such a framework will help one go about finding the answers. His book seems to both be about problem-based learning and use a problem-based learning approach to help the reader engage in the process itself. Kain's use of PBL in the book is not merely to present an opportunity to experience the concept in an exercise, but rather to offer readers the opportunity to shift their way of thinking about and engaging in their professional lives as teachers. This has far-reaching implications--going beyond classroom walls to include real-world consideration of policies, curriculum, politics, school structures. As teachers, we encounter problems all the time--challenges to contend with. PBL can not only help prepare our students for the real-world, it can help us as professionals operate within it.

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:

• Why did I decide to take this course?
• What are my expectations?
• What effect do I hope this course makes on my teaching?

Let's see if I can offer some thoughts.

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.

Taking on a Student's Perspective

After teaching online for more than four years now, I will finally be taking an online course myself. This should be interesting, as I will for the first time (I hope) really understand where my students are coming from when they comment [read: complain :-)] about taking online courses with me. The course is entitled Problem Based Learning through Drake University. It's a graduate course, which is nice as it will help me towards my promotion in a couple years. Beyond such benefits, however, I do have a real interest in the topic of PBL. It's not something I have much formal knowledge of, but I suspect it is something I have worked with over the length of my teaching career, as many of my projects have been inquiry-based, which is a buzz word I am hearing more and more when discussing PBL.

As part of the course, we've been asked to keep a journal and learning log. In fact, it was suggested that we keep this as a blog. I figured what a great opportunity to bring my "Teacher's Notebook" back to life especially since its been scarcely alive since I launched it about two years ago. So why not? Over the next ten weeks or so, I will be using this space to journal for my PBL online course and to keep my "learning log." If anyone's reading, enjoy watching me struggle as I have enjoyed (lovingly) over the years watching my own students struggle as they contend with new ideas.