You Are Not The Teacher

I recently had the opportunity to be part of Ed Camp Spark in the QC (Charlotte that is) and one of the workshops I visited was for PBL.  Not Project Based Learning however, but Problem Based Learning.  It is a hot topic among educators and a style that if you are not familiar with, you should be.  I have not been able to use it obviously, but I plan to incorporate it into student teaching as much as possible.  The premise is you allow students to, in a sense, design their own learning.  As opposed to the traditional lecture, drill, do a worksheet, and take a test (which has been proven not as effective for learning in most cases.)  But in a way, with PBL, You are not the teacher.

 Now don't get excited.  Don't kick your feet up just yet.  You are still in charge, but you will be acting as a moderator, a catalyst if you will, to get the students into deep thinking mode.  One article I found stated: "Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered approach in which students learn about a subject by working in groups to solve an open-ended problem." (Cornell) So you can see how this can really open up a new learning experience for students and teachers alike.  Granted, this may take a little more planning and attention to detail, but it really shouldn't be anymore difficult than another style of teaching and instructing.  In an article from Stanford:

 "Regardless of how topics were selected, the instructor presents the problems to student groups before providing any formal instruction on the topic. (Allen, Duch and Groh [1996], however, suggest that problems be introduced with “minilectures” that provide some context for the problem and identify areas of potential difficulty.)" (Standford)

 This approach to the classroom has been an ongoing technique for a number of years so it is not cutting edge necessarily.  But it encourages deep thinking, problem solving, leadership, personalized learning and teambuilding skills.  It breaks from the traditional model in a good way and hopefully, if done well, encourages students to WANT to learn as opposed to having to learn.  I can see it being beneficial to differentiating the learning experience by offering students who may struggle in an independent context as well as those who are more advanced learners hone in on some new skills.  You can really diversify the content by creating "jobs" for each student within the assignment.  It also teaches students to think for themselves and learn how to develop the best solution or correct one another if they are off track: 

"A critical part of assessment in PBL is the feedback students receive from their peers." (Standford)

 This connects to Standard 2: Teachers establish an environment for a diverse population of students.  This helps the variety of students within a classroom regardless of ability or social group.  It encourages team mentality and potentially helps all students learn more efficiently.  PBL also can connect to standard 4: Teachers facilitate learning.  It is the teacher's responsibility to design, learn about and deliver the best possible teaching methods for their classroom.  Each student is different in their abilities and comprehension.  Each year is different (sometimes every quarter) so being able to implement new strategies throughout the year is imperative.  So how could you use PBL in the classroom?  I can see it being beneficial in Unit design as well as on the fly lessons as long as they teach the standards obviously.  One thing to consider is time and resources, but I feel like it is certainly possible in most all situations. 


Works Cited:

 

http://web.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/cgi-bin/docs/newsletter/problem_based_learning.pdf

http://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-ideas/engaging-students/problem-based-learning.html