Why+PBL?

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- 70% for term test - 30% for PBL**
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So What is PBL? Why are educators around the world using this method to teach students? Read on...  =** PBL...A Little Historical Background ** = Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a curriculum development and delivery system that recognizes the need to develop problem solving skills as well as the necessity of helping students to acquire necessary knowledge and skills. The first application of PBL, and perhaps the most strict and pure form of PBL, was in [|medical schools] which rigorously test the knowledge base of graduates. Medical professionals need to keep up with new information in their field, and the skill of life-long learning is particularly important for them. Hence, PBL was thought to be well suited for this area.

=** Why PBL? ** = There are several reasons for using PBL and many of them have resulted from the findings of research. >> to understand new information.
 * 1) Students retain little of what they learn when taught in a traditional lecture format (Bok 1989).
 * 2) Students often do not appropriately use the knowledge they have learned (Schmidt 1983).
 * 3) Since students forget much of what is learned or use their know ledge appropriately, instructors should create conditions that optimize retrieval and appropriate use of the knowledge in future professional practice.
 * 4) PBL creates the three conditions that information theory links to subsequent retrieval and appropriate use of new information (Schmidt 1983):
 * //activation of prior knowledge// - students apply knowledge
 * //similarity of contexts in which information is learned and later applied// - research shows that knowledge is much more likely to be remembered or recalled in context in which it was originally learned (Godden and Baddeley 1975). PBL provides problems within context that closely resemble future professional problems.
 * //opportunity to elaborate on information that is learned during the problem-solving process// - elaborations provide redundancy in memory structure, reduces forgetting, and facilitates retrieval. Elaboration occurs in discussion with peers, peer-teaching, exchanging views, and preparing essays about what students have learned during the problem-solving process.

 =** What does PBL look like in the classroom? ** = There are several models of how PBL works in the classroom. All of them agree that in a PBL curriculum,

>> themselves actually engaged in the problem and not just observers of it; 
 * 1) students work through a series of problems designed to:
 * be authentic (i.e. address real-world concerns)
 * target defined areas of the curriculum
 * be "ill-structured" - they must be defined and analyzed through inquiry from a minimum of presenting information
 * approximate the real world, so that students find

Barrows proposes the following model of the PBL process in //How to Design a Problem-based Curriculum for the Preclinical Years,// 1985.
 * 1) the role of the instructor changes from a "sage on the stage" to a "guide on the side";
 * 2) students work collaboratively in small groups toward the problem's resolution.
 * ~ **Process** ||~ **Purpose** ||
 * Students read and address problem, without background preparation. || *Teaches students to encode and organize information in useful ways.


 * Allows students to find what they know and what they don�t know. Misconceptions can be corrected in discussion of the problem.

Tutor poses questions: ie. Do you need more information? Are you sure of the facts or will a review be helpful? Do you think more information on this area would be helpful? Tutors encourage hypotheses are grounded in science. || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Development of cognitive skills for problem-solving process
 * Mimics the real life context they will face as doctors. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students discuss and analyze problem using prior knowledge and resources available.

Students critique learning resources used. Group decides appropriate hypotheses and critiques prior performance. || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*New organization of information to problem-solve.
 * Development of self-monitoring skills to identify the learning needs
 * Development of habitual student-initiated questioning ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students decide what they need to know and where they might best find the information. They decide which resources to use (people, published papers, etc.). || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Self-directed study ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students revisit problem with new information and knowledge acquired during self-study.
 * Self-assessment
 * Peer-assessment ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students should think about how what they learned has added to their understanding || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Reflection
 * Self-assessment ||

=** How do groups function in PBL? **=

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teams are responsible for scheduling their own activities and deciding how to use their time to solve the problem and master the learning objectives. Depending on the version of PBL, the teams have more or less responsibilty for determining learning issues and locating resource materials required to solve the problem. Groups usually consist of 5 to 7 students. Each member of the group maintains a particular role throughout the duration of the project. The four possible roles are:
 * 1) project leader - proposes meeting agendas, suggests division of labor, and develops the overall project plan.
 * 2) facilitator - describes the process to be followed during the steps of the project plan, determines appropriate time to proceed in plan, and suggests adjustments to the plan as needed.
 * 3) recorder - takes group notes of each meeting.
 * 4) team member - takes individual notes, participates in discussion, and reviews resource materials.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other PBL models include a mentor or tutor in the group. This is often a faculty member, but another student sometimes functions in this role. Research is mixed as to the domain-specific expertise required of the mentor. It is unclear whether subject expertise is necessary in order to be an effective tutor.

//Vertically organized teams//: project leader makes crucial decisions are made if team is unable to reach a consensus. //Horizontally organized teams//: crucial decisions are made by majority vote. From Bridges, Edwin M., //Problem Based Learning for Administrators//, 1992. The individual plays an important role in PBL. This is outlined on the next page.
 * Organization of teams**

The individual student in PBL has an active role in learning. PBL requires that students have responsibility for their own learning by identifying their learning issues and needs. According to Schmidt and Moust, the student progresses through a series of steps, "The Seven Jump", during the PBL process.

> [student outcomes - activation of prior knowledge, elaboration, > restructuring of information, organization of information, intrinsic motivation] // > [student outcomes - restructuring, applying, problem solving] //
 * 1) Clarify unknown terms and concepts in the problem description.
 * 2) Define the problem(s). List the phenomena or events to be explained.
 * 3) Analyze the problem(s). Step 1. Brainstorm. Try to produce as many different explanations for the phenomena as you think of. Use prior knowledge and common sense. //
 * 1) Analyze the problem(s). Step 2. Discuss. Criticize the explanations proposed and try to produce a coherent description of the processes that, according to what you think, underlie the phenomena or events.
 * 2) Formulate learning issues for self-directed learning.
 * 3) Fill in gaps in your knowledge through self-study.
 * 4) Share your findings with your group and try to integrate the knowledge acquired into a comprehensive explanation for the phenomena or events. Check whether you know enough now.//