-Problem-Based+Learning

=Problem-Based Learning=

====Problem-Based Learning is a student-centered method of learning where students seek to solve a real-life problem. It is usually referred to as PBL and is not to be confused with Project-Based Learning. Students participating in Problem-Based Learning usually work in small groups. Not only are they learning problem-solving skills, but also cooperation, motivation, collaboration, and self-direction. The learning process starts by thinking through three distinct categories: "What we know, What we need to know, and How to acquire......This method of learning promotes the idea of teachers serving as a 'guide on the side.'====

==== Problem- Based Learning is often referred to as PBL. Every day we face new and threatening problems, here and abroad, that require us to collaborate with others to solve these problems. Currently we are trying to preserve our planet, fight terrorism, and figure out how we are going to fix our financial markets. Because of these challenges and the unforeseen challenges of the future, we need to make sure we are educating our students to be the best problem solvers possible. One way to do this is to incorporate Problem-Based Learning (PBL) into our classrooms. The video talks about using PBL in your classroom. ====

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==== John Barell (2010) refers to PBL as “…complex, “ill-structured” problematic scenarios that embody the major concepts to be mastered and understood. By “ill-structured” or “ill-defined I mean the realistic, authentic problems-such as pollution of the planet and feeding the hungry-that are so complex, messy, and intriguing that they do not lend themselves to a right or wrong answer approach…”. ====

==== PBL teachers design whole units around a problem to have students working in groups to question, think critically, investigate, draw conclusions, and reflect until they find a solution to the problem. The teacher's role is that of a facilitator or tutor. They assist in the set up of the problem, which can be a great deal of behind the scenes work because it has to be realistic. Students have to either buy into a fake problem or become connected to a real one for cognitive growth and learning to truly occur. ====

** Cognitive Effects of Problem Based Learning ** (Schmidt 1993)

 * ====Initial analysis of the problem and activation of prior knowledge through small-group discussion====
 * ====Elaboration on prior knowledge and active processing of new information====
 * ====Restructuring of knowledge, construction of a semantic network====
 * ====Social knowledge construction====
 * ====Learning in context====
 * ====Stimulation of curiosity related to presentation of a relevant problem====

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One example of project based learning is the "The River Rouge Watershed - Ours to Protect". This was a student based project that won an award at the CyberFair 2011. In the video, a student explains that CyberFair is a worldwide competition based on almost any topic imaginable. His group made a wiki based on an environmental topic, watersheds.

Barell, John. (2010) "Problem-Based Learning: The Foundation for 21st Century Skills". //21st Century Skills//. Eds. Bellanca, J & Brandt, R. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press, 2010. 175-199.
"CyberFair 2011 - The River Rouge Watershed - Ours to Protect". (July 7, 2011). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=437ixlFwnhY.

PBLTech (2011). "PBL at a Glance". [Video File]. Retrieved from @http://vimeo.com/30886566

Schmidt HG (1993). "Foundations of problem-based learning: some explanatory notes". //Medical Education// **27** (5): 422–432