Project and Problem Based Learning

John HenryEIRC

jhenry@eirc.org

PBL FRAMEWORK

PedagogyContent Assessment

RESOURCES & CONSTRAINTS

PROJECT or SCENARIO

Technology

Constructivism

Learning as an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon

their current or past knowledge. Students continually build upon what they have already

learned.

The core idea of Project and Problem Based learning is that real-world problems or

situations capture students' interest and provoke serious thinking as the students acquire and apply new knowledge in a

problem-solving context.

Is a teaching and learning model that focuses on the central concepts and principles of a discipline, involves students in problem solving and other

meaningful tasks, allows students to work autonomously and in groups to construct their own learning, culminates in realistic, student generated

products.

Project Based Learning?

Finkle and Torp (1995) state that "problem-based learning is a curriculum development and

instructional system/process that simultaneously develops both problem solving strategies and

disciplinary knowledge bases and skills by placing students in the active role of problem solvers

confronted with an ill-structured problem that mirrors real-world problems"

Problem-Based Learning Defined

What are the similarities between Project Based and Problem Based Learning?

• Both instructional strategies are intended to engage students in authentic, "real world" tasks to enhance learning.

• Students are given open-ended projects or problems with more than one approach or answer, intended to simulate professional situations.

• Both approaches are student-centered and the teacher acts as facilitator or coach.

• Students work in cooperative groups for extended periods of time • In both approaches, students seek out multiple sources of

information. • There is often a performance-based assessment.

What are the differences between Project Based and Problem Based Learning?

• In Project based learning, the students define the purpose for creating an end product.

• In Problem based learning, the students are presented with a problem to solve.

• In Project based learning, the students present their conclusion and there is an end product.

• In Problem based learning, when the students present their conclusion, there may or may not be an end product.

PBL vs. PBL

Project Based Learning

- Project Based Learning is an instructional strategy in which students work in cooperative learning groups to create a product, presentation, or performance.

-Project Based Learning typically engages students with a question . That question is then used to create a final product that somehow answers the question.

- Focuses more on the final product, than the process of creating it.

Problem Based Learning

-Problem Based Learning is an instructional strategy in which students work in cooperative learning groups to investigate and resolve a

problem.

- Problem Based Learning problems are typically based on real-world issues or situations. Students are able to apply prior

knowledge and experiences to the problem at hand.

- Focuses more on the process of problem solving, rather than the outcome.

Similarities

- Both deal with a motivating prompt,

a question or problem, that has to be addressed

by creating a solution or product.

- Each is a valid instructional strategy that

promotes active learning and

engages students.

Framework for 21st Century Learning

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21/

The standard includes six strands, which reflect the Framework for 21st Century Learning:

21st Century Skills

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving • Creativity and Innovation

• Collaboration, Teamwork, and Leadership • Cross-Cultural Understanding and Interpersonal Communication

• Communication and Media Fluency • Accountability, Productivity, and Ethics

Understanding by Design UbD template (lesson plan development)

http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2009/final.htm

21st Century Themes

Global AwarenessFinancial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial LiteracyCivic LiteracyHealth Literacy

Similarities to PBL and What Employers Want

• Willingness to share information and ideas

• Commitment to work in teams

• Responsiveness to change

• Sense of ownership with work and ideas

• Willingness to take calculated risks, without fear of

consequences

Similarities to PBL and What Employers Want

• Multicultural experiences and or the ability to

communicate in multiple languages

• Ability to communicate clearly and honestly with peers,

teachers, administrators, and experts from other

organizations

• Understanding business strategies

• Commitment to continuous learning and skill

development

What does the research say in regards to students?

• Increased attendance• Growth and self-reliance• Improved attitude toward learning (Thomas, 2000)• Academic gains equal to or better than other

models (Boaler, Education Week 2004)• Opportunities to develop complex skills (SRI,

2000)• Access to a broader range of learning opportunities

What does the research say in regards to teachers?

• Increased collaboration among colleagues• Opportunities to build better relationships

with students (Thomas, 2000)

What does the research say about PBL?

A three-year 1997 study of two secondary schools -- one that used open-ended

projects and one that used more traditional, direct instruction -- found striking differences in understanding and standardized achievement data in

mathematics.

What does the research say about PBL?

In a five-year study, researchers at SRI International found that technology-using students in Challenge 2000 Multimedia

Project-Based classrooms outperformed non-technology-using students in

communication skills, teamwork, and problem solving.

What does the research say about PBL?

The Center for Learning in Technology researchers, led by Bill Penuel, found

• increased student engagement • greater responsibility for learning• increased peer collaboration skills• greater achievement gains by students who had been

labeled low achievers

What does the research say about PBL?

Lakeview School in Ill., use PBL to reach students who are struggling in traditional

schools by implementing a curriculum that is based on "doing things based on real

world situation.“ while addressing state standards -- and uses a project-based approach that incorporates cultural

awareness, sustainability and other themes.

Lecture…Sit and Get

Passive

PBL

ActiveLearning

Average Retention Rates

New Version Old Version

Bloom's Taxonomy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alSQpinagp0

Always think outside the boxFedEx

Engage the Student and the Achievement will Follow

Achievement Gap or Engagement Gap?

85% of Middle and High School Students report being bored in their classrooms

Example of Engagement and Problem Solving Activity

Toxic Popcorn

Interest, hands-on, interactive and collaborative

Toxic Popcorn

Scenario

A can of highly toxic popcorn has contaminated a circle of approximately 4 feet in diameter. The toxic area extends to the ceiling. If the toxic popcorn is not transferred to a safe container for decontamination, it will contaminate the region The popcorn is estimated to have a safe life of exactly 15 minutes before it explodes. It’s up to you to save the day!

What do you know about PBL? • Why Do PBL?• What are the common features of PBL? • What is a typical process for PBL? • What are the benefits and obstacles of PBL • How can PBL facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to

increase student learning? • How can it be incorporated across academic disciplines?• What are the differences and similarities of Project and

Problem Based Learning ?• What are student and teacher roles when doing PBL? • How do you assess PBL?

Ms, McIntyre introduced a “project” to her students. She plopped a packet of papers on each student’s desk and explained that each student

would create a poster about water-borne bacterium and how it can be harmful to humans.

The packet included assignment sheets with due dates and grading

policy, a guide for designing the poster, and a list of websites and books to use.

Giving students a project, that is hands-on, with step by step instructions, designed and guided

by the teacher that results in a student produced product. This process is missing student voice and choice, and may not be

relevant to a student

PBL is not…

Ms, McIntyre introduced a “project” to her students. She plopped a packet of papers on each student’s

desk and explained that each student would create a poster about water-borne bacterium and how it can

be harmful to humans. The packet included assignment sheets with due dates and grading

policy, a guide for designing the poster, and a list of websites and books to use.

Redesign this Project

PBL consists of two complementary interrelated processes

1. Curriculum Design• Teachers design an ill-structured problem based on

desired curriculum outcomes, learner characteristics, and compelling, problematic situations from the real world

• Teachers develop a sketch or template of teaching and learning events in anticipation of students' learning needs

• Teachers investigate the range of resources essential to the problem and arrange for their availability

PBL consists of two complementary interrelated processes

2. Cognitive Coaching• Students actively define problems and

construct potential solutions • Teachers model, coach, and fade in supporting

and making explicit students' learning processes

Characteristics of PBL

• Learning is student centered. • Learning occurs in small student groups. • Teachers are facilitators or guides. • Problems form the organizing focus and

stimulus for learning. • Problems are a vehicle for the development of

problem-solving skills.

How does PBL work?

• Students confront a problem. • In groups, students organize prior knowledge and

attempt to identify the nature of the problem. • Students pose questions about what they do not

understand. • Students design a plan to solve the problem and

identify the resources they need. • Students begin to gather information as they work

to solve the problem.

Problem-based learning has as its organizing center an ill-structured problem

which...

• is messy and complex in nature• requires inquiry, information-gathering, and

reflection• is changing and tentative• has no simple, fixed, formulaic, "right"

solution

Creatively Speaking, Part Two: Sir Ken Robinson on the Power of the Imaginative Mind

Examples of ill-structured problems used in PBL

You are a scientist at the state department of nuclear safety. Some people in a small community feel their health is at risk because a company keeps thorium piled above ground at one of their plants. What action, if any, should be taken? Summer Challenge 1992, IMSA

You are a consultant to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. A first draft of a plan for the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone has received strong, negative testimony at hearings. What is your advice regarding the plan? John Thompson, Ecology, IMSA

You are a a science advisor at NASA. A planet much like the earth has experienced massive destruction of elements of its biosphere. What is causing the destruction of plant life? Can new plants from earth be successfully introduced to help save the planet's environment? Bill Orton, 2nd grade, Williamsburg, VA

You are a thirty-six year old single working mother with a five year old daughter. Upon your husband's death, you receive $20,000 in worker's compensation and $10,000 in stock option shares. How can you invest this money so that by your daughter's 18th birthday, its growth is maximized? LuAnn Malik, Community College of Aurora, Aurora, CO

You are a stockholder of a major oil refinery in Louisiana which has mined oil from wetlands in the southern part of the state. You have received pressure from publicity about the wetlands to make it property of the federal government so that it can be protected. What will you do? Christine Vitale, 4-5 multi-grade, Arlington Heights, IL

Develop, design, and demonstrate the feasibility of a self-contained, self-sustaining human community in a place that is not yet considered habitable.

Woodbury High School, Advanced Technology Class, Grades 9-12

Paper or Plastic

Examples of Scenarios

http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/

PBL addresses student needs by taking learning theory into account with PBL:

• Students take on an active role in their educational experiences.

• Students are actively involved in the learning process, and they learn in the context in which knowledge is to be used.

• Students are empowered with the responsibility of managing a largely self-directed learning process so that they are better equipped to take on the responsibilities of mature professional life.

• Students are encouraged to develop the skill of transferring knowledge into new domains, a skill that students can carry with them throughout their lifetimes.

Teacher as coach…

Models/coaches/fades in:• Asking about thinking • Monitoring learning • Probing/ challenging students' thinking • Keeping students involved • Monitoring/ adjusting levels of challenge • Managing group dynamics • Keeping process moving

Student as active problem-solver

• Active participant • Engaged • Constructing meaning

Problem as initial challenge to promote motivation and attention

• Ill-structured • Appeals to human desire for resolution/

equilibrium/harmony • Sets up need for and context of learning which

follows

What are the benefits of PBL?

• Motivation: PBL makes students more engaged in learning because they are hard wired to respond to dissonance and because they feel they are empowered to have an impact on the outcome of the investigation.

What are the benefits of PBL?

• Motivation• Relevance And Context: PBL offers students

an obvious answer to the questions, "Why do we need to learn this information?" and "What does what I am doing in school have to do with anything in the real world?"

What are the benefits of PBL?

• Motivation• Relevance And Context• Higher-Order Thinking: the ill-structured problem

scenario calls forth critical and creative thinking by suspending the guessing game of, "What's the right answer the teacher wants me to find?" Starting the thinking at Adaptation Level is important. (See Rigor and Relevance Framework.)

What are the benefits of PBL?

• Motivation• Relevance And Context• Higher-Order Thinking• Learning How To Learn: PBL promotes student

metacognition and self-regulated learning by asking students to generate their own strategies for problem definition, information gathering, data-analysis, and hypothesis-building and testing, comparing these strategies against and sharing them with other students' and mentors' strategies.

What are the benefits of PBL?

• Motivation• Relevance And Context• Higher-Order Thinking• Learning How To Learn• Authenticity: PBL engages students in learning

information in ways that are similar to the ways in which it will be recalled and employed in future situations and assesses learning in ways which demonstrate understanding and not mere acquisition. (Gick and Holyoak, 1983).

Why Do PBL?

Think critically and be able to analyze and solve complex, real-world problems

Find, evaluate, and use appropriate learning resources

Work individually and cooperatively in teams and small groups

Demonstrate versatile and effective communication skills, both verbal and written

Use content knowledge and develop skills to become life-long learners in order to succeed in a global economy

Students Deserve it

The World Demands it

Why Do PBL?

The National Problem:

As a result of a relative decline in student achievement … and interest of students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

(STEM)-related careers …

the United States IS AT RISK.

Why Do PBL?

• In the US only 15% of the undergraduates receive their degrees in natural sciences or engineering.

• Past 3 years alone, China & India have doubled production of 3- and 4-year degrees in engineering, computers science and IT, while the US production of engineers is stagnant and CS and IT have doubled.

Losing Interest

Why Do PBL?

• Although US fourth graders score well against international competition, they fall near the bottom or dead last by 12th grade in Mathematics and Science, respectively.

• In 2004 chemical companies closed 70 facilities in the United States and have tagged 40 more for shutdown. Of 120 new chemical plants around the world will be in the United States. 50 will be in China.

Common Features of Problem Based Learning

Students engage in real world issues where students define and solve problems that are meaningful to

them.

PBL usually begins with a Scenario

They begin to Brainstorm and ask questions

Technology Integrated

http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/

Web+2.0+Resources

Students learn and practice team building and social skills by working in cooperative teams

and sometimes with people in the community

Students use critical thinking, planning skills, problem solving skills, and

research in order to solve the problem.

Facilitates an interdisciplinary approach

Includes expectations for the project, based on the learning outcome. These are stated at the beginning of the project and are designed by

the teacher to state standards.

Benefits and Obstacles of PBL

PBL Benefits

•Problem-based learning encourages students to take control and become active in their learning.

•Research tends to suggest that when compared to graduates from a traditional program, PBL graduates are better prepared for professional life with advanced level interpersonal skills, the ability to work effectively in cross and interdisciplinary teams and lifelong learning skills.

•As more PBL graduates make their way into the workforce the reputation of PBL will grow and it is likely that employers could show preference for graduates with the types of knowledge, skills and attitudes developed and encouraged by problem-based learning

PBL Benefits

proactive thinkers critical thinkers problem solvers capable of self-assessment self-sufficient and self-motivated able to find and use appropriate resources technologically advanced leaders as well as team players capable of communicating ideas and listening to others eager to jump into the next challenge or problem situation

PBL learners become:

Obstacles Described by Teachers

• It takes a lot of preparation time• We don't have the resources• We lack administrative support and support from

other teachers• You often feel uneasy because you're not

knowledgeable about the content• The open-ended, no right or wrong answer aspect

of project work can be threatening

Obstacles Described by Teachers

• Administrators can fault you for not covering the curriculum

• There are risks associated with giving up teacher control

• Students may not participate and are not always self-motivated

Obstacles Described by Teachers

• students may have difficulty with higher order thinking or open-ended problems

• There is a risk that students might not learn much, or receive much of value from Problem Based Learning unless designed right

Benefits Described by Students

• We got to choose what to work on.• We learned that we can make a difference• There was a clear goal that was a challenge

to work on• There was an audience for the product and

we knew we had to meet the deadline and present it to the audience.

Benefits Described by Students

• We weren't afraid to try things we didn't know because the teacher said we would have the opportunity to reevaluate and try again.

• Everyone felt needed and had a part. Nobody got left out

• We didn't need to use our texts, and we were actively doing things and learning something.

Benefits Described by Students

• We were using skills we knew we would need in our jobs, like using time wisely, exercis ing responsibility, and not letting the group down.

• We learned that when the real world is the source of evaluation, you had better have your act together.

• Yes, enjoyed it, felt like I had more responsibility.

Benefits Described by Students

• I liked it, got a lot of ideas out, but did need some guidance some times.

• Like the idea of going off on our own to research everything possible instead of being limited by teacher specification.

Benefits Described by Students

• Communicating with outside sources, and making contacts for information.

• How to communicate and work with the corporate world, make contacts. How to write, how to work with other people in groups

• How to be a leader.

The teacher plays the role of facilitator, working with students to frame worthwhile questions, structuring

meaningful tasks, coaching both knowledge development and social skills, and carefully assessing what students have

learned from the experience.

Teacher and Student Role in PBL.

Students are at the center of the work to be accomplished. The classroom environment is student centered, not

teacher directed. Students are responsible for brainstorming, solving problems, working together,

documenting, evaluating their progress and presenting their findings.

Teacher and Student Role in PBL.

Educational Features Traditional Instruction Emphasizes

Project and Problem Based Learning Emphasizes

Focus of CurriculumContent Coverage

Knowledge of Facts

Learning “building-blocks skills in isolation

Depth of Understanding

Comprehension of Concepts and Principles

Development of complex problem-solving

Scope and Sequence Follows fixed curriculum

Proceeds unit by unit

Narrow, discipline-based focus

Follows student interest

Large units composed of complex problems or real-world issuesBroad, interdisciplinary focus

Teacher RoleLecturer and director of instruction

Expert

Resource provider and participant in learning activities

Advisor

Educational Features Traditional Instruction Emphasizes

Project and Problem Based Learning Emphasizes

Educational Features Traditional Instruction Emphasizes

Project and Problem Based Learning Emphasizes

Teacher RoleLecturer and director of instruction

Expert

Resource provider and participant in learning activities

Advisor

Focus of assessment Products

Test scores

Comparison with others

Reproduction of information

Process and products

Tangible accomplishments

Criterion performance and gains over time

Demonstration of understanding

Materials of instructionTexts, lectures and presentations

Teacher-developed exercises sheets and activities

Direct or original sources: printed materials, interviews, documents and other sources

Data and materials developed by students

Use of TechnologyAncillary, peripheral

Administered by teachers

Useful for enhancing teacher’ presentation

Central, integral

Directed by students

Useful for enhancing student presentation or amplifying student capabilities

Educational Features Traditional Instruction Emphasizes

Project and Problem Based Learning Emphasizes

Using your classroom, the school or the local community as a context for learning, design your

own PBL ScenarioInclude the following components:

1. Background Information to engage students2. Student Relevance 3. Scenario4. At least one CCC standard or a skill that you want to address

UbD lesson plan template found at http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/

Resources• PBL for Teachers

http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/

• Seymour Papert: Project-Based Learning. Inside a state juvenile correctional facilityhttp://www.edutopia.org/seymour-papert-project-based-learning

• Project Based Learning from Educational Leadershiphttp://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb08/vol65/num05/Project-Based_Learning.aspx

• Global Perspectives - http://www.cotf.edu/earthinfo

Resources • Exploring the Environment• http://www.cotf.edu/ete/• Project InSTEP Teacher Instructional Designs• http://instep.cet.edu/instrucdes.html• PBL Essentials• http://www.pbli.org/pbl/generic_pbl.htm• PBL in Math• http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/pbl/sd96/knowns.html• PBL Clearinghouse• http://www.udel.edu/pbl/problems/ • Project and Problem Based Learning• http://www.uoregon.edu/~moursund/Math/pbl.htm

Project Based Learning site for students to practice skills

http://www.studygs.net/pbl.htm