How to but a car 101. Problem Based Learning in Action

1) This journal article was about a middle school class, who used Problem Based Learning to work on and solve a problem that would interest them; selecting a car to purchase. The students were presented with very specific restrictions, Mr. Jones, their ‘client’ needed to buy a car that would be affordable on his budget, have good gas mileage and be appropriate for Mr. Jones and his wife. The project was full of mathematic content. The students had to determine Mr. Jones’s monthly payments, which included the price of gas and take into account the interest rate. The project was involved, holistic and the students were engaged and excited about it. One of the most challenging things for the teacher is learning to let the students work on their own and not giving them the answers; rather, the teacher needs to act as a facilitator and resource.
2) The article definitely addressed the strengths and weakness of the project. Firstly, the teacher needs to have established an environment where the students are capable of working independently with others. Secondly, the teacher must learn restraint and allow the students to struggle and make decisions on their own. Finally, the project requires very specific assessment tools, if the teacher is not clear about the requirements initially the students will struggle. The teacher must be attentive to the point which the students struggle with and make alterations as the project develops which is a process which takes a lot of time and effort. As a reader, I appreciate all the visuals that the author included in the article. It defiantly helps me to visualize and understand the process and final products when I see examples.
3) APA Citation: Flores, C. (2006). How to buy a car 101. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 12(3), 161-164.