Problem Based Learning

Problem based learning is really a holistic approach of teaching. I have personally experienced problem based learning in two of my teacher education mathematics classes. However, this is the first time that I have really had to look at the instructional objectives that an instructor would set when designing a problem based learning assignment (from here on referred to as a PBL).

Problem based learning exercises require the students to work on several different skills that are typically aimed at solving a problem outside of the classroom. In some examples I have seen the students were attempting to solve an actual problem that effected their daily lives, in some instances the students were attempting to solve a fictitious problem, and in some instances the students were competing to find the most efficient, most creative or most effective ways of solving the problem.

When a teacher grades the PBL work the assessment is very important. This is a project when the process is as important as the product and the teacher should be aware of how well the group members worked together, how effective their plan or solution was and how creative they were in accommodating the constraints.

Problem based learning can be used in any discipline; however, I especially like its application in mathematics. In science classes I have experiences units when I was completely immersed in the content. Yet, in math courses I rarely spend more than thirty minutes filling out the assigned work sheet. Imagine how much more engaged in mathematics students can become when you make it a project that requires teamwork, discussion and application.

One of my favorite examples of problem based learning was from an article in a science journal. One student was fed up with recess being canceled due to flooding on the playground. The teacher used the situation as an opportunity to have a PBL assignment. He divided the class into teams, assigned budgetary constraints, time constraints, material constraints, labor constraints and asked that the students come up with the most creative use for the diverted water. The students were sent out to collect the data; they measured the slope of the playground and collected all the measurements they needed. Each group proposed their idea and the teacher selected the winning plans. In the end, the students were able to get their playground back as well as have a small pond and water collection tanks for the school’s garden.

Another instance when I have encountered PBL’s is at the Science Olympiad competitions. Students compete in different areas; they build robots, solve simulated crimes, build model cities from the future (solving problem like recycling and exponential population growth), they have even taken the egg drop to the next level. The response that you see from students when you present them with this type of project proves that it is not the mathematics that they don’t like, it’s the way that it’s taught.

Problem based learning is important because it really incorporates all of the process skills. One of the most important things, in my opinion, is that it teaches students perseverance, dedication and when the students are finished there is a huge sense of accomplishment. It promotes that intrinsic motivation, which will help the students be successful even when they are not encourages by parents or by their peers.