The Problem Is The Curriculum

Einstein once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay in the problem longer.”

Problem Based Learning (PBL) isn’t a new phenomenon. Its practical origins are rooted in medical studies from the 1970’s. Evolving as a result of patients who present with problems or symptoms  that are sometimes unexplainable and complex, Problem Based Learning  is not a theory but more defined as a method or process of evaluating, constructing meaning, thinking critically, direct inquiry, collaborating with peers and arriving at an answer or alternatives. 

It has become a curriculum choice in many universities and professional learning settings that is growing in acceptance and progressing to multiple disciplines of study.  The PBL format is even more attractive because study groups can be formed synchronously or asynchronously in a technology-based world. Web-based PBL’s are supported by numerous free or minimal fee sites which are available for students to collaborate as a group, retreat into self-directed inquiry and then return to collaborate once again to assimilate everyone’s discoveries and present informed alternatives.

There isn’t a delivery method such as lectures that encourage passive information receipt.  It is an active and interactive process - the curriculum is the problem and is usually illogical or ill-conceived.  It does not have only one answer but viable answers and the assessment centers around the true viability of the answers presented.

Some of the advantages of PBL are:

• Easily adaptable to web-based research and technology instruction via integration and collaborative applications such as Googlegroups, PBWorks, and Wikis. In house corporate trainers use such formats as Microsoft Outlook or iVisit for video conference or outsource their employee learning systems to companies such as Cisco, Intel, or Ratheon.
• Empowers learners to think critically; analyze and solve complex, real life problems; find, evaluate and use appropriate learning resources; work collaboratively; demonstrate effective communication skills; and become lifelong learners (Duch, Groh, & Allen, 2001).
• Involves several learning strategies such as self-directed learning, collaborative learning, student centered learning, and experiential learning.
• The collaborative aspect of problem solving encourages negotiation, interdependence and emerging leadership skills. David Hopkins  has an extensive list for collaborative benefits.
• closely aligned to problem-solving processes required in the workplace (Bataray & Bay, 2009)

Bataray,M., Bay, OmerB. (2009, December). The effects of problem-based learning on the classroom community perceptions. Computers & Education, 55, 43-52. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03601315

Duch, B., Groh, S., & Allen, D. (2001). Why problem based learning? A case study of institutional change in undergraduate education. In B. Duch, S. Groh, & D. Allen (Eds.), The power of problem-based learning (pp. 3–11). Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing.

Hopkins, D.,(2010), Benefits of collaborative learning.. Retrieved from  http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/eresources/benefits-of-collaborative-learning-elearning/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhismExIwU&feature=related