Notes from Second Session of Problem-Based Learning

Goals of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Learning Community

Facilitator: Dr. Gayle Herrington

Ning is the online program to be used for continuing discussion in this learning community.

• Everyone in the room is either a Physics or Mathematics professor.
• Everyone wants to know how to have strategies to improve learning.

Graphic Organizer is a pictorial representation of information.

• give students a way to organize their thinking
• 3 columns that they’re going to fill in
• KWL (What do you know, What do you want to know, What have we learned)
• Reflection

What they know:

• Make problems central learning concepts piece
• Resources and Examples
• Worked well for Ji Shen
• Design projects for learning
• Context-rich situations used to teach skills
• Focused on developing content knowledge

What they want to know:

• How do we prove this method is effective vs. traditional methods?
• What is PBL?
• Is this applicable to my subject?
• Criterion to choose “Good” problems
• Does it enhance student learning?
• Where are the good ones?
• Is it shared for math and physics?
• When are they best to use (Topics)
• Peer-reviewed journals for research
• How do I let go to share authority with students?
• What is a real problem to different students?
• How can we make our problems tiered to minimize student frustration at onset?
• Balance?
• Prior knowledge
• Teacher input
  
  • Problem/practice
• What are common themes as well as differences?
• How much struggle do we allow for students?

There is a journal that has information called Stem Education.
There are case studies.

They’re going to skim “Is your case a problem” from the article in their notebook. Skimming this will allow them to either ask more questions or have questions already answered.

Tomorrow they will listen to a panel that may answer some of their questions or have them asking other questions.

For the most part, most have a common knowledge of PBL but will get more information tomorrow.