Overview

Problem based learning seeks to encourage students to learn about a subject through solving a problem about the subject. The following are some exaples of how students can learn through solving problems:

Strategies

• Going against the grain!

Invite students to stretch their imagination by asking them to do something that appears to go against the grain: write a sentence with five errors, write a history timeline with six mistakes, design a structure that is certain to collapse, or do a set of math problems with a certain number of them incorrect.

• Case Studies

Use real-life stories that describe what happened to a community, family, school, industry or individual to prompt students to integrate their classroom knowledge with their knowledge of real-world situations, actions, and consequences.

• Experiential Learning

Plan site visits that allow students to see and experience applications to the theory/concepts discussed in the class.

• The Problem Lecture

Begin a lecture with a question, a paradox, enigma, or a compelling unfinished human story.

Enabling Technology

Technologies and Resources available:

• Discussion Board
• Padlet (online notes board)

Support Resources

• Overview of Problem-based Learning: Definitions and Distinctions

  Savery, J. R. (2006)

Contributed by

• Learning Futures
  

Preferred Citation

Learning Futures (2019). Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Retrieved from https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/exlnt/entry/3927/view