Problem Based Learning

 

Students are given an ill-structured problem and allowed to work in groups to find their own solutions.  In this model teachers function as a facilitator rather than a didactic instructor. In this form, Problem Based Learning has been very successful and found applications in many post secondary programs and corporate training programs.  Despite its successes it hasn't really taken off as a mainstream pedagogical method in secondary sciences (which is ironic since it was originally intended to improve critical thinking in the sciences).  

This year I've started working on incorporating a new teaching methodology into my grade 11 Physics class.  Called Problem Based Learning, it was first introduced in the late 1960s at McMaster University's medical school in an attempt to teach problem solving and critical thinking skills to medical students.  Although Problem Based learning has evolved since the 1960s the basic tenets are still more or less the same.

I can think of several reasons why teachers may be reluctant to use PBL. One is the time required to develop successful PBL activities. Another is my familiarity with more traditional teaching methods. As well, my perception was that students would not be able to get the same mathematical practice with the physics equations.

This year however I undertook the task of redesigning my Physics 11 course with a PBL framework.  It has been an exhausting task, both in developing my own conceptual understanding of PBL and to actually create the teaching resources.  In the rest of this post I'll quickly summarize what I've done and outline the issues that I still need to address.

Hohmann Transfer Orbit

Summary of the Mission to Mars
The entire Kinematics Unit of my Physics class is designed around students designing a spacecraft to take humans to Mars.   Each lesson is designed around curriculum objectives that are identical to what I have done in more traditional lessons.  Each lesson has three parts.  The first is the preparation phase.  This takes between five and tens minutes.  In this stage I introduce the problem and provide students with any background knowledge they need.  If necessary the class brainstorms definitions or develops Kinematics equations. This short five minute stage is the only time the lesson focuses on me.  All the other stages of the PBL are completely focused on students while the work in groups.

The second stage gives students time to research a problem and find their own answers.  This is done by having students access the internet either through laptops, tablets or smart phones.  In the first lesson the curriculum objectives were the understand the difference between Vectors and Scalars and calculate various distance and displacements. The problem students had to solve was to determine what path a spacecraft would take to get to Mars.  Although the problem initial seems straightforward students quickly realised there are many factors affecting the trajectory of the rocket.  During the next 20 minutes I circulated from one group to the next and was amazed by the richness of the discussion and the depth of the responses.  Without exception all the groups recognized the path of least energy would be an elliptical transfer orbit that looped from the Earth to Mars.

The final stage of the lesson was the homework/practice. Here students have the opportunity to practice what they have discovered.  Students can work in small groups but are encouraged to approach this somewhat independently. This is where students are able to apply the information they found in the previous section to answer quantitative problems about the orbital positions of Earth and Mars.

Although I have only employed this teaching strategy for about 10 days, so far I am incredibly impressed with the results.  Although I'm not one to support radical changes in the way things are done it is hard not to admit that the internet has fundamentally changed the role of the teacher.  Our job is no longer (or perhaps it never was) to supply facts and information; all of that is now readily accessible through google.  Instead we are tasks with teaching students how to access reliable information and what to do with that information once they have it.  Although it may still be too early for me to draw definite conclusions, so far I believe that PBL represents one of the best ways to accomplish this and still provide students with the academic thoroughness necessary to prepare them for post-secondary sciences.

Despite my initial impressions I to recognize several areas that still require more thought.  These include topics like Authentic Assessment, ensuring everyone is participating equally, and incorporating labwork into the PBL framework.  Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to explore these areas in the coming months.