Problem-Based Learning

This is an overview of Problem-Based Learning as outlined by Howard Barrows.

(Barrows, H. S. (1996). Problem-based learning in medicine and beyond: A brief overview. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 1996(68). 3-12. )

Reasons for the development of PBL: "Students were disenchanted and bored with their medical education because they were saturated by the vast amounts of information they had to absorb, much of which was perceived to have little relevance to medical practice" (p. 4, Barrows, 1996)

Barrows believed that conventional instructional methods inhibit clinical reasoning ability in students.

Basic characteristics of PBL:

  • Student-centered
  • Small student groups
    • 5-9 individuals
    • Each group has its own tutor
    • Groups are shuffled after each curricular unit
  • Teachers are facilitators/guides
    • No lecture
    • Doesn't provide "factual information"
    • Tutor asks questions in the way the student should ask themselves questions
    • They model the self-directed study role
    • Tutor can be expert in content, but should also be expert in role of tutor
  • Problems form organizing focus and stimulus for learning
  • Problems are a vehicle for the development of clinical problem-solving skills
    • Problem would have to be presented in the same way it would be presented to students in real-world scenario
    • Students can get information from asking patient questions, ordering tests and receiving results therefrom
  • New information acquired through self-directed learning
    • Students are expected to learn through their own study and research in collaboration with the students in their group with whom they discuss, debate, compare, etc. what they have learned


Educational objectives possible with PBL curriculum

  • Acquisition of integrated knowledge base
  • Acquisition of knowledge base structured around cues presented by patient problems
    • Barrows calls this the "absolutely irreducible core of problem-based learning, if such a think were to be articulated" (p. 7).
  • Acquisition of knowledge base enmeshed with problem-solving processes used in clinical medicine. Development of effective and efficient clinical problem-solving process
    • PBL process must allow students to use the same problem-solving skills needed in practice
    • These learning outcomes should be explicitly addressed in the design of the curriculum
    • PBL scenarios sometimes don't address this and so don't show a difference in student problem-solving abilities compared to traditional instruction
  • Development of effective self-directed learning skills
    • This is easily undermined by a tutor who is overly directive
  • Development of team skills

"The curricular linchpin in PBL ... is the collection of problems in any given course or curriculum with each problem designed to stimulate student learning in areas relevant to the curriculum" (p. 8).

To see what is meant to be taught, a curriculum for a course can be made into a matrix with problems across the top and content objectives for the course listed down the side. This can be a helpful way to actually choose problems for PBL curricula as well.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Literature review

I met with Dr. Gibbons to talk about some approaches to my question. He suggested some readings for me to peruse. I narrowed down my question a bit after some of my reading. I need to finalize a question, but I'm feeling more confident in the direction.
Read more

Open letter to Mom and Dad

Dear Mom and Dad, My current assignment in my foundations of instructional technology class is to write a letter explaining to you in layman's terms a little about the field I am entering. I figure that, since you are often faced with questions about the status of my pursuits in life and because my current life pursuit is labeled with a long-winded title of uncertain meaning, it will be of benefit to actually send you the letter rather than just turning it in for credit. Both of my graduate degrees (first Youth and Family Recreation and now Instructional Psychology and Technology) are a bit unwieldy to the tongue and not immediately clear as to their actual practical value or educational objectives. Although the value and meaning of my YFR degree may be lost in the ether, I hope this letter will at least give you a better idea of what I study now and what will be the likely outcome for my career when I graduate. The field of my current endeavor started out as instructional techn
Read more

The funnel of the introduction

The funnel shape of an introduction to a dissertation or research proposal represents a broad statement about a topic that then becomes increasingly focussed toward the final question of interest in the particular research proposal. Here is a possible funnel to my question of interest: Americans seem to have embedded in their collective conscience the image of the rugged individual rising to the top through sheer force of will and on their own merits or because of their lone genius. But current research suggests that lasting innovation and successful businesses result from effective collaboration of many people together rather than from solitary contributions of brilliant individuals. As a result, many organizations espouse a growing need for people in the modern workplace to be able to work in teams in order to innovate solutions to rapidly changing problems in myriad disciplines. Research from the last decade or so has shed new light on the attributes of group creativity an
Read more