by John T. Spencer (@johntspencer)
Every time I've visited an educational conference, the big buzzword (is an acronym a word?) is PBL. I have heard to definitions of the PBL acronym: Problem-based and Project-based (or Product-based). I'm not sure why it's not PL, because of the hyphenation, but I won't ask. Either way, it is presented as a fix-all for education.
I like the PBL framework. However, I see a subtle danger in pushing PBL as something that should be happening in every classroom with every student all the time. Most often, the reason behind this is that in "the real world" we learn through inquiry, problem-solving and projects.
I don't deny the validity of that argument. However, in the real world (and in the magical world, too - folks still learn in Narnia), we learn in ways that go beyond the PBL approach.
Take inquiry. Life doesn't always begin with my own questions. Sometimes someone asks me a question and the motive is external. Sometimes epiphanies happen. Sometimes I learn through something that is not a question at all - just an observation or an explanation. Sometimes I start with an answer and then question it later, as I intuitively create something new.
Sometimes life isn't a problem to be solved. There's a place for nuance and paradox and the recognition that we don't have all the answers. I ran into this a few years back when I had a Palestinian-Israeli Peace Process PBL. In the end, a student approached me and said, "I read about fatalism and the history of that area. What if peace isn't possible? What if there isn't a solution? More importantly, what if it's not our job, as Americans, to solve the problem?" We should have looked at the human element, at the conflict and the culture without treating it as a problem to be solved.
In the real world, learning isn't always a product or a project. Sometimes it's a conversation over a pint or a cognitive process in a time of distress. Sometimes it's a Google search when something sparks my curiosity. Sometimes it's a metaphor as I watch a baseball game. Or it's a tweet. Or a hike. Or a profound way in which a song speaks to the human condition.
I am not against PBL. I see it as a vital part of authentic learning. However, as amazing as it is, it still remains a part rather than the solution to a holistic education.
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You had be at the last sentence... and like all great ways to learn... it can not be done in a vacuum.
ReplyDeleteDavid
i use pbl as an enhancement to our lesson, and they are doing great...made some modifications and used (randomly) any process that i see fit for our learners everyday...own techniques are applied. i also go for your line as quoted "In the real world, learning isn't always a product or a project. Sometimes it's a conversation over a pint...", i agree on this also, so for me there is no definite method to use...you have to pick out the one good for the day for that particular lesson or activity.
ReplyDeleteYes! PBL IS a part of authentic learning, but it certainly is not the end all for it. Why does it have to be another darn acronym? Why can't every single thing we teach in the classroom be authentic? It is important that project-based learning in classrooms is authentic itself, and not just a term we throw around in an attempt to impress.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this insightful post!
Mandy @ The Chockboard
I personally prefer 'problem' to 'product', but I call it 'process'-based learning myself. I wish we educators weren't so focused on the end product. Most of what we ask students to do is process-oriented and they find many solutions to problems along the way and they produce byproducts of their work together, just as we do.
ReplyDeleteYou've got it, Kathy! Many of Johns concerns are addressed by striking a balance with the many Ps in PBL. I focus on five: person, problem, purpose, product, and public audience. PBL can be designed to stress one or more of these, and the results are the different kinds of learning experiences John describes. Obsess on any one of them, and it becomes a dull, repetitive method.
ReplyDeletePBL is like every method of teaching: It will work for some, maybe many, but there will be others for whom it is less effective than another method. A "holistic education" must contain many "parts," as you say.
ReplyDeleteBeware of one-size-fits-all pedagogies and technologies. In the same way that film/TV/microcomputers/Internet/social media, will not be panaceas, neither will PBL (or any other pedagogy for that matter).
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about "flipping" the class. I mean, it should always be a mix of methodology in a classroom. Do we use PBL? Absolutely. But I also use many other methods including some age-old techniques, such as (gasp) lecture. It depends on the content, students, and objective.
ReplyDeleteLike Danielle and you said, choosing only _one_ way to run a classroom isn't going to meet the needs of all students in every lesson.
ReplyDeleteDifferent lessons call for different instructional models.
Janet | expateducator.com
John,
ReplyDeleteI would not argue that PBL is THE solution to education, but I think it is one of them. I think my view of PBL is wider than yours perhaps. To me PBL is a constructivist framework and pedagogy. The most important part of it to me is the inquiry and that it is student-centered and driven. Underneath this wide umbrella all forms of good teaching can be used (yes, even lecture). I also don't think all problems have to be solved as much as explored.
In a recent post I compare the PBL process to a cake recipe. A novice teacher (cook) needs to follow the recipe closely to learn how it works. A more experienced teacher (chef) understands the purpose of the ingredients and proportions and is able to experiment with it to make their own style of cake using many different things.
The main reason I think the PBL process is important is that it is a great pedagogy to move teachers from a teacher-centered approach to student-centered. It is a very organized format for teachers to learn this approach. Again I am not saying it is the only way, but I think it is helpful for many (because the vast majority of teachers still are not student-centered.)
Thanks for the reminder and the pushback. If PBL is Constructivism in general, I'm with you there. However, I tend to see it as a part of the larger Constructivist framework (that I tend to believe in). I'm a fan of PBL, but I wanted to flesh out some ideas on the limitations of it. I think that paradigm shift of being student-centered is ultimately what it's all about.
DeleteI would not say that PBL is the same as constructivism but is a constructivist approach or flavor. I totally agree that student-centered is the most important part of it.
DeleteWhere I disagree with some of the comments here is that there are styles of teaching that can not be used in PBL. All approaches can be used under the PBL framework including research, book studies, simulations, and yes even lectures. When people say PBL is "part" of good teaching, what are the other parts? So my question for everyone is what is an example of a style of teaching that you can not use with PBL? I feel others have a narrow view of PBL, but I would argue PBL done properly can include anything (except worksheets).
Anybody who pushes a singular approach to teaching and learning is deluded. I'm glad you're pointing that out. I maintain that diversity in approaches best serves both teacher and students.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I like PBL. I've even got a series of posts about it trying to leverage my real life project experiences (IT Software Dev) into PBL. I know that in real life, there are lectures, projects, dead-ends, black holes, etc. PBL should be part of teaching but shouldn't be the only way.
whew - I managed to avoid using pedagogy there. ;)
Yet another (maybe) take on PBL? WHY WORRY WHAT THE "P" STANDS FOR! My thesis: EVERY SITUATION faced will yield a better outcome more quickly when treated as a PROBLEM to be solved! In other words, that situation might ve anything - any one of the "Ps" - it's to me at least simply an effective way to approach that situation. So of course there will be PROBLEM-based learning, PROJECT-based learning, PROCESS-based learning, ... - ALL approached as a problem to be solved, individually or in teams, if teams - formal or informal (individuals are often informal teams by the way), with or without deadlines, eternal driving question (or stronger) or self-generated driving question, ...
ReplyDeleteIT'S THE TREATING OF THE SITUATION AS A PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED (AND OF COURSE IN SCHOOL THE STUDENT-CENTERED CONTROL OF THE EFFORTS) THAT ARE KEY! One person's take on PBL ... too important to let the acronym be an issue! Bottom line: PBL is broadly important - to ME, a way to approach all learning situations, including LIFELONG LEARNING!
Can anyone provide a great PBL project posted online that teaches late elementary or early middle school math? With students that arrive with math deficits, it seems to be really hard to do this...
ReplyDeleteThank you...
peace... J
This is a project I used in 7/8 grade math class (circa 1990s, so pre-PBL). It addressed a lot of math content that I hoped was review, but usually was not. Things like measurement and decimal computation. I hope it helps.
Deletehttp://deltascape.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-will-they-be-ready-to-go-on.html
We did a budgeting project (personal finance, going on trips, etc.) with money, rate, linear equations, etc. We also did a unit called "Manipulated by Media" about graphs, numbers, statistics, etc. and how they are misused by the media (both left-wing and right-wing). In another one, students designed eco-friendly homes and they had to determine volume and surface area as they looked at materials, carbon footprint, etc.
DeleteI love problem based learning, and I have converted several classes over so that is the primary method of instruction. But I say primary only to mean that it's more than 50% of the time. It is not the only thing we do, nor should it be in any class. Any extreme solution will generate an extreme response. Moderation in all things.
ReplyDelete