Problem-Based Learning

1
Problem-Based Learning

• Presented by
• STEVE COXON
• Most slides in this presentation were originally
  created by
• Janice Robbins, Ph.D.
• and Kimberly Chandler, Ph.D.

2
Curriculum Framework
3
Integrated Curriculum Model (ICM)
Process-Product Dimension
Advanced Content Dimension
Issues/Themes Dimension
(VanTassel-Baska, 1986)
4
(No Transcript)
5
Science Curriculum Framework
The Problem
Concept
Process
Understanding Systems or Change
Using and Conducting Scientific Research
Content
Learning Science
Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
6
Learner Characteristics and Corresponding
Emphases in the Curriculum

• THE LEARNER
• Precocity
• Intensity
• Complexity

• THE CURRICULUM
• Advanced Content
• Process/product depth considerations
• Issues/concepts/themes/
• ideas across domains of learning

7
Learner Characteristics and Corresponding
Emphases in the Curriculum

• THE CURRICULUM
• Advanced content (Provides opportunities for new
• learning)
• Process/product depth considerations (Enhances
• engagement and creative production allows
• utilization of information in a generative way )
• Issues/concepts/themes/ideas across domains of
• learning (Allows students to make connections
• across areas of study and to work at a level of
• deep understanding)

• THE LEARNER
• Precocity
• (Advanced development in some
• curricular area)
• Intensity
• (Capacity to focus and
• concentrate for long periods of time)
• Complexity
• (Can engage in high level
• and abstract thinking)

8
Science curriculum and Problem-based Learning
What teachers need to understand
What students need to do

• PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING Present
  resolution
• Reach
  consensus on problem resolution
• CONCEPT OF SYSTEMS Seek new
  information as necessary
• Redefine problem as necessary
• UNIT CONTENT Design and conduct
  experiments
• Find and analyze information
• EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Apply systems
  concept to problem
• Collaborate
• Understand the concept of
  systems
• Assume stake holder viewpoint
• Define the problem

Active Interplay
The Problem
Adapted from Novak, J.D., Gowin, G. B. (1984).
Learning how to learn. New York Cambridge
University Press.
Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary
9
Opening example
10
Acid, Acid Problem Statement

• You are the supervisor of the day shift of the
  Virginia State Highway Patrol in Williamsburg,
  Virginia. It is 600 a.m. on a steamy June
  morning. You are awakened by the ringing phone.
  When you answer you are told, Come to the
  Queens Creek overpass on eastbound Interstate
  64. There has been a major accident and you are
  needed.
• Quickly you dress and hurry to the overpass. As
  you approach the bridge, you see an overturned
  truck that is completely blocking both eastbound
  lanes of the freeway. You see CORROSIVE on
  small signs on the side and rear of the truck.
  The truck has lost at least one wheel and is
  resting on the freeway guard rail. There is a
  large gash in the side of the truck from this
  gash, a clear liquid is running down the side of
  the truck, onto the road, and down the hill into
  Queens Creek. Steam is rising from the creek.
  All traffic has been halted and everyone has been
  told to remain in their cars. Many of the
  motorists in the traffic jam appear to be angry
  and frustrated. Police officers, firemen, and
  rescue squad workers are at the scene. They are
  all wearing coveralls and masks. The rescue squad
  is putting the unconscious truck driver onto a
  stretcher. Everyone seems hurried and anxious.

Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
11
Need to Know Board
What do we know? What do we need to know? How can we find out?

Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
12
PBL Overview
13
What is PBL?

• Problem-based learning is an instructional
  strategy (a curricular framework) that, through
  student and community interests and motivation,
  provides an appropriate way to teach
  sophisticated content and high-level process all
  while building self-efficacy, confidence, and
  autonomous learner behaviors.

14
PBL is

• an instructional method that challenges students
  to "learn to learn," working cooperatively in
  groups to seek solutions to real world problems.

15
History of PBL

• Medical school model (Barrows)
• Used in both elementary and secondary classrooms
  with gifted students
• Adapted for use with all learners
• Used to educate school administrators

16
PBL

• engages students' curiosity and initiates
  learning the subject matter.
• provides excellent opportunities for students to
  think critically and analytically, and to find
  and use appropriate learning resources
• promotes autonomous learning

17
Research on PBL

• Students show significant learning gains in
  experimental design through a PBL approach
  (VanTassel-Baska, et al. 2000)
• Students show enhanced real world skills with
  no loss in content knowledge as a result of
  using PBL (Gallagher Stepein, 1996 Gallagher
  Gallagher, 2003)
• Students teachers are motivated to learn using
  the PBL approach (VanTassel-Baska, 2000)
• Students show enhanced higher order skill
  development using PBL over other approaches to
  teaching science (Dods,1997)

18

• Students should be given problems at levels
  appropriate to their maturity that require them
  to decide what evidence is relevant and to offer
  their own interpretations of what the evidence
  means. This puts a premium, just as science does,
  on careful observations and thoughtful analysis.
  Students need guidance, encouragement, and
  practice in collecting, sorting, and analyzing
  evidence, and in building arguments based on it.
  However, if such activities are not to be
  destructively boring, they must lead to some
  intellectually satisfying payoff that students
  care about.
• -- from Science for All Americans, Project 2061

19
Features of PBL

• Learner-centered
• Real world problem
• Teacher as tutor or coach
• Emphasis on collaborative teams
• Employs metacognition
• Uses alternative assessment
• Embodies scientific process

20
PBL Roles

• Teacher
• Present an ill-structured problem
• Act as a metacognitive coach

• Student
• Create a precise problem statement
• Find information to solve the problem
• Evaluate possible solutions
• Create a final product

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
21
Adaptations for gifted

• Advanced content
• Complex concepts
• Interdisciplinary connections
• Reasoning, habits of mind, and self-directed
  learning
• Ethical discussions
• (Gallagher,
  2001)

Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
22
Characteristics of the Gifted Characteristics of PBL
Desire for self-directed learning Students are in charge of learning
Intense curiosity what is the real issue? Requires problem finding
Metacognitive thinkers Have we considered all possibilities? What assumptions are we making? Why is this strategy not working?
Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
23
Characteristics of the Gifted Characteristics of PBL
Capacity for learning quickly absorbing new information Requires students to make connections create new knowledge
Tendency to look beyond surface of problem Requires deep thinking
Belief that problems have more than one answer There is no single right answer
Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
24
Scientific Habits of Mind

• Cognitive skills, affective skills, and
  attitudes
• Curiosity
• Creativity
• Objectivity
• Openness to new ideas
• Skepticism
• Tolerance for ambiguity

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
25
Self-Directed LearningGrasping Metacognition

• Self-monitoring performance with an intent to
  self-assess
• Recognizing gap in knowledge and set up learning
  agenda
• Identifying learning resources
• print
• human
• technology-based
• Identifying skills needed to use resources wisely
  and well
• Sorting through information to determine needed
  information
• Questioning appropriateness of personal biases
• Applying information appropriately

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
26
Problem Based Learning

• State the problem
• Decide what information you need
• Conduct information quest
• Complete scientific investigations
• Review data summarize findings
• Communicate problem resolution

Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
27
Whats an Ill-Structured Problem?

• More information than initially is presented will
  be necessary to
• understand whats going on.
• know what caused it to be a problem.
• know how to fix it.
• Theres always more than one right way to figure
  it out.
• Fixed formulas wont work.
• Each problem has unique components.
• Each problem solver has unique characteristics,
  background, experience.
• The definition of the problem shifts or changes
  as new information is gathered.
• Ambiguity is a part of the environment throughout
  the process.
• Data are often incomplete
• or in conflict
• or unavailable
• but choices must be made, anyway.

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
28
Ill-Structured Problems

• Ambiguous
• No single right answer
• Data is often incomplete
• Definition of problem changes
• Information needs change or grow
• Stakeholders
• Deadline for resolution

Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
29
Problem Diagnosis and Solution Building

• Ill-structured problem is presented
• What is going on?
• What do we know?
• How can we find out?
• Where does the information lead us?
• Do we have enough information?
• Is the information reliable?
• Whats the problem?
• Problem is represented

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
30
Video

• Problem-Based Learning 3 Classrooms in Action
  (31 minutes)

Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
31
Macro-concept Systems
32
Macro-Concepts

• Are broad
• Reveal fundamental patterns within a content area
  
• Allow for valid connections within a content area
• Apply to several content areas
• Disclose fundamental similarities and differences
  within and across disciplines
• Draw the learner deeper into the subject matter,
  inspiring curiosity and interest

33
Systems

• A system is a collection of items or processes
• that interact with each other to constitute a
• meaningful whole.
• All systems have
• 1) Elements
• 2) Boundaries
• 3) Interactions among elements to generate
  system behavior.
• 4) Many systems receive input and produce output.

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
34
System Concept Outcomes

• Students will be able to
• Describe the important elements of a system
• Delineate the boundaries of a system
• Describe input into the system
• Describe output from the system
• Identify elements, boundaries, input, output (and
  interactions) as parts of systems
• Use the terms describing systems to identify the
  components of the system under study
• Transfer knowledge about the system studied to
  other systems

35
Elements of a System

• Boundary determines what is inside the system
  and what is outside the system
• Elements the parts that make up a system
• Input anything that goes into the system from
  outside the system
• Output anything that the system releases to the
  outside world
• Interactions the effects that parts of the
  system have on each other

36
Analyzing a System
37
Interdisciplinary Applications
Early Elementary Elementary Middle
Social Systems Describe the roles of different members of the community
Number Systems Describe the function of different numbers in the system
Cities Describe the elements of a city
Language/Codes Create and use your own code Predict the meaning of unknown words
Political Systems Describe the elements that make up the US and Soviet political systems
Economic Systems Describe the elements of each economic system
38
Overview of the Centers PBL units and their
initial problem statements
39
Science Units

• What a Find! (gr. 2- 4)
• Wheres the Beach (gr. 2- 4)
• Acid, Acid Everywhere (gr. 4-6)
• Electricity City (gr. 4-6)
• Nuclear Energy Friend or Foe (gr. 6-8)
• No Quick Fix (gr. 6-8)
• Something Fishy (gr. 6-8)
• Animal Populations (gr. 6-8)

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
40
Anatomy of a PBL Unit

• Curriculum framework goals and outcomes
• Set of 25 lesson plans purpose, materials,
  activities, and questions
• Assessment problem logs, experimental design
  worksheets, lab report forms, final assessment
• References

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
41
PBL Units

• What a Find!
• What a Find! is an exploration of the field of
  archaeology. Students are put in the role of a
  newly hired archaeologist who is contacted by a
  construction company crew that has just unearthed
  some artifacts. The construction company needs
  your input to determine what the next steps
  should be. Through the concept of systems, a
  simulation and scientific investigations of the
  archaeological processes, students will uncover a
  solution to the problem.
• 1999 Winner of a National Association for Gifted
  Children Curriculum Division Award for
  Outstanding Curriculum

42
What a Find! problem

• You are a newly hired assistant at a small museum
  that has just opened in your hometown. It is your
  second day on the job when you learn that the
  museums archaeologist has resigned. Later that
  day, the museum receives a call from a local
  construction site. While digging to lay a
  foundation for a new school, a backhoe operator
  uncovered numerous artifacts. The construction
  company has stopped work while workers wait to
  hear what should be done next.

43
PBL Units

• Wheres the Beach?
• Plans for building a childrens camp at the
  beach are on hold because the town council is
  worried about beach erosion.  Since the camp
  received a large donation to develop
  nature-themed experiences, designed to teach
  children how to protect the environment, the camp
  manager wants to cooperate with the council.  The
  problem is that she must begin construction
  quickly to be ready for the summer season. 
  Acting as members of the town council, the
  students must develop scientifically-based
  regulations that will satisfy the long-term needs
  of the town and the plans for the new camp.

44
Wheres the Beach? problem

• Plans for building a childrens camp at the beach
  town of Dunesville are on hold because the town
  council is worried about beach erosion. Many
  towns in coastal areas have been experiencing
  problems with erosion over the past few years.
  The camp received a large donation to develop
  nature-themed experiences, designed to teach
  children how to protect the environment. The camp
  manager wants to cooperate with the council so
  that the environment is protected. The problem is
  that she must begin construction quickly to be
  ready for the summer season. You are members of
  the town council. You must come up with
  scientifically based regulations that will
  satisfy the long-term needs of the town and the
  plans for the new camp.

45
PBL Units

• Acid, Acid Everywhere
• This unit presents the structure of systems
  through chemistry, ecological habitats, and
  transportation. The unit poses an ill-structured
  problem that leads students into an
  interdisciplinary inquiry about the structure and
  interaction of several systems, centering around
  the study of an acid spill on a local highway.
• 1997 Winner of a National Association for Gifted
  Children Curriculum Division Award for
  Outstanding Curriculum

46
PBL Units

• Electricity City
• This unit provides an interdisciplinary approach
  to introducing students to electricity. In this
  simulated activity, a large recreational complex
  is being built in the middle of a city, and the
  students' role is to plan the site's electrical
  needs, as well as create additional backup plans.
  This "real world" problem requires students to
  analyze the situation, determine what type of
  research is needed, conduct experiments, and
  evaluate solutions.

47
Electricity City problem

• You are a newly hired employee for the local
  power company. Your first assignment after
  completing the companys orientation program is
  to work as part of a team that has been asked to
  design a recreational complex in the center of
  town. This project is backed by both federal and
  state funding. Your role is to ensure that the
  power (electricity) requirements are planned
  appropriately and are adequate for the new
  complex. The complex will serve the needs of all
  community groups including senior citizens and
  special needs individuals. You must also design a
  comprehensive backup plan for the complex. Your
  training in college stressed city management and
  planning, not electricity.

48
PBL Units

• Nuclear Energy Friend or Foe?
• This unit explores the effects of nuclear
  power waste. The topic is introduced through the
  eyes of a mayor of a town where a nuclear power
  plant is located. She must decide if the facility
  can expand its waste disposal techniques. What
  are the biological implications of radiation?
  What are the trade-offs with which society must
  live as we accept nuclear technologies into our
  lives? These questions are explored by students
  as they prepare to make recommendations about the
  use of the nuclear power plant in their
  fictitious town.

49
Nuclear Energy problem

• Your name is Christine Barrett, and you are the
  mayor of the town of Riverton. You have a nice
  home on the Back River with your husband Richard,
  a middle-school teacher for the Riverton School
  District, and six-year-old son Ellis, now
  entering the first grade. Your job as mayor has
  been rough at times, but you still enjoy it. The
  aspect of the town that has been giving you the
  most grief recently has been the Maple Island
  Nuclear Power Plant, the largest industry in
  Riverton. It produces power for not only Riverton
  but nearly half of the state also. Yesterday, you
  received a letter from your long-time friend,
  Jerry Brown, Vice President of Waste Management
  for the Maple Island Nuclear Power Plant. He was
  writing regarding a suggested plan for expanding
  the waste disposal pools at the plant to
  accommodate the growing number of used power
  assemblies. Today you receive a letter from CAFSE
  (Citizens Action for a Safe Environment)
  adamantly opposing not only the expansion of the
  power plant but also the fact that the plant is
  operating at all. An open discussion on the
  proposed expansion has already been slated for
  next months town council meeting. You have only
  five weeks to garner support for whatever
  position you take.

50
PBL Units

• No Quick Fix
• This unit uses systems as the fundamental
  concept to help students understand cell and
  tuberculosis biology. In a series of widening
  concentric circles, students learn that the cells
  are elements in larger systems, such as the
  immune system of the human body. Students also
  interact with human social systems, including
  health care and public education. Students take
  on the role of physician and begin to search for
  the cause and resolution of the problem. While
  unraveling the interactions among various
  systems, students can appreciate the complexities
  of staying healthy in the modern world.

51
No Quick Fix problem

• You are Dr. Susan Ostrovsky. You have been
  trained as a physician, and also have a masters
  degree in public health. You did your residency
  in infectious diseases and are now on staff at
  the Eastbridge Public Health Department. This
  morning, you received the following e-mail
  message from your boss, who is away at an
  important training program in Washington, D.C.
• Susan Dr. Johnston called yesterday afternoon to
  inform us that one of his patients, a 15-year-old
  boy, has been confirmed as having active
  tuberculosis. The boy had a positive tuberculin
  test two weeks ago. A sputum smear was positive
  for acid-fast bacilli. Dr. Johnston has referred
  the patient to Dr. Goldstein at University
  Hospital for treatment. Please follow up on this
  as soon as possible. The patient is a student at
  Eastbridge High School. As you know, the school
  is terribly overcrowded and the potential for a
  serious outcome is great. I need an action plan
  from you by tomorrow morning. Please fax it to me
  at my hotel in Washington D.C. The training lasts
  another three weeks, so Ill need daily updates
  from you until I get back.

52
PBL Units

• Animal Populations
• This curriculum unit integrates population
  biology and mathematics. The ill-structured
  problem puts students in the stakeholder role of
  assistant to the mayor of a small town in which
  residents are demanding that something be done
  about the deer that are eating their landscaped
  plants. Throughout the unit, students deal with
  physical models, conceptual models, and
  mathematical models as they tackle the deer
  problem and the complication of Lyme Disease.

53
Animal Populations problem

• Chris, Im not going to be able to make it home
  tonight after allsorry! The evening conference
  session will be much more interesting than I had
  thought and so Im going to be staying at Sues
  house tonight rather than coming all the way
  home. Could you please pick up some Chinese food
  on you way home and get the kids from daycare?
  Oh, and the babysitter left a message this
  morning that Josh has a funny rash on his tummy.
  I hope it isnt seriousDr. Martins office will
  be closed until after Memorial Dat. Could you
  take a look at it and see what you think? Love,
  Marie
• P.S. Heres what the babysitter said Josh has a
  large, red swelling right next to his navel. He
  says that he had what looked like a bug bite
  there last week since it didnt itch or hurt, he
  didnt worry about it. Yesterday night he thought
  it looked bigger now its almost an inch in
  diameter. Its really weird looking It looks
  like a red ring with a white center. It looks as
  though there was a bug bite in the very center
  of the swelling. It still doesnt itch or hurt,
  but hes pretty upset about it.

54
PBL Units

• Something Fishy
• This unit poses an ill-structured problem that
  will lead students into an interdisciplinary
  study about several individual systems and their
  interactions.  The content of the unit focuses on
  the various systems involved in the pollution of
  a local body of water  the aquatic ecosystem,
  chemical reaction systems, government systems,
  and economic systems.  Students are challenged to
  grapple with real world concerns and develop
  recommendations through simulation activities
  based on the scientific process.

55
Dealing with real-world problems
56
Wheel of Problem Based Learning

• Learn about the problem
• Assume roles
• Define stakeholders

• Identify what you know

• Prepare final product

• Identify what you need to know

• Decide on the best way to communicate findings
  and recommendations

State the Problem

• Develop a plan to find information and current
  research

Develop Need-to-Know Board
Communicate Problem Resolution
Problem Based Learning

• Use varied approaches

• Organize and analyze data

Conduct Information Quest
Review and Summarize Findings
Conduct specific Investigations

• Use multiple data sources

• Make inferences

• Draw conclusions

• Redefine the problem

• Identify a solution/resolution

• Select specific inquiry questions.
• Use methodology of discipline.
• Collect data.

Robbins, 2008
57
Blackout article

• From Electricity City

58
Need to Know Board
What do we know? What do we need to know? How can we find out?

Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
59
Elements of Reasoning
Point of View
Purpose/ Goal
Assumptions
Evidence/ Data
Issue/ Problem
Inferences
Concepts/ Ideas
Implications/ Consequences
-- Paul, 1992
60
(No Transcript)
61
Reasoning Explanation

• Purpose/Goal What is the purpose of the
  specific issue, event or problem?
• Problem/Issue What is the specific problem to
  be addressed or solved?
• Points of View What is the perspective of the
  different groups? How does that impact the issue
  or problem?
• Experiences, Data, Evidence How is the point of
  view supported?

62
Reasoning Explanation

• Concepts and Ideas What are the key ideas or
  concepts that are presented and how can our
  thoughts be organized around those concepts or
  ideas?
• Assumptions What is taken for granted in the
  situation, issue, data, or problem?
• Inferences What small leaps or connections can
  be made based on our assumptions and varied
  points of view?
• Implications and Consequences What are the
  ifthen statements or consequences of a specific
  action or event?

63
Why a Stakeholder?

• Real world problem solvers are not objective or
  all-seeing.
• Helps students think about the effects of bias in
  problem-solving
• Increases ownership in the process
• Increases sense of professionalism

Center for Gifted Education
College of William and May
64
Reasoning about a Situation or Event
What is the situation?
Who are the stakeholders?
What is the point of view for each stakeholder?
What are the assumptions of each group?
What are the implications of these views?
Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
65
Experimentation
66
Problem Log Questions

• 1. If you had a sample of the acid from the
  spill, how could you neutralize it?
• 2. If you had a sample of the acid from the spill
  and knew how much acid there was in the whole
  spill, how could you figure out how much base you
  would need to neutralize the whole spill?
• 3. What did you notice about the temperature of
  the solution of acid as you added more base to
  it? Would adding base to the spill in order to
  neutralize it have any side effects?
• 4. Draw a picture of your experimental setup.
  Label its boundaries and its elements. List input
  you put into your experimental system and output
  that came out of it. What interactions inside the
  system allowed it to produce output? Were they
  interactions between the original system elements
  or interactions with input you added?

67
Student Brainstorming Worksheet

• 1. What do we need to find out? (What is the
  scientific problem?)
• 2. What material do we have available?
• 3. How can we use these materials to help us
  find out?
• 4. What do we think will happen? (What is our
  hypothesis?)
• 5. What will we need to observe or measure in
  order to find out the answer to our scientific
  question?
• Adapted from Cothron, J. G., Giese, R. N.,
  Rezba, R.J. (1989). Students and research. IA
  Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.

68
Experimental design in Acid, Acid Everywhere

• As in scientific research, starts with a
  real-world question, such as how can we
  neutralize an acid spill on the highway?
• Guided by metacognitive tools supplied by the
  teacher
• Students experience the full scientific process

69
Experimental Design Components

• Independent variable manipulated (x-axis)
  variable that is purposefully changed by the
  experimenter.
• Dependent variable(s) responding (y-axis)
  variable that may be affected by the independent
  variable.
• Hypothesis A prediction about the relationship
  between variables that can be tested.
• Constants all factors that remain the same and
  have a fixed value.
• Control the standard for comparing experimental
  effects.
• Repeated trials the number of experimental
  repetitions, objects, or organisms tested at each
  level of the independent variable.

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary
70
Demonstration vs. Experimentation

• Useful in illustrating a concept/idea
• Serves as a springboard for further
  experimentation

• Integral part of experiencing science
• Forum for student inquiry
• Addresses higher order thinking skills

71
Student Experiment Guide

• Practical Questions
• Is the proposed experiment feasible?
• What materials will we need?
• How can we use these materials to help us find
  out?
• Can we do the proposed experiment given what we
  have?
• Which experimental approach is best, given the
  time and materials?

• Planning Questions
• How can we be sure that our experiment is giving
  us the right answer?
• What do we need to change to get our answer and
  why?
• What has to stay the same during our experiment
  and why?
• What data need to be collected and why?
• How can we make sure we dont accidentally foul
  up the experiment?

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
72
Experimental Protocol

• Provides structure for the process of detailing
  the planned materials, methods, and data to be
  collected
• Title of Experiment
• Hypothesis (Educated guess about what will
  happen)
• Independent Variable (The variable that responds
  to changes in the independent variable)
• Observations/Measurements to Make
• Constants (All the things or factors that remain
  the same)
• Control (The standard for comparing experimental
  effects)
• List the materials you will need.
• Write a step-by-step description of what you will
  do (like a recipe!). List every action you will
  take during the experiment.
• What data will you be collecting?
• Design a data table to collect and analyze your
  information.
• Write conclusions.

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
73
Student Experiment Report

• Title of Experiment
• Hypothesis (Educated guess about what will
  happen)
• Independent Variable (The variable that responds
  to changes in the independent variable)
• Observations/Measurements to Make
• Constants (All the things or factors that remain
  the same)
• Control (The standard for comparing experimental
  effects)

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary
74
Your Turn

• Do the activities in each station to become
  familiar with the materials.
• Develop a testable question about the materials
  you are given.
• Design and conduct an experiment in order to
  answer the question.
• Experimental design handout

75
Evaluation
76
Create your own PBL
77
Writing Real World Problems

• Ill-structured (incomplete information)
• Ambiguous (information given may be interpreted
  in many ways)
• Identify or infer stakeholders (students as
  professionals)
• Require multiple resources to tackle.
• Deadline or sense of urgency present.
• Multi-disciplinary emphasis (science-math-society-
  connection)

78
Writing a New Problem Episode

• Decide on content orientation for problem
• Choose concept for problem
• Look for problem idea (newspapers, situations
  in literature, magazines, textbooks, TV,
• curriculum guides, public radio, personal
  experiences)
• Draft a problem statement
• Match to curriculum and instructional goals
• Map the problems terrain
• Investigate stakeholders (needs power and
  responsibility)
• Consider availability of resources
• Refine problem statement
• Write outcomes/objectives and match to
  activities and assessments
• Make flow chart of the lesson plans

Deer
Objectives
Activities
Assessment
79
Tailoring A PBL to Your Locale

• Choosing a site
• Identifying stakeholders
• Collecting information
• Government agencies
• Education research organization (colleges,
  museums, zoos)
• Libraries
• Advocacy groups

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
80
Tailoring a Problem for Your Local Area

• You are the supervisor of the day shift of the
  ___________________________. It is 600 a.m. on a
  steamy June morning. You are awakened by the
  ringing phone. When you answer you are told,
  Come to the___________________________________.
  There has been a major accident and you are
  needed.
• Quickly you dress and hurry to the overpass. As
  you approach the bridge, you see an overturned
  truck that is completely blocking both eastbound
  lanes of the freeway. You see CORROSIVE on
  small signs on the side and rear of the truck.
  The truck has lost at least one wheel and is
  resting on the freeway guard rail. There is a
  large gash in the side of the truck from this
  gash, a clear liquid is running down the side of
  the truck, onto the road, and down the hill
  into____________. Steam is rising from the
  ____________. All traffic has been halted and
  everyone has been told to remain in their cars.
  Many of the motorists in the traffic jam appear
  to be angry and frustrated. Police officers,
  firemen, and rescue squad workers are at the
  scene. They are all wearing coveralls and masks.
  The rescue squad is putting the unconscious truck
  driver onto a stretcher. Everyone seems hurried
  and anxious.

Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary, 2009
81
Assessment overview
82
ASSESSMENT

• Portfolio Performance-based

Pre Post Science Process Test
Problem Logs
Lab Reports
Embedded Activities
Experimental Design Worksheets
Final Assessment
Final Content Concept/Scientific Research
Assessment
Unit-Specific Forms
Center for Gifted Education The College of
William and Mary
83
Options for Assessment

• Final assessments should be authentic, related to
  an audience, and directly responding to the
  problem. These may include
• Final Oral Presentation
• Written Reports
• Portfolios
• Dramatic Presentation
• News Programs

84
Create a PBL rubric

• The teacher may want to incorporate a rubric
  throughout the PBL process or related to a final
  product, including performance criteria and
  rating scales for each criteria. Criteria may be
  related to
• Organization
•  Presentation of problem
•  Clarity of solutions/resolutions
•  Quality of research
•  Evidence of reasoning
•  Communication to audience

85
STEVE COXONContact Information

• svcoxon_at_wm.edu
• coxonsteve_at_hotmail.com
• http//stevecoxon.com

86
Center for Gifted Education Contact Information

• Center for Gifted Education
• The College of William and Mary
• P.O. Box 8795
• Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
• 757-221-2362 (ph)
• 757-221-2184 (fax)
• email cfge_at_wm.edu
• www.cfge.wm.edu

87
Kendall/Hunt PublishingContact Information

• Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
• 4050 Westmark Drive
• Dubuque, IA 52004-1840
• Contact Lisa Zenner
• 1-800-247-3458, ext. 4
• email lzenner_at_kendallhunt.com
• www.kendallhunt.com