Teaching Workshop Series

1
"Come to the edge of the cliff," he said
"We're afraid," they said
"Come to the edge of the cliff," he
said "We're afraid," they
said "Come to the edge of the
cliff," he said They
came. He pushed.
They flew.
- Guillaume Appollinaire -
2
Problem Based Learning

• An alternative approach to traditional
  instructional design

3
At the end of this session, participants should

• Be able to define PBL and contrast it to
  traditional instruction
• Be able to list benefits of PBL
• Along with potential difficulties
• Be able to articulate, explain and apply a method
  for developing a PBL assignment
• Have developed a problem-based assignment to
  teach an important course concept

4
Laying the Foundation for PBL

• Examining how we teach and how students learn
• How well do students grasp fundamental concepts?
• Can we promote deep learning and better retention
  through alternatives to traditional instruction?
• Film series to provide one perspective

5
Is there a problem?

• Film 1b
• Film 1c
• Film 1a
• What do you think is going on?

6
Why Cant She Light that Bulb?

• Film 2
• Film 3
• Film 4
• Comments?

7
One Example of PBL

• Film 5
• Discussion points
• Why is this PBL?
• Need for structure?
• Student frustration

8
My Take Away Points from Clips

• We have a highly ingrained Teach by Telling
  model
• Consider more emphasis on Teach by Doing
• Can still provide guidance and feedback
• Students often retain misconceptions
• Making students confront their misconceptions is
  an effective strategy

9
Clarifying Concepts What Exactly Is PBL?

• "Problem-based learning is an instructional
  strategy in which students confront
  contextualized, ill-structured problems and
  strive to find meaningful solutions.
• PBL puts the problem first, and uses problems to
  drive the learning

10
PBL vs. Traditional Instruction

• Traditional Instruction Today we will study the
  flow of electrons in metals. Then we'll move on
  to..
• PBL Instruction Here's a broken toaster. Fix
  it, or better yet, improve it!
• (orheres a light bulb, make it light and
  explain what is necessary to make it work and
  why)

11
PBL vs. Traditional Instruction

• Traditional Instruction There are 3 types of
  heat transfer conduction, convection and
  radiation...
• PBL instruction Design a heating system for
  this classroom.

12
How is PBL different from an engineering course
with lots of problems?

• Problems differ from textbook problems
• Realistic (motivating)
• Ill-defined problem with multiple solutions
• Integrates technical and societal content
• Problem comes first and drives everything that
  happens in class

13
You might want to use PBL if you are looking for
a method that can .

• Have students confront misconceptions
• Provide context and motivation for learning
• Foster a deep approach to learning
• Integrate material from across the curriculum
• Integrate societal and ethical concerns
• Motivate CL real problems require teams
• Develop problem solving and team skills
• Promote life-long learning

14
PBL and Motivation

• Is it our jobs to motivate students?

15
Literature Support for PBL

• Develops positive student attitudes
• Stimulates deep approach to learning
• Search for meaning
• Good study habits (library and text usage)
• Improved class attendance
• Better retention of knowledge
• Improved ability to apply knowledge in new or
  realistic settings

16
Activity Quick introduction to PBL

• Think of an important concept for a course you
  are teaching this fall semester
• Individually (4 minutes)
• Think of how to teach it using a PBL approach.
• In pairs 6 minutes
• Share ideas and make suggestions
• Choose one example and report to class

17
Pause

• Any remaining questions about what PBL is?
• Questions about why you might consider using it?

18
Reality check Brainstorm

• What are some possible disadvantages of using
  PBL?
• What reservations do you have about adopting PBL
  in your classes?
• In teams, take 3 minutes and go.

19
Disadvantages of PBL

• PBL requires a different set of skills than
  traditional instruction. Fear of failure with
  something new.
• Content coverage is a frequently cited concern.
• Students might be uncomfortable with the imposed
  change and resist their new role in the learning
  process.
• We will address how to deal with some of these
  and other problems in how segment

20
Weighing Pros and Cons of PBL

• Teaching is more than technique and any one
  instructional approach is just a tool.
• However, there are many reasons to consider PBL
  as an alternative to the teach by telling
  model.
• Revisit You might consider using PBL if slide
  to see if the method might be right for you.

21
Overview of Important Concepts

• WHAT is PBL
• WHY use PBL
• Coming Next
• Story of 2 PBL implementations
• HOW might you use PBL in your courses
• WHAT IF you use it - what can you expect?
• Questions or Comments?