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Pedagogical Approach

Problem-Based Learning

Also Known As PBL
Active and Experiential Learning Strategies

Problem-based learning is a learner-centered approach in which students acquire knowledge and skills by working through an open-ended, real-world problem rather than receiving material as a lecture first. Pioneered by Barrows and Tamblyn at the McMaster University medical school in the 1960s, it responded to students perceiving the vast amount of material presented in traditional preclinical coursework as having little relevance to the actual practice of medicine. Working in small groups, students identify what they already know, what they need to learn, and where to find it, using the problem itself as the occasion for new knowledge. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Central Question
Can students learn a body of knowledge more durably by first grappling with a genuine, open-ended problem than by receiving the knowledge as a prerequisite to solving problems later? 1
Most Effective For
Professional and technical fields such as medicine, where research found clear positive effects on physician competence, especially social and cognitive competencies such as coping with uncertainty and communication skills; it is resource-intensive, requiring more staff, space and facilitation. 1
Problem-Based Learning
Filter Results1 entry

Howard S. Barrows

Problem-Based Learning
Connections

Associated With

CDIO Initiative, Learning Theory and Concepts
Source CDIO (Wikipedia)
Constructivism, Pedagogical Approaches

PBL is a constructivist, learner-centered method built around student-directed inquiry into an open-ended problem.

Source Wikipedia: Problem-based learning

Developed By

Howard S. Barrows, Thinkers
Source Wikipedia: Howard Barrows

Includes

Howard S. Barrows, Thinkers
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Problem-based learning
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Origin / Overview
    The PBL process was pioneered by Barrows and Tamblyn at the medical school program at McMaster University in Hamilton in the 1960s.
  • Overview
    Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students aim to learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem found in trigger material.
  • Effectiveness / Criticisms
    clear positive effects on physician competence
  • Associated With: Constructivism
View the Source
Wikipedia: Howard Barrows
Wikimedia FoundationDeveloped By: Howard S. BarrowsView the Source
CDIO (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: CDIO Initiative, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDIO_Initiative, lead paragraph, active-learning-tools sentence
Quote, Associated With: CDIO Initiative, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDIO_Initiative, lead paragraph, active-learning-tools sentence
The CDIO approach uses active learning tools, such as group projects and problem-based learning, to better equip engineering students with technical knowledge as well as communication and professional skills.
View the Source
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