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##  Learning To Learn: Preparing Teachers and Students for Problem-Based            Learning. ERIC Digest.                                                       

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational approach that                    challenges students to "learn to learn". Students work cooperatively            in groups to seek solutions to real-world problems and more                     importantly, to develop skills to become self-directed learners.                Here, the goal of problem-based learning is viewed as learning for              capability rather than learning for the sake of acquiring knowledge.            PBL is unique in its integral emphasis on core content along with               problem solving (Gallagher, 1997). Within the context of reading in             the PBL classroom, learning thus becomes much more than the process             of mere knowledge seeking. Students develop critical thinking                   abilities by constantly relating what they read to what they want to            do with the information. They question the writer's assumptions and             analyze information presented, all within the context of finding                answers to "What can I do with this information?" and "What does                understanding this mean to me?" This digest discusses some of the               challenges in learning that students face, and identifies web                   resources that teachers can use to support student                              learning. CHALLENGES IN PBL IMPLEMENTATIONPBL requires                    students to take on active learning strategies and adopt a                      self-directed learning disposition. Some students find it difficult             to cope when asked to transform into active critical thinkers. PBL              teachers may also face difficulty as they prepare to facilitate                 discussion, provide coaching, challenge student thinking and manage             group work. Below are some challenges for PBL classrooms. 
Limited             experience in group work management. Group work is integral to PBL              and students need to learn how to make optimal use of their time and            resources while working in groups. Functioning effectively in groups            involves knowing how to organize the work, distribute                           responsibility, break up complex tasks, and provide useful feedback             on work that is done. Teachers can contribute by helping students               better understand the merits of group work. 
Lack of familiarity               with inquiry learning. When faced with problem tasks, students often            find it difficult to identify the critical issues and to generate               coherent research designs. They are often unclear about how they can            relate what they are currently reading to what they already know.               They are also unfamiliar with different stages of the inquiry                   process, such as generating hypotheses, providing logical arguments,            and transforming data into a product. When students have an                     appropriate learning context and the need to seek the necessary                 information, they also see how things finally "come together". This             is an aspect of critical reading that can be promoted within the                framework of problem-based learning. 
Inadequate feedback on                   learning and assessment. Giving feedback to students is integral to             improving student learning. Barron et al. (1998) suggest that                   teachers can better guide and monitor projects by incorporating                 formative self-reflections by students, by creating a classroom                 culture that supports frequent feedback and assessment, and by                  finding ways for students to compare their work with others.                    Teachers can make students take their work seriously by                         incorporating opportunities that involve external audiences in                  assessing students' performance. SCAFFOLDING FOR PBL SUCCESSIn            the model of cognitive apprenticeship, developed by Collins, Brown              and Newman (1987), scaffolding is described as a means of coaching              students to the extent that they can perform intellectual tasks on              their own. Success with PBL largely depends on whether students have            been sufficiently prepared to take on certain new roles, such as                those of inquiry seekers and collaborative team players in the                  classroom (Boud & Feletti, 1997). In a PBL classroom, for example,              the teacher gauges the difference between what activities students              can do on their own and what they need to learn to do to solve the              problem. Then the teacher designs activities which offer just enough            of a scaffold for students to overcome this gap of knowledge and                skills (Greening, 1998). Effective scaffolding includes activities              that help students develop the right mindset, engage students with              the problem, divide activities into manageable tasks, and direct                students' attention to essential aspects of the learning goals.  The            effectiveness of PBL depends to a large degree on the scaffolding               provided by teachers to students. LEARNING TO LEARN: COOPERATIVE              LEARNING SKILLSCentral to the effectiveness of PBL is the                   ability of students to work together to solve problems (Peterson,               1997). Teachers can encourage more beneficial and meaningful group              work by prompting students to pool talents and resources and by                 guiding them to resolve conflicts while working together. Relevant              web resources to enhance this skill building include: 
* Essential             Elements of Cooperative Learning in the Classroom                               http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed370881.html 
*                      Cooperative and Collaborative Learning: Implementation                          http://www.thirteen.org/wnetschool/concept2class/month5/implementati            on.html 
* Collaborative Learning: Why Groups Fail                             http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/nise/cl1/CL/moreinfo/MI3J.htm LEARNING TO            LEARN: INQUIRY SKILLSIn PBL, students must seek and evaluate the            information they acquire related to the problem they are given to               solve. Activities that involve inquiry learning include problem                 framing, data gathering, divergent thinking or idea generation,                 evaluating alternatives, and applying a solution to the                         problem (Hmelo & Ferrari, 1997). Web resources on inquiry activities            are: 
* Critical Thinking in Reading                                           http://www.yorku.ca/cdc/lsp/read/read4.htm 
* A Questioning Toolkit            http://fromnowon.org/nov97/toolkit.html 
* Higher-Order Thinking               Strategies for the Classroom                                                    http://members.aol.com/MattT10574/HigherOrderLiteracy.htm 
*                   Promoting Thinking in Classroom Learning: A Self-Assessment Scale               for Teachers (refer to page 20)                                                 http://www.breakthroughs.co.nz/bt/Obrien.pdf LEARNING TO LEARN:               REFLECTION SKILLSReflection involves focused thinking about                 learning during the learning process. However, students often get               caught up in completing a task and do not take time to reflect.                 Students learn from two kinds of reflection activities. The first               focuses on the content, with students asking questions such as "What            do I know now, and how can I use this information to meet the                   project's goal?" The second is reflection on the learning process,              wherein is asked such questions as "How am I doing as a learner in              this environment - as a self directed learner, as a problem solver,             and as a collaborator? What are my strengths and weaknesses? How can            I improve?"  Relevant web resources to enhance student reflection               include: 
* Developing Metacognition                                           http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed327218.html 
*                      Metacognition                                                                   http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/metacogn.html LEARNING           TO LEARN: ASSESSMENTOne problem in PBL is that while students               are constantly encouraged to be engaged in the learning process,                assessment of student learning is often focused instead on the final            learning product. PBL teachers need to better understand meaningful             ways of assessing student work to motivate learning. The following              web resources provide information that clarifies a variety of topics            related to assessment for PBL: 
* Energizing Teacher Education and             Professional Development with Problem-Based Learning                            http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/books/levin01book.html 
* Assessing            Student Work with Project-Based Learning                                        http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/AssessPBL.html 
* Project Based                Learning: Involving Students in Checklist Creation (Also, check out             the link to the Ontario Teachers' Staff Room for a rubric creation              resource)                                                                       http://www.4teachers.org/projectbased/students.shtml                            CONCLUSIONPBL teachers constantly face challenges of                      encouraging students to go beyond the given information, to reflect             on learning, and to actively consider how their knowledge might                 apply in novel contexts.  Students are encouraged to constantly                 discover and try new ways of learning. To facilitate these goals,               teachers and students need to be provided with appropriate and                  accessible pedagogical tools and support. 
As students develop more            self-directed learning strategies, teachers can provide less                    scaffolding support. Below are some resources that can help teachers            gain a better understanding of PBL and provide ways of supporting               student learning at different levels. 
* PBL Projects by the ERIC              Clearinghouse on Educational Management, complete with Instructor               and Student Editions                                                            http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/pub_pbl.html 
* How to Use                Problem-Based Learning in the Classroom                                         http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/books/delisle97book.html 
* Problem            Based Learning in Language Instruction: A Constructivist Method                 http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/ieo/digests/d132.html 
* Adelaide             University: LEAP into Problem-Based Learning                                    http://www.acue.adelaide.edu.au/leap/leapinto/pbl/                              REFERENCESBarron B., Schwartz D., Vye N., Moore A., Petrosino             A., Zech L., Bransford J., and The Cognition and Technology Group at            Vanderbilt. (1998). Doing with understanding: Lessons from research             on problem and project-based learning. The Journal of the Learning              Sciences, 7, 271-311. [EJ 584 623] 
Boud, D. & Feletti,                        G. (Eds.) (1997) The challenge of Problem-Based Learning. 2nd                   Edition. [ED 415 220] 
Collins A., Brown J. S., and Newman                     S. (1987). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading,            writing, and mathematics. Technical Report No. 403. [ED 284                     181] 
Gallagher, S. A. (1997). Problem-Based Learning: Where did it            come from, what does it do, and where is it going? Journal for the              Education of the Gifted, 20, 4, pp. 332-62. [EJ 553 973] 
Greening,            T. (1998). Scaffolding for success in PBL. Med Educ Online [serial              online] 3,4. Available http://www.Med-Ed-Online.org. 
Hmelo, C.                E. & Ferrari, M. (1997). The problem-based learning tutorial:                   Cultivating higher order thinking skills. Journal for the Education             of the Gifted, 20, 4, pp.401-422. [EJ 553 976] 
Peterson,                      M. (1997). Skills to enhance Problem-based Learning. Med Educ                   Online [serial online] 2, 3. Available                                          http://www.Med-Ed-Online.org. 
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Digest #163 is EDO-CS-01-04             and was published in October 2001 by the ERIC Clearinghouse on                  Reading, English and Communication, 2805 E 10th Street, Bloomington,            IN 47408-2698, Telephone (812) 855-5847 or (800) 759-4723. ERIC                 Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced.                  Additional copies may be ordered by contacting the ERIC Document                Reproduction Service at (800) 443-3742. 
This project has been                 funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department             of Education under contract number ED-99-CO-0028. The content of                this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies             of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names,            commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S.             Government.                                                                  **Title:** Learning To Learn: Preparing Teachers and Students for Problem-Based            Learning. ERIC Digest.                                                       **Note:** ERIC Digest D163.                                                            **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, Indiana              University, 2805 E. 10th Street, Suite 140, Bloomington, IN                     47408-2698. Tel: 800-759-4723 (Toll Free). For full text:                       http://eric.indiana.edu.                                                     **Descriptors:** Active Learning,  Cooperative Learning,  Critical Thinking, Higher              Education,  Problem Based Learning,  Scaffolding (Teaching                      Technique), Secondary Education,  Thinking Skills                            **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests, Self Direction                                                 
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