Students' work begins with an ill-defined problem, which links something important in students' daily lives to the classroom.
Students define the what, where, and how of resolving the problem situation.
Problem-based learning rests on the firm foundation of a teacher's work behind the scenes. The teacher develops a problem long before students see it, specifically choosing the skills and content the problem will emphasize and matching those to curriculum and standards. The book describes a variety of PBL lessons, including problems, a chart for organizing student research, and information about assessment.