Students practice self-direction in their group interactions as well. Working either in small groups or as a class, students must decide how to divide up the responsibility to find and learn information. They must also choose their own path to the solution by determining their own sequence of steps through the process and strategies they, as a group, will employ. Cooperative learning can benefit PBL in a number of ways. By assigning these roles to different students, the types of thinking involved in problem-solving are differentiated, externalized, and made explicit.
Students have the opportunity to practice one role at a time, then switch and practice another.
As they watch their classmates perform other roles, students have peer models who may extend their own understanding of the thinking involved in problem-solving. While shared responsibility and expertise can make the complexity involved in a PBL environment more manageable, even conflict within the group process may benefit the development of individual thinking. When differences arise, students must elaborate and justify their points of view. This process is likely to reveal any misconceptions that exist, which can then be challenged and hopefully corrected.