Erik de Graaff

Programme• Introduction• Foundations of PBL and Project Organised Learning• Exercise Experiences with teaching and Learning• Video Tutoring Maastricht• Exercise Project work• Exercise Case construction • Brainstorm Effectiveness of PBL

Workshop Problem Based Learning and Project Organized Learning

Erik de Graaff

Learning experiences

• Starting in kindergarten we all have years of experiences with teaching and learning.

• In this exercise you are invited to go back in your memory.

• First you will have to come up with a positive and a negative experience in your role as a learner, next you will have to relate experiences that you have witnessed from another teacher and finally you have to select a positive and a negative experience in your role as a teacher

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Learning experiences

Worst experience Best experience

As a leaner

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Learning experiences

Worst experience Best experience

From a collegue

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Learning experiences

Worst experience Best experience

As a teacher

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Pedagogic approaches employing the principles of self-directed learning

Maria Montessori: my playing is my learning

Jerôme Bruner: learning by discoveryWilliam Killpatrick: whole hearted

learningCarl Rogers: student centered learningThe Harvard method: case based

learning

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Carl Rogers on teaching at Harvard in 1951

• I have come to feel that the only learning which significantly influences behavior is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning.

• It seems to me that anything that can be taught to another is relatively inconsequential, and has little or no significant influence on behavior.

• My experience has been that I cannot teach another person how to teach. To attempt it is for me, in the long run, futile.

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Characteristics of PBL and POL

Thematic curriculum structure• Integration of knowledge and skills• Integration of different domains

Focus on the learning process• Cooperative learning in small groups• Students responsible for their own learning

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Teacher roles in a PBL curriculum

The teacher as:• Expert

• Facilitator

De Graaff & Frijns, 1993

• Designing a stimulating environment for learning

• Management of the learning process, including evaluation

• Stimulates students to define their own learning goals and to direct their own learning process

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Differences between Projects and PBL

Type of problemTime per problemNumber of studentsRole of the teachersExpected results Assessment

a real life task broad range small groups (4-8)experta finished productproduct and process

phenomenonabout one weeksmall groups (6-12)process facilitatorlearning resultsindividual test of learning results

Projects PBL

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Different types of projects

Assignment projects (AP) • planning and control by the

teachers/supervisors• problem and the subject chosen beforehand

Subject projects (SP) • definition of the subject by the teachers

beforehand. • students choose a problem and method.

Problem projects (PP) • problem determines the choice of disciplines

and methods.

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Key aspects of PBL (Problem and Project)

• Self directed learning• Experiental learning• Situated learning• Colaborative learning• Transferable skills• Cognitive

apprenticeship

The student in controlfocussing on experiencesin an environment designed as a social contextto learn for a lifetimeof learning from each other

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Challenges for teachers in a PBL curriculum

to design a learning environment:• motivating, stimulating, • challenging for the students

to manage the learning process:• integrating subject matter• participating in teamwork

to facilitate learning:• guiding the process without taking the

lead• guarding quality without hindering the

process

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Experiences with PBL

Instruction Competitive ExperientialStrict A B

Open C D

E F

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The Maastricht model: A Curriculum based on thematic modulesPBL Modules:

• lasting six weeks • containing just some cases • integrating knowledge form different disciplines

Tutorial Groups• self-directed learning• eight students in a group• cooperation and teamwork

Facilitated by a tutor:• guiding the process without taking the lead• guarding quality without interfering in the

process

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A PBL CASE FROM MEDICINE

Woman, 22 years old, not married, lives with her parents, she is a nursing aide in an old peoples home, youngest of 5 children. The G.P. sees her every now and then with complaints of hyperhidrosis*. Complaint now: since three days sick and vomiting, everything comes back. Stools normal, no abdominal pains. She is not feeling very ill, on the other hand she is not feeling able to work. When asked whether there has been anything special recently, the patient relates that for three weeks she has been in charge of a nursing department of the old peoples home, because the person normally in charge went on holidays. "The old people looked down at me as a youngster, they did not accept any instruction from me". The complaints started directly after this period, when the head of the department had returned from her holiday (three days ago).You don't notice any abnormality in her physical appearance.

family physician practice

* Hyperhidrosis: excessive sweating

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A PBL LAW CASE

John and Mary fall in love. They have a turbulent affair and after a short while they decide to get married. Mary, who is raised in a traditional family, insists on a formal engagement prior to the wedding. At the occasion of the engagement Mary's father presents the would be couple a piece of land (worth about $50.000) to build a house. Mary has also some money of her own and she spends another $50.000 to have a casco-house build on the terrain.John has little money. Instead, he is skilful. He spends his saved holidays to finish building the house. He pays over $12.000. for building materials out of his own pocket. No sooner is the house finished, or Mary breaks off the engagement. She has fallen in love with Peter. The new couple wants to emigrate to Australia and they decide to sell the house for a sum of $125.000John realizes he has lost his Mary, but what about the money?

Love sick

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A CASE IN ARCHITECTURE

A block of houses in a pre-war area of a large city is being renovated.The facades will be isolated and the originally hand-made wooden windows will be replaced by prefab thermo pane.The manufacturer of the windows agrees to delivery, but refuses to take responsibility for the calibration at the site.

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The role of the facilitator

Questions about the facilitator role What can a facilitator do to stimulate the group

process? Can everyone (learn to) be a facilitator? How about content expertise of the facilitator? Should the tutor judge the performance of the group

members? What to do when the group is doing ok without you? What to do when you experience a strong urge to

act against the rules for a good facilitator?

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Process Facilitator InterventionsProcess oriented and indirectly

guiding:• Summarizing• Mirroring• Asking open-ended questions• Suggesting alternatives• Feedback

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The seven step procedure of group problem solving

1.Clarify terms2.Define the problem3.Analyze the problem4.Arrange explanations5.Formulate learning goals and allocate

tasks6.Search for additional information7.Report and test new information