What is PBL?
• A description of PBL: PBL is a student-centered instructional strategy to promote active learning while learners investigate authentic problems. PBL is characterized by the use of real-world and ill-structured problems, those that are complex and generally have multiple responses, requiring the learner to acquire (1) critical knowledge, (2) problem solving proficiency, (3) self-directed learning strategies, and (4) team participation skills. Instead of the teacher simply assigning readings, providing lectures or walking students through a solution, the learners are presented with, or identify their own, problem that drives their inquiry and learning process. Their inquiry and exploration leads to learning key concepts, principles, content knowledge, and strategies necessary to solve the challenges presented by the problem. The teacher’s main role is to support student inquiry.
