2 Exploring problem-based learning (PBL)
Problem-based learning originated as a popular method of teaching in medical schools in the 1960s. The essence of the PBL approach lies in stimulating learning by actively exploring possible solutions to open-ended problems. It is considered a constructivist approach to learning, as learners construct and build their knowledge through the problem-solving process.
Figure 3 Collaboration with others often illustrates the different perspectives we have of a problem
Problems that directly address the immediate priorities and challenges facing coaches are also more likely to be motivating than simulated abstract problems that are unrelated to the context the coach is working in.
Activity 1 Exploring problem-based learning in practice
Timing: Allow about 20 minutes
Watch the following two videos. The first (Video 1) shows the reflections of a new sport lecturer introduced to PBL, and the second (Video 2) summarises the problem-based learning approach used by Maastricht University across all subjects. As you watch both videos respond to the following questions:
- Explain the role of the teacher in PBL.
- How might PBL be used in your context, perhaps with less regular contact with groups than those at a university?
- How effective do you think PBL is for learning about a coaching problem when, to understand the problem, it requires learning considerable new knowledge?
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1
Transcript: Video 1
DAVID WRIGHT
I'm David Wright. I'm a lecturer in motor control and sport psychology here at MMU. Sort of arrived at MMU last September, and Damian said this was the style of teaching that we were going to go for. I didn't know a huge amount about what problem-based learning was at that particular moment in time, so it took me a while to sort of get my head around how it worked, sort of sat at the back of a few of Damian's sessions and kind of watched what he was doing, how he was interacting with the students.
It was definitely a bit of an eye opener. Like I said, it was something I didn't really know too much about what problem-based learning was. As a relatively new lecturer, definitely, I had the view that it was my role to be the information provider. And of course, with problem-based learning, that's not the case. It's much more the emphasis on the students finding out the information for themselves.
So every time you sort of speak to the students, you ask them a question. They give you an answer, and then they immediately want to know, is that right or is it wrong? And that's not what we want to be getting across. We want them to be working out for themselves whether it's right or wrong. So trying to develop that effective questioning style to guide them to where they needed to get to without specifically telling them was something I found a little bit of a challenge. It definitely took me a good couple of months' practise before I got comfortable doing it.
I think it's definitely a beneficial way for the students to learn. In problem-based learning, the emphasis is much more on them going to find out the information that they need. And I think that process of actually finding the information for themselves rather than just being told it is very beneficial. Because, in addition to learning about the content, they're getting quite a lot of other valuable skills. You know, how to find the research that they need, how to interpret it, that kind of thing, as well as the content of the-- the specific motor control content that we're focusing on.
WOMAN
you for watching this good practise exchange film. You can find lots more teaching ideas and resources on our website.
Video 1
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 2
Transcript: Video 2
NARRATOR
Welcome to Maastricht University. Are you ready? Wait a minute. That's what you were expecting, but that's not how we do it. Small tutorial groups. That's better.
Maastricht University is known for problem-based learning, PBL. We solve complex problems ourselves using real-life cases. Each group has 12 to 15 students, and we divide the different tasks between ourselves.
Dozing in lecture halls is not an option. We all participate actively in the discussion. One student leads the discussion, ensuring that it stays on track. To make sure we don't forget anything, the secretary takes notes of what we say. The other students, too, play an active part. Together, we ensure that the group process runs as smoothly as possible.
So what does a tutor do? He or she is specially trained to monitor the whole process, making sure we don't miss anything. But we often make good progress by ourselves, and so the tutor stays in the background. Let's go back to the case.
A case is a problem from everyday professional practise. This may be a scientific problem. We each receive a text describing the case, and we read it carefully.
If the case is complicated, we'll need strategy and teamwork to solve the problem. The tutorials provide a safe environment where we learn to communicate effectively, discuss, and cooperate with one another. We start by examining the case.
Through active brainstorming, we try to get a picture of the puzzle and its individual pieces. We're often amazed at how much we already know. The next step is to cluster the pieces of information.
Theories are separated from experience, causes from consequences. In this way, we get a good idea of the structure of the problem. Finally, for each category, we search for the missing pieces of the puzzle.
Based on what we need to find out, we formulate learning goals. These are concrete questions that help us to identify the required information. The tutorial's over. It's time to go and do some research.
Working independently and using the research skills we've learned, we each look for answers to the learning goals set during the tutorial. In some courses, you may have to go to the university library and find the resources you need. In other courses, these are provided.
After a few days, we meet again. In this session, we each present our findings. Based on what we've found out, we try to arrive at a solution. Usually this goes fine, but sometimes it can be hard to bring all the information together, as not everyone has come up with the same findings.
Fortunately, the tutor is there to help us reach a consensus. The knowledge and experience of the tutor come in handy. We repeat this process in every tutorial. Of course, we also have lectures, but their role varies between different courses and programmes.
Problem-based learning is a good match for very motivated and dedicated students. With PBL, we learn more than just facts. We learn to conduct our own research, to think, and work in a solution-focused way. We learn to collaborate with others and deal with feedback. And we're always actively involved in the tutorials.
In this way, we remember more, not least because the tutorials always alternate with practicals and skills-training sessions. The skills vary per programme, from analysing statistical data to pleading a court case or examining a patient. Once more, we work in teams.
This experience will come in handy in our future careers. We learn to understand and respect other people's points of view. And our students come from all over the world. This makes our learning environment highly international, dynamic, and innovative. Problem-based learning at Maastricht University, giving you a solid foundation for your career.
Video 2
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
Discussion
- The role of the teacher using PBL is to direct and facilitate a deeper, more critical understanding of the problem. Rarely does the teacher provide information – they are conducting the learning experience and helping students to learn through their own resources, curiosity and analysis. This is arguably more about facilitation skills than teachers conveying information.
- It is impossible to know if PBL would work in your environment unless you try it. Also, the coaching problem you focus on needs careful framing; it is a skill to teach this way and it is likely to need some practice through trial and error. Ideally PBL needs enough time for coaches to go away and research further into a problem so the amount of contact you have with a group and their existing knowledge may shape how you implement PBL.
- The videos do not directly explain how much prior knowledge is needed for PBL. However, if you are thinking of exploring a very complex problem you might question if coaches already have sufficient background knowledge to make sense of, and pick apart, the problem. De Bruyckere et al. (2015) present evidence that PBL is appropriate when applying existing knowledge to new problems; it is not an effective approach for acquiring new knowledge.
Having considered these aspects of PBL, you will now look at two examples where this approach to teaching might be used.