Problem Based Learning

The essence of problem-based learning is that a group of eight to 10 students decide for themselves what they need to study after discussing trigger material, such as a written problem. After a few days of self-study, they meet to share, compare, and relate what they have found to the original trigger matter, and to see if they have covered enough ground. Problem-based learning, as currently employed in medical education, originated at McMaster University in Canada, and has been adopted by about one-quarter of all medical schools in the US and about one-half of those in Canada, with Europe and the rest of the world catching up rapidly. Despite the widespread use of problem-based learning in higher education (including medicine, dentistry, health sciences, law, economics and mathematics), there has until now been a serious lack of published practical advice of both students and teachers. This is a 'how to do it' book, intended for students, teachers and those still at school who are trying to decide whether or not to choose a medical school that uses problem-based learning or one that has a more traditional approach to medical education. After a brief introduction, the book explains what problem-based learning is and how it works, and how it fits in with what we know about how adults learn. There are chapters on how to design problems and trigger material, how a tutorial group works, and how self-assessment, peer-assessment and tutor assessment are undertaken. There is practical advice for students, e.g. how to make the transition from a traditional school education to a much more self-directed kind of activity, in which it might be easy to get lost without some practical guidance at the outset. There is practical advice for teachers, who have the job of helping students adapt and cope with the sudden change of no longer being told what to do. The book concludes with chapters on serious pitfalls and a brief discussion of what problem-based learning can be expected to achieve. STEPS IN THE TUTORIAL PROCESS IN PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING Steps 1 to 7: 1. Clarify unfamiliar terms 2. Define the problem(s) 3. Brainstorm possible hypotheses or explanations 4. Arrange explanations into a tentative solution 5. Define learning objectives 6. Gather information and private study 7. Share the results of information gathering and private study Steps 5 to 8 within a clinical medical curriculum: 5. Define learning objectives and requisite clinical experience 6. Gather information and requisite clinical experience 7. Share the results of information gathering and private study 8. Discuss clinical experience

MedCUL has a copy for lending.

Provides a practical guide to when and how to use small group work in educational, organisational and research settings.

This volume collects recent studies conducted within the area of medical education that investigate two of the critical components of problem-based curricula--the group meeting and self-directed learning--and demonstrates that understanding these complex phenomena is critical to the operation of this innovative curriculum. It is the editors' contention that it is these components of problem-based learning that connect the initiating "problem" with the process of effective "learning." Revealing how this occurs is the task taken on by researchers contributing to this volume. The studies include use of self-reports, interviews, observations, verbal protocols, and micro-analysis to find ways into the psychological processes and sociological contexts that constitute the world of problem-based learning.

Open access online.

Open access online.

The book is open access if you follow the link!

Problem-based learning (PBL) has excited interest among educators around the world for several decades. Among the most notable applications of PBL is the approach taken at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life sciences (FHML) at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Starting in 1974 as a medical school, the faculty embarked on the innovative pathway of problem-based learning, trying to establish a medical training program which applied recent insights of education which would be better adapted to the needs of the modem physician. The medical school, currently part of the FHML, can be considered as an 'established' school, where original innovations and educational changes have become part of a routine. The first book to bring this wealth of information together, Lessons from Problem-based Learning documents those findings and shares the experiences of those involved, to encourage further debate and refinement of problem-based learning in specific applications elsewhere and in general educational discussion and thought. Each chapter provides a description of why and what has been done in the Maastricht program, followed by reflection on the benefits and issues that have arisen for these developments. The final section of the book examines the application of PBL in the future, and how it is likely to develop further.

Incorporating the latest research throughout, Daniel Levi's Fifth Edition explains the basic psychological concepts of group dynamics, focusing on their application with teams in the workplace. Grounded in psychology research and a practical focus on organizational behavior issues, this engaging book helps readers understand and more effectively participate in teams. 

This book stems from more than 25 years of systematic research into the experience of learning undertaken by a research team trying to account for the obvious differences between more or less successful instances of learning in educational institutions. The book offers an answer in terms of the discovery of critical differences in the structure of the learner's awareness and critical differences in the meaning of the learner's world. The authors offer a detailed account of the empirical findings that give rise to theoretical insights, and discuss the particular form of qualitative research that has been employed and developed. The form of learning that is the object of study is considered to be the most fundamental form -- namely a change in the learner's way of seeing, experiencing, handling, and understanding aspects of the world. The need for rigorous analysis of learning of specific subject matter, the individual construction of knowledge, and its social and cultural embeddedness -- the defining features of rival approaches into research on learning -- are reconciled from the approach adopted here into an intertwined and whole experience of learning. The learner's experience is always one of learning something, in some way, and in some context; by holding the learner's experience of learning as the focus of study throughout -- and not studying the learning of the content and the acts and the context as separate and distinct focuses -- the content, the act, and the context remain united as constituents of the learner's experience. By empirically revealing critical differences in the ways of experiencing these aspects of learning, and by developing a theoretical framework for the dynamics through which change comes about in the learner's awareness, this book gradually leads the reader to a powerful new view of learning. Equipped with the analytical tools and conceptual apparatus to be found in this book, the reader will be empowered to learn and to assist others to learn by creating environments conducive to the most fundamental form of learning: experiencing aspects of the world in new ways.

Open access online.
"This book discloses ways in which learners and teachers manage complex and diverse learning in the context of their lives in a fragile and often incoherent world. These are the untold stories. The central argument of the book is that the potential and influence of problem-based learning is yet to be realized personally, pedagogically and professionally in the context of higher education. It explores both the theory and the practice of problem-based learning and considers the implications of implementing problem-based learning organizationally."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Problem-based learning (PBL) is becoming widely used in higher education. Popular in the medical sciences, PBL is now finding applications beyond - in engineering, sciences and architecture - and is widely applicable in many fields. It is a powerful teaching technique that appeals to students and educators alike. This book will be of great value to those who want to improve their use of PBL and for those who want to learn more and implement it. It provides compelling accounts of experiences with PBL from eight countries including the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and gives readers the opportunity to understand PBL and to develop strategies for their own curriculum, in any subject and at many levels.

"This book is a treasure trove of practical suggestions for promoting reflections and feedback that is based upon sound educational theory and research. I recommend it highly." - David M. Irby, PhD, Vice Dean for Education University of California The authors of this concise volume describe the two underlying principles of becoming a thoughtful practitioner: reflection and feedback. They offer strategies to assist students in developing the attitudes and skills to think about and assess their work, consciously and consistently. Physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers who are educators of students, residents and practitioners in the health professions will find this an invaluable resource.