Satu Öystilä & Matleena Laakso 2015

The Principles of Problem-based Learning and the Phases of the PBL Cycle

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PBL as a strategy of the pedagogical development process

• Curriculumdevelopment

• Collaborative learningprocess

• New learning culture

• The change of theteacher’s role

PBL as an educational strategy

• PBL currculum is organized according to the subjectframe or a defined interdisciplinary

• The aims are:

– Learning in small groups (tutorials)

– Self-directed learning

– Critical thinking

– Life-long learning

– Self and peer assessment

– Inquiry-based learning

PBL as an educational strategy

• Student-centred learning environment

• Individual and collaborative learning processes in the PBL curriculum

• Less contact teaching and more facilitation

Constructive Alignment in PBL Curriculum

PBL curriculum:

– The substance and the aims

– Collaborative learningmethods and individuallearning processes

– Both summative and formative assessment

– Interpersonal skills

– The organizational culture

The aim and

the substance

Learning

methods

Assessment

and

evaluation

Constructive

alignment

Constructing theme-based PBL curriculum

qualification 1

qualification 2

qualification 3

qualification 4

qualification 5

qualification 6

qualification 7

qualification 8

qualification 9

qualification 10

• Theme A

• Theme B

• Theme C

subject 1

subject 2

subject 3

subject 4

subject 5

subject 6

Subject 7

subject 8

?

Studies

Course

PBL Cycle

The structure of the problem-based curriculum

How to implement problem-based curriculum?

1. Team, where all the expert groups are representative

2. Formulation of all the qualifications, which arerelevant in the work life (core qualifications)

3. Specification of the learning areas

4. Specification of the themes

5. Definition the contents and subjects of each theme

6. Designing the learning cycles

PBL is inquiry-based learning I

1. The learners are responsible for their own learningand the group work - the ownership of the learning

2. Using problems (cases, scenarios, triggers) as starting points for learning

PBL is inquiry-based learning II

3. Integrating different knowledge areas and themes

4. Collaboration is essential part of learning and assessment

5. Shared knowledge construction and independentknowledge acquisition are chronologically separated

PBL is inquiry-based learning III

6. Shared knowledge construction produces sharedunderstanding and meaning negotiation

7. The self and peer assessment are included in the process

PBL is inquiry-based learning IV

9.PBL curriculum improves interpersonal skills and work life competencies of learners

10. PBL is a strategy, not only a learning method

AssessmentLearning process

Problem solving process

Group process

Starting point

Brainstorming

Best ideas

Learning objects

Knowledgesharing

Visual synthesis

Self-study

PBL learning task

1

2

3

45

6

7

8

Tutorial I

Tutorial II

PBL cycle: the tutorials

• 6-10 students and the PBL tutor (facilitator)• Working time 2 hours• The PBL tutorial is not the same as PBL but the

small group study phase of the PBL curriculum• Two tutorials: The PBL object in the first tutorial

and the synthesis in the second• The indvidual learning phase and the data

acquistion between the tutorials

The roles in the PBL tutorial

The grouping and the ground rules for the tutorial

The discussion leader• leading the discuss• taking care of the the timetableThe recorder• writing up ideas/synthesisThe observer• observing members of the tutorial and giving them

feedback

PBL-tutorial, 1. phase: PBL starting point

• To become familiar with the starting point/case• Different ways to present the starting point: a case,

a story, a cartoon, a drama, etc.• The starting point is a surprise• The starting point is not a question

Different types of starting points

• scenario: gives the perspcetive to the future• case: a concrete case of the real life• trigger: for example a picture• problem: leading the collaborative problem solving• impulse, stimulus: a starting point to the brain

storming

PBL tutorial, 2. phase: Brainstorming

• Producing new ideas• Connecting the knowledge achieved earlier• Activating• Innovative connections• No critisism• No long explanations• No analysing

PBL tutorial, 3. phase: Choosing the ideas

Everyone has 5 points in order to choosethe best ideas.

PBL tutorial, 4. phase: Defining the learning object

Picking up the ideas which have most points and defining the learning object together

PBL tutorial, 5. phase: Defining the shared PBL learning task

Just one and shared PBL task:• What should we learn?• What do we know already?• What we do not know?• What is most important?• What is most interesting?• How do we acquise the new knowledge?• Which are the best references?• How much time do we have?

Assessment and feedback in PBL tutorials

The learning process, the problem solving and the group process.

• What are we observing?• The observer gives the feedback individually to each

member of the group and to the tutor• ”Just nice” or ”okay” is not feedback• The feedback is not the truth• Everyone listens the feedback without interrupting• After the round everyone has the possibility to

comment the feedback

PBL-tutorial, 6. phase: Self-study

Each member of the tutorial group writes an individual PBL learning task and sends it to all othermembers and the tutor before the deadline.

Each member and the tutor reads all the tasks beforethe next tutorial.

Preparing to the tutorial is essential.

The PBL tutorial, 6. phase: Self study

Teaching

Lectures

Seminars

Group work

Exercises

Reading the books, articles

Writing an essay

Working life

Learning at work

Excursions

Benchmarking

Expert interviews

DiscussionsMedia, Social mediaLibraryInternet

PBL tutorial, 7. phase: Knowledge sharing

• New roles

• The short starting round (star ideas, 1 minute/member)

• Dialogic reflections

• Argumenting

• It is important that everyone has orientatedand learned the task

• The recorder writes up the core points

PBL tutorial, 8. phase: the visual synthesis

• Modelling shared learning

• Problem solving and learning process becomesevident

• The summary and the comparison with the startingpoint

• Visualising gives the shared symbol to the common process

• It is also possible to make a theoretised modell

The observer´s feedback and self assessment

1. tutorial

• How did you give new perspectives to the groupwork?

• How did you continue the others´ ideas?

• Did you present innovative ideas?

2. tutorial

• How did you question?

• How did you support others?

• How did you learn from others?

The final review

• Did you deal with the right issues?

• How did you find the atmosphere of the tutorial?

• Did you say what you wanted to?

• Have you been heard?

CC-licensies: creativecommons.org

CC BY-SA (these slides): creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

You can also contact us to get more rights• Satu Öystilä: www.eduta.fi• Matleena Laakso: www.matleenalaakso.fi

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0)