Problem-Based Learning

Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a hands-on active learning strategy that engages students in solving problems they might encounter in the real word. With PBL activities, instructors take the position of facilitator, fuelling students’ inquiry and helping them to apply the knowledge they have learned in the course to real life situations.

With PBL, students encounter challenges that are open-ended with no one “right” answer and they are challenged to work within a specific context. PBL can be a self-directed activity or students can work together in small collaborative groups.

Instructors may use PBL in their courses to nurture students’ critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, knowledge application and as a means to engage students more deeply, making the course content relevant to the world in which they live.

Watch a 2:26 minute video from the K. Patricia Cross Academy which describes a technique called “Triple Jump” which can be used to engage students to think through real-world problems.

References:

University of Toronto Libraries. (18 June 2019). Problem based learning [Research Guide].  Retrieved from https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=448614&p=3561262

The K. Patricia Cross Academy. (n.d.). Triple jump. Retrieved https://kpcrossacademy.org/techniques/triple-jump/