Pedagogical Approaches
Problem-Based Learning
Also Known As PBL
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Problem-based learning is a learner-centered approach in which students acquire knowledge and skills by working through an open-ended, real-world problem rather than receiving material as a lecture first. Pioneered by Barrows and Tamblyn at the McMaster University medical school in the 1960s, it responded to students perceiving the vast amount of material presented in traditional preclinical coursework as having little relevance to the actual practice of medicine. Working in small groups, students identify what they already know, what they need to learn, and where to find it, using the problem itself as the occasion for new knowledge.
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Central QuestionCan students learn a body of knowledge more durably by first grappling with a genuine, open-ended problem than by receiving the knowledge as a prerequisite to solving problems later? 1 Most Effective ForProfessional and technical fields such as medicine, where research found clear positive effects on physician competence, especially social and cognitive competencies such as coping with uncertainty and communication skills; it is resource-intensive, requiring more staff, space and facilitation. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
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PBL is a constructivist, learner-centered method built around student-directed inquiry into an open-ended problem.
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