Article about PBL

I was looking around for websites and I came across a very interesting website called IMSA's PBL Network. This website is about what a PBL is. From this site I learned a lot of information. "Problem-based learning (PBL) is focused experiential learning organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems." (Gerdes, 2009). Problem based learning is focused on hands on experiences for students to solve real life problems. Through this type of learning students are able to solve problems through the guidance and facilitation of a teacher. PBL is a type of learning in which students are more in charge and the teacher acts as more of a guide, and helps the students along the process. Throughout the PBL the teacher will monitor students and also pose questions to get the students to think. Problem based learning helps students make learning relevant to the real world and also promotes critical thinking. PBL is effective because students as both the learners and problem solvers and teachers act more as a facilitator.

I find this website to be very affective to teach about problem based learning. This is especially true if you are a visual learner. The IMSA website provides many diagrams and pictures to help explain what a PBL is and how it works. There is a whole section on the intro to PBL page that takes you through what a PBL is, how it works, why it works, and what roles each person plays who is involved. This intro page breaks down problem based learning to the tee and explains every single aspect of it. Another thing that I have not yet seen through other PBL resources was a page that compared problem based learning to other types of learning. There are also tutorials in which you can act as student and follow a PBL example. A thing that I did not like so much about this website is that even though there was a lot of beneficial information, it seemed to be a little cluttered. The website could be more organized into more specific sections. The intro section had almost ten different sub sections. This could make it hard for someone who wanted to find a specific fact about problem based learning. Overall, I really enjoyed this website and would recommend it to anyone who is trying to learn about this learning process.

Gerdes, D. (n.d.). IMSA's PBLNetwork. IMSA's PBLNetwork. Retrieved February 3, 2010, from http://pbln.imsa.edu/index.html