[WEEK-01] Wiggins et al (2016) Problem-Based Learning Flashcards
What is Problem-Based Learning? (PBL)
A didactic (also known as a pedagogical) approach toward teaching and learning that falls under student-centered, inquiry-based, and active learning approaches.
What is the fundamental principle underlying PBL?
To develop an investigative approach amongst students, as well as create a greater sense of responsibility over their learning.
What are the generally agreed benefits of PBL?
- Improves long-term knowledge retention.
- Improves ability to link between concepts.
- Enhances application to real-world contexts.
- Enhances long-term self-directed learning skills, independent planning, organization, collaboration, and team-working skills.
What is one limit of the effects of PBL?
Most of the research base underpinning PBL is informed by medical and high-achieving learner education, posing questions on the effectiveness of the approach amongst less skilled learners.
In PBL, it is assumed that all students are equally ready to engage in potentially challenging tasks. Is this an accurate assumption?
No.
It is hard to know for sure if all students are feeling the same levels of engagement when many individual differences/processes such as meta-cognition, academic self-sufficiency, and interpersonal sensitivity can affect a student’s level of engagement and motivation.
Summarise what Wiggins et al (2016) concluded on PBL.
- PBL is a valued and useful tool for teaching and learning in psychology.
- PBL works best when it covers various interdisciplinary problems, and what is considered “core” psychology knowledge is kept flexible.
- PBL makes learning into something meaningful that can be applied in specific contexts, rather than neatly arranged learning of methods and theories that is often de-contextualized from situations.
