Ch 2. Which is it - "Project" based Learning or "Problem" based Learning?

According to John Larmer (2014), the Buck Institute for Education (BIE), has been keeping a list of "__"-based learning [or X-BL]. Some of these include:

For the purposes of this class, we will mesh together all of these X-BLs. Upon reading about all of these different types of "-based learning" you find that they have similar backgrounds. Read below an article by Jan Schwartz and her take on Project based vs Problem based Learning.

Project Based vs Problem Based Learning

By Jan Schwartz

When I first read Jim Shimabukuro’s article, “A Quick and Dirty Look at Project-Based Learning,” I read it as Problem-Based Learning. I think that’s because he referred to Project-Based Learning as PBL in the body of the article, and I am accustomed to those initials meaning Problem-Based Learning. So, I went to Google and found that while there are lots of similarities, there are also differences between the two. I Googled, problem based learning + project based learning.

Aside from the fact that when I see PBL I need to read more carefully, here is what I found. The most instructive (read simplified) article I found was “Collaborative Project-Based Learning and Problem-Based Learning in Higher Education: A Consideration of Tutor and Student Roles in Learner-Focused Strategies,” published in 2005 under a creative commons license.

The authors refer to Project Based Learning as CPBL (C=collaborative) and Problem Based Learning as PBL. Here is the summary of the similarities:

• Contructivist approach to learning

• Learner focused

• Geared toward “real world” tasks

• Projects or problems have more than one approach or answer

• Simulate professional situations

• Teacher as coach or facilitator

• Students generally work in cooperative groups

• Students encouraged to find multiple sources of information

• Emphasis on authentic, performance based assessment

There is admittedly a blurring of lines between these two approaches to education, but there are differences. The genesis of CPBL is in science and engineering whereas the genesis of PBL is medicine and other like fields. CPBL is based on having an end product in mind, and it generally follows the production model (planning, researching, first draft, rewrite and submission); PBL is based on solving a particular problem via the inquiry model using a scenario or case study.

Other similarities have to do with the student and the teacher. Most students come from an educational background of “teacher as expert and deliverer of knowledge.” Of course most teachers come from that background too! In many cases students have not had to search for knowledge on their own, evaluate it and determine its relevancy to the real world. In other words they are not always taught to be self-directed and inquisitive.

In addition, most students do their work in isolation and do not feel a sense of responsibility for their classmates. Although some work is done solo in both CPBL and PBL, the group always comes into play and in the end will determine the outcome. Students need to learn strong communication and negotiating skills, time management skills and research literacy skills in order to be successful in a group. But isn’t that what employers are looking for today?

[T]eachers will find that project [and problem based] learning is more time consuming than delivering a lecture and that the teacher has less control over the work being done by students. Designing the problem, or the project, and the assessment(s) takes much forethought. In addition to subject matter expertise, teachers must have excellent facilitation skills. How many of us have been taught how to do that well?

In my field of vocational education, alternative health care disciplines, Problem-Based Learning works best for the most part, as scenarios in client issues plays a big part in critically thinking about a treatment plan. But I can also see using Project Based Learning in a course such as business where students need to think about what comes after graduation.

References

Larmer, J. (July 13, 2015). Project-Based Learning vs. Problem Based Learning vs. X-BL. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-vs-pbl-vs-xbl-john-larmer. Originally published (Jan. 6, 2014) © Edutopia.org; George Lucas Educational Foundation

Schwarz, J. (June 26, 2011). Project based vs Problem based Learning. Retrieved from https://etcjournal.com/2011/06/26/project-based-vs-problem-based-learning/. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.