Developing an environment of collaboration:

Successful collaboration is the key to any problem-based learning endeavor. The first step in nurturing the collaborative skills of students is to provide an environment where ideas and opinions are supported and students feel comfortable and safe to share. This starts with teaching students effective communication and the art of talking and listening. It can be beneficial to invest time in team building exercises and “mini projects” before any extensive PBL takes place. These activities can help set the expectations for how students should interact within a group setting.

Considering group dynamic:

Group dynamic is a powerful aspect of collaboration and can mean the difference between the success and failure of a group. Groups should be made large enough to provide diversity but small enough to allow every member to have a role and responsibility within the group. According to research, moderate group sizes between 3-5 students is best. Sources differ on the benefits of teacher assigned groups over allowing students to choose their own groups, though it is an important note that studies suggest low ability students tend to work best in mixed groups, medium ability students tend to be most successful in homogeneous groups, and high ability students do well in either situation.

Defining clear roles:

PBL content:

One step in the PBL planning process is to decide on the content that will be covered and what it is students should know by the end of the PBL experience. At this point, a few standards or learning goals should be chosen that students will accomplish within the PBL unit. When first getting started with PBL it can be advantageous to start small by deciding on only one or two standards or goals to cover.

Problem difficulty:

An important consideration for the process of choosing a central problem or question for a PBL unit is problem difficulty. The guiding questions or problems should not be too hard or too simple. One approach to determining problem difficulty is to identify the problem and then determine possible solutions. If the skills needed to solve the problem are outside the scope of student knowledge, the problem may need to be adjusted or supplemental information may need to be provided to ensure a full understanding by students.

Choosing an authentic artifact:

Shifting role of teachers:

In a PBL classroom, teachers move from their traditional center-of-the-class position to the role of facilitator, tutor, and mentor. The PBL teacher provides guidance and helps students discover information, rather than giving students the information they need to be successful.

Scaffolding for student success:

While teachers assume their new roles as facilitators and guides in a PBL classroom, the role of the student also changes as they become in charge of their own learning. Teachers can help ease the transition by providing appropriate levels of support during the different stages of PBL.

Examples of how to provide guidance:

Providing students with, or helping them to develop a timeline of events so they know how and when to proceed

Conferencing with each group to check-in with progress and to challenge any misconceptions that the group has developed

Giving direct instruction or informational worksheets at specific points in the knowledge acquisition stage to help with student understanding of the content.