Problem and Project Based

Learning

Done by:
Dania Frieg
Hiba Ammar
Hanan Ezzedine
Aya kasem Al-mokdad

Teaching Sciences 2- Dr. Iman Shabaan

June 1st 2020
t's known that there are an intimate relationships between applying specific teaching methods and
student's acquiring of 21 first century skills mainly the 4Cs( Collaboration, Communication, Creativity
& Critical thinking).Upon adopting Indirect instructions at student centered approach, the students are
actively engaged in the learning process with teacher guidance & receive and apply inquiry-based
learning, problem-based learning and project-based learning in which they can debate, discuss,
sharing ideas& thought so that they develop communication skills and standards (interactive learning)

1. Problem Based Learning

Problem based learning is student-centered approach to learning that involves groups of students
working to solve a real-world problem, quite different from the direct teaching method of a teacher
presenting facts and concepts about a specific subject to a classroom of students .Through Problem
Based Learning, students not only strengthen their team work, communication, and research skills but
they also sharpen their critical thinking & problem-solving abilities essential for life-long term

2. Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning is an instructional approach designed to give students the opportunity to develop
knowledge and skills through engaging projects set around challenges and problems they may face in
the real world, it is more than just projects since students investigate and respond to an authentic,
engaging and complex problem with deep and sustained attention. Project based learning is "Learning
by Doing!"
 Similarities between Problem & Project Based Learning
 Both are teaching pedagogies that are student centered.
 Both make link between what students comprehend at school & their real lives.
 In both types of learning students collaborate with their peers &teachers.
 Students are engaged & play active role in their learning process.
 Both focus on how the learning process is occurring not on the final product.
 Together are based on open ended questions (inquiry based learning: constructivism) not closed
questions.
 Both enable students to acquire 21st century skills mainly 4 Cs.
 Learning is based on inquiry approach, research, & resolution (constructivism) not based on
transmission & memorization of information.
 Differences between Problem & Project Based Learning

Problem Based Learning Project Based Learning

1. Students learn about a topic through the 1. Students work together & collaboratively
solving of problems and generally work on the same project in groups to achieve
in groups to solve the problem where, group’s common objective (e.g. In video,
often, there is no one final correct students work together to help elementary
answer.  students not to get sick by presenting
2. students acquire critical thinking and video & posters, and discussing &
problem solving skills presenting ideas for the soap company).
3. Students work individually and/or in 2. Students acquire critical thinking,
groups to solve inspiring problems collaboration, & communication skills
4. Learning is initiated by an ill structured which are necessary skills for group
problem (problem scenarios & case success
studies) 3. Students always work in groups
5. Role of the teacher is to clarify problem 4. Often involves real-world situations &
scenario for students & to guide & reliable scenery
monitor students’ group work 5. Role of the teacher is to align to standards
6. New information are acquired through by linking activities and assessment to
self-directed learning learning goals & teacher acts as a
7. Requires shorter span of time (few facilitator & coach
hours) 6. It allows students to identify problems in
their public & develop solutions for those
problems.
7. Requires long period of time (weeks,
months)
Steps in the PBL Process

1. State the problem and establish a goal that will be pursued in resolving it.
2. Gather information relevant to defining the problem and understanding the elements associated
with it.
3. Generate possible solutions.
4. List possible constraints on what can be accomplished as well as factors that facilitate getting a
solution accepted.
5. Choose an initial or possible solution using criteria that an acceptable solution must meet. The
criteria can include tangible and monetary costs and benefits, the likely acceptance of the
solution by others, as well as discipline or other standard criteria normally applied to such
problems.
6. Analyze the important factors that must be considered in the development of a detailed solution.
What has to be done, who does it, when it should happen, and where the solution would be used
are possible factors to explore.
7. Create a detailed solution.
8. Evaluate the final solution against relevant criteria used earlier, to ensure that it meets at least
those requirements and others that now appear to be necessary. 
9. Recommend a course of action and, if appropriate, suggest ways to monitor and evaluate the
solution when it is adopted.

Features of Project-Based Learning

Features that facilitate use of project-based instruction:

1. A "driving question" that is anchored in a real-world problem and ideally uses multiple content
areas
2. Opportunities for students to make active investigations that enable them to learn concepts, apply
information, and represent their knowledge in a variety of ways
3. Collaboration among students, teachers, and others in the community so that knowledge can be
shared and distributed between the members of the "learning community"
4. The use of cognitive tools in learning environments that support students in the representation of
their ideas: cognitive tools such as computer-based laboratories, hypermedia, graphing
applications, and telecommunications

 
Problem-Based Learning Project-Based Learning

1) Identify 1) Start with the Essential

Outcomes/Assessments.. Question.

2) Design a Plan for

2) Design the Scenario.
the Project.

3) Introduce PBL. 3) Create a Schedule.

4) Monitor the Students and

4) Research.
the Progress of the Project.

5) Product Performance. 5) Assess the Outcome.

6) Assessment.
Project-Based Learning:
Step One: Start with the Essential Question

The question that will launch a PBL lesson must be one that will engage your students. It is greater than
the task at hand. It is open ended. It will pose a problem or a situation they can tackle, knowing that
there is no one answer or solution.

Take a real-world topic and begin an in-depth investigation. Base your question on an authentic situation
or topic. Select a question about an issue students will believe that, by answering, they are having an
impact on. Make it relevant for them. The question should be a "now" question -- a question that has
meaning in your students' lives.

Step Two: Design a Plan for the Project

When designing the project, it is essential that you have in mind which content standards will be
addressed. Involve the students in planning; they will feel ownership of the project when they are
actively involved in decision making. Select activities that support the question and utilize the
curriculum, thus fueling the process. Integrate as many subjects as possible into the project. Know what
materials and resources will be accessible to the students to assist them. Be prepared to delve deeper into
new topics and new issues that arise as the students become increasingly involved in the active pursuit
of answers.

Step Three: Create a Schedule

Design a timeline for project components. Realize that changes to the schedule will happen. Be flexible,
but help the students realize that a time will come when they need to finalize their thoughts, findings,
and evaluations.

Also, allow students to go in new directions, but guide them when they appear to digress from the
project. When a group seems to be going in a different direction, ask the students to explain the
reasoning behind their actions. They may have an insight to a solution you haven't seen. Help the
children stay on course, but don't accidentally set limitations.

Step Four: Monitor the Students and the Progress of the Project

To maintain control without preventing students from taking responsibility for their work, follow these
steps:

 Facilitate the process and the love of learning.

 Teach the students how to work collaboratively.
 Designate fluid roles for group members.
 Have students choose their primary roles, but assume responsibility and interactivity for all
group roles.
 Remind them that every part of the process belongs to each individual and needs each
student's total involvement.
 Provide resources and guidance.
 Assess the process by creating team and project rubrics.
Step Five: Assess the Outcome

Assessment meets many needs. It

 Provides diagnostic feedback.

 Helps educators set standards.
 Allows one to evaluate progress and relate that progress to others.
 Gives students feedback on how well they understand the information and on what they need
to improve.
 Helps the teacher design instruction to teach more effectively.
Whenever possible, give the students the opportunity to conduct self-assessment. When a student's
assessment and the teacher's assessment don't agree, schedule a student-teacher conference to let the
student explain in more detail his or her understanding of the content and justify the outcome.

Edutopia.org PBL blogger Suzie Boss also wrote a great post on culminating events in How to End
Projects on a High Note.

Evaluate the Experience

Little time for reflection is available in the busy schedule of the school day, yet reflection is a key
component of learning. How do we expect our students to synthesize new knowledge if they are not
given time to reflect on what they have discovered? Too often, we teachers do not allow ourselves that
time, either. Designate a time for reflection of the daily activities. Allow for individual reflection, such
as journaling, as well as group reflection and discussion. (For example, validate what students have
learned and make suggestions for improvements.)

To enable effective self-evaluation, follow these steps:

 Take time to reflect, individually and as a group.

 Share feelings and experiences.
 Discuss what worked well.
 Discuss what needs change.
 Share ideas that will lead to new questions and new projects.
Problem-Based Learning:
Step One: Identify Outcomes/Assessments

PBL fits best with process-oriented course outcomes such as collaboration, research, and problem
solving. It can help students acquire content or conceptual knowledge, or develop disciplinary habits
such as writing or communication. After determining whether your course has learning outcomes that fit
with PBL, you will develop formative and summative assessments to measure student learning. Group
contracts, self/peer-evaluation forms, learning reflections, writing samples, and rubrics are potential
PBL assessments.

Step Two: Design the Scenario

Next you design the PBL scenario with an embedded problem that will emerge through student
brainstorming. Think of a real, complex issue related to your course content. It’s seldom difficult to
identify lots of problems in our fields; the key is writing a scenario for our students that will elicit the
types of thinking, discussion, research, and learning that need to take place to meet the learning
outcomes. Scenarios should be motivating, interesting, and generate good discussion. Check out the
websites below for examples of PBL problems and scenarios.

Step Three: Introduce PBL

If PBL is new to your students, you can practice with an “easy problem,” such as a scenario about long
lines in the dining hall. After grouping students and allowing time to engage in an abbreviated version of
PBL, introduce the assignment expectations, rubrics, and timelines. Then let groups read through the
scenario(s). You might develop a single scenario and let each group tackle it in their own way, or you
could design multiple scenarios addressing a unique problem for each group to discuss and research.

Step Four: Research

PBL research begins with small-group brainstorming sessions where students define the problem and
determine what they know about the problem (background knowledge), what they need to learn more
about (topics to research), and where they need to look to find data (databases, interviews, etc.). Groups
should write the problem as a statement or research question. They will likely need assistance. Think
about your own research: without good research questions, the process can be unguided or far too
specific. Students should decide upon group roles and assign responsibility for researching topics
necessary for them to fully understand their problems. Students then develop an initial hypothesis to
“test” as they research a solution. Remember: research questions and hypotheses can change after
students find information disconfirming their initial beliefs.
Step Five: Product Performance

After researching, the students create products and presentations that synthesize their research, solutions,
and learning. The format of the summative assessment is completely up to you. We treat this step like a
research fair. Students find resources to develop background knowledge that informs their
understanding, and then they collaboratively present their findings, including one or more viable
solutions, as research posters to the class.

Step Six: Assessment

During the PBL assessment step, evaluate the groups’ products and performances. Use rubrics to
determine whether students have clearly communicated the problem, background, research methods,
solutions (feasible and research-based), and resources, and to decide whether all group members
participated meaningfully. You should consider having your students fill out reflections about their
learning (including what they’ve learned about the content and the research process) every day, and at
the conclusion of the process.