Advantages of Problem Solving
Advantages of Problem Solving
Advantages of Problem Solving
Students who participate in problem-based learning activities can improve their abilities to retain and recall
information, according to a literature review of studies about the pedagogy.
The literature review states “elaboration of knowledge at the time of learning” -- by sharing facts and ideas through
discussion and answering questions -- “enhances subsequent retrieval.” This form of elaborating reinforces
understanding of subject matter, making it easier to remember.
Small-group discussion can be especially beneficial -- ideally, each student will get chances to participate.
But regardless of group size, problem-based learning promotes long-term knowledge retention by encouraging
students to discuss -- and answer questions about -- new concepts as they’re learning them.
You can use problem-based learning activities to the meet the diverse learning needs and styles of your students,
effectively engaging a diverse classroom in the process. In general, grouping students together for problem-based
learning will allow them to:
Address real-life issues that require real-life solutions, appealing to students who struggle to grasp abstract concepts
Participate in small-group and large-group learning, helping students who don’t excel during solo work grasp new
material
Talk about their ideas and challenge each other in a constructive manner, giving participatory learners an avenue to
excel
Tackle a problem using a range of content you provide -- such as videos, audio recordings, news articles and other
applicable material -- allowing the lesson to appeal to distinct learning styles
Since running a problem-based learning scenario will give you a way to use these differentiated instruction
approaches, it can be especially worthwhile if your students don’t have similar learning preferences.
3. Continuous Engagement
Providing a problem-based learning challenge can engage students by acting as a break from normal lessons
and common exercises.
It’s not hard to see the potential for engagement, as kids collaborate to solve real-world problems that directly affect
or heavily interest them.
Although conducted with post-secondary students, a study published by the Association for the Study of
Medical Education reported increased student attendance to -- and better attitudes towards -- courses that feature
problem-based learning.
These activities may lose some inherent engagement if you repeat them too often, but can certainly inject
excitement into class.
For example, if they work together to address a dispute within the school, they may develop lifelong skills related to
negotiation and communicating their thoughts with others.
As long as the problem’s context applies to out-of-class scenarios, students should be able to build skills they can use
again.
What’s more, this should help them understand a group dynamic. Depending on a given student, this can involve
developing listening skills and a sense of responsibility when completing one’s tasks. Such skills and knowledge
should serve your students well when they enter higher education levels and, eventually, the working world.
2. Student Unpreparedness
Problem-based learning exercises can engage many of your kids, but others may feel disengaged as a result of not
being ready to handle this type of exercise for a number of reasons. On a class-by-class and activity-by-activity basis,
participation may be hindered due to:
Immaturity -- Some students may not display enough maturity to effectively work in a group, not fulfilling
expectations and distracting other students.
Unfamiliarity -- Some kids may struggle to grasp the concept of an open problem, since they can’t rely on you for
answers.
Lack of Prerequisite Knowledge -- Although the activity should address a relevant and tangible problem, students
may require new or abstract information to create an effective solution.
You can partially mitigate these issues by actively monitoring the classroom and distributing helpful resources, such
as guiding questions and articles to read. This should keep students focused and help them overcome knowledge
gaps. But if you foresee facing these challenges too frequently, you may decide to avoid or seldom introduce
problem-based learning exercises.
3. Teacher Unpreparedness
If supervising a problem-based learning activity is a new experience, you may have to prepare to adjust
some teaching habits. For example, overtly correcting students who make flawed assumptions or statements can
prevent them from thinking through difficult concepts and questions. Similarly, you shouldn’t teach to promote the
fast recall of facts. Instead, you should concentrate on:
Asking targeted questions to a group or the class, focusing their attention on a specific aspect of the problem
Depending on your teaching style, it may take time to prepare yourself to successfully run a problem-based learning
lesson.
4. Time-Consuming Assessment
If you choose to give marks, assessing a student’s performance throughout a problem-based learning exercise
demands constant monitoring and note-taking. You must take factors into account such as:
Completed tasks
Monitoring these criteria is required for each student, making it time-consuming to give and justify a mark for
everyone.
It can be difficult to identify a tangible problem that students can solve with content they’re studying and skills
they’re mastering. This introduces two clear issues. First, if it is easy for students to divert from the challenge’s
objectives, they may miss pertinent information. Second, you could veer off the problem’s focus and purpose as
students run into unanticipated obstacles. Overcoming obstacles has benefits, but may compromise the planning you
did. It can also make it hard to get back on track once the activity is complete. Because of the difficulty associated
with keeping activities relevant and applicable, you may see problem-based learning as too taxing.
If the advantages outweigh the disadvantages -- or you just want to give problem-based learning a shot -- follow
these steps:
Find a tangible problem that’s relevant to your students, allowing them to easily contextualize it and hopefully apply
it to future challenges. To identify an appropriate real-world problem, look at issues related to your:
School
Community
You must also ensure that students understand the problem and the information around it. So, not all problems are
appropriate for all grade levels.
Depending on the problem you choose, determine what you want to accomplish by running the challenge. For
example, you may intend to help your students improve skills related to:
Collaboration
Problem-solving
Curriculum-aligned topics
A more precise example, you may prioritize collaboration skills by assigning specific tasks to pairs of students within
each team. In doing so, students will continuously develop communication and collaboration abilities by working as a
couple and part of a small group. By defining a clear purpose, you’ll also have an easier time following the next step.
Providing a range of resources can be especially important for elementary students and struggling students in higher
grades, who may not have self-direction skills to work without them.
Along with the aforementioned materials, give students a guide or rubric that details goals and expectations. It will
allow you to further highlight the purpose of the problem-based learning exercise, as you can explain what you’re
looking for in terms of collaboration, the final product and anything else. It should also help students stay on track by
acting as a reference throughout the activity.
5. Participate
Although explicitly correcting students may be discouraged, you can still help them and ask questions to dig into their
thought processes. When you see an opportunity, consider if it’s worthwhile to:
Question a student’s conclusion or logic regarding a certain point, helping them think through tough spots
By participating in these ways, you can provide insight when students need it most, encouraging them to effectively
analyze the problem.
If you divided them into small groups, requiring students to present their thoughts and results in front the class adds
a large-group learning component to the lesson. Encourage other students to ask questions, allowing the presenting
group to elaborate and provide evidence for their thoughts. This wraps up the activity and gives your class a final
chance to find solutions to the problem.
Wrapping Up
The effectiveness of problem-based learning may differ between classrooms and individual students, depending on
how significant specific advantages and disadvantages are to you. Evaluative research consistently shows value in
giving students a question and letting them take control of their learning. But the extent of this value can depend on
the difficulties you face.It may be wise to try a problem-based learning activity, and go forward based on results.