Problem-based and

Project-based
Learning
PED 411
PBL (project-based learning and problem-
based learning)
Why are they important for our learners?

Great strategies to engage students

Help students become critical thinkers

Develop 21st century skills

Problem-Based Learning
Problem-Based Learning uses an inquiry model or a problem-solving
model.
 In that sense, students are given a problem, pose questions about
the problem, plan on what and how to gather the necessary
information and come up with their conclusions.
The driving force is the problem given and the success is the solution
of the same, and discovery of several solutions.
What are the steps in Problem-
Based Learning
1.Read and analyze the problem scenario.
2.List what is known.
3.Develop a problem statement.
4.List what is needed.
5.List actions, solutions and hypothesis.
6.Gather information.
7.Analyze information.
8.Present findings and recommendations.
 Some Reminders for PBL to
Work
1.The problem must be designed in such a way that different appropriate solutions/answers may apply. They are not
intended to generate neat answers. In their struggle to find the answer, the students will gain essential problem solving
and critical thinking skills.
2.The problem must be a real world scenario. One way would be by constructing a problem statement, which contains the
following:
a) It casts the student in a particular role.
b) It contains a problem.
c) It gives the student a task.

3.The problem must be relevant to the students and must be developmentally appropriate.
4.Guidelines must be set on how the team/group will work together, expected dates of completion and group presentation
before the class, procedures in group presentation.
5.Teacher gives guidance but does not give answers to the problem/s.
6.Students must be given reasonable amount of time to do the work.
7.Teacher makes clear how performance will be assessed. It is best that the Scoring Rubric gets presented before work
begins.
 GRASPS
Goal: Your task is to create an excel spreadsheet survey by surveying the class as to which was
their favourite lunch food.
Role: You are a survey taker and you need to obtain your day by surveying your classmates on
your specific food type.
Audience: You are letting your classmates and the school cafeteria manager know which food
turned out to be the class favourite.
Situation: The challenge involves gathering data and then displaying that data in an excel
spreadsheet.
Product and Performance: You will create an excel spreadsheet using the data you obtained and
share it in a letter to the cafeteria manager.
Standards for Success: your product must meet the following standards: letter is written correctly
and contains correct data displayed in cells and also displayed into a chart.
 Project-Based Learning
 Project-Based Learning involves a project which involves a complex task and some form of student
presentation, and/or creating an actual product.
 It focuses on a production model. The driving force is the end-product, but the key to success is the skills
acquired during the process of product production.
 In other words, the learning effect is much more important than the product itself. Students do project-base
learning by:
1. Defining the purpose of creating the end-product
2. Identifying their audience
3. Doing research on the topic
4. Designing the product
5. Implementing design
6. Solving problems that arise
7. Coming up with the product
Problem-based learning starts with a real world problem or case study and ends
with proposed solutions. Project-based learning begins with a project that is
meant to address a problem. It can be said that where the problem-based
learning ends, project-based learning begins. Therefore the steps in problem-
based learning are the first steps of the project-based learning. Added to these
steps are :
1.Conceptualize their project design.
2.Critique each other’s design.
3.Revise and finalize their project design.
4.Present their product meant to address the problem or implement the project to solve the
problem for those concerned in a program organized for this purpose. They answer questions
from the audience.
5.Reflect on how they completed the project, next steps they might take and what they gained
in the process
Some Reminders for
PrBL/PjBL/to Work
In addition to the reminders of PBL given above, the following are
necessary for Project-Based Learning to succeed:
1.Students should be given sufficient time to work on and present their projects.
2.The presentation of the product or project is not the end of PrBL. The
product/project presentation must lead the students to:
a) Reflect on the process they undertook, why they succeeded/did not succeed in completing their
project
b) Next steps they might take
c) What they gained in the process
d) How they can further improve the process
3.Encourage the students to employ creative and interesting ways of presenting their
project to sustain the audience’s attention.
 Comparison of Problem-Based
Learning and Project-Based
Learning
The two inquire-based approaches are rooted in constructivism. Both engage
the students in authentic student-centered tasks to enhance learning. They can
be used in combination and, therefore, are complementary but they are not
identical approaches.
Both PrBL and PBL have the following features:
Based on constructivist approach to learning
Learner-focused
Experiential
Geared towards “real world” tasks
Inquiry-based
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 are encouraged to find multiple sources of information
Emphasis on authentic, performance based assessment
Relate to the information processing approach
Differences
Problem-based learning involves students working together to solve a problem. Usually problems
are tied to real-life situations

In problem-based learning students do not choose their topics.

Project-based learning can be collaborative or individual. Students choose a topic that they are
drawn to.
 However, PrBL and PBL differ in some ways. The origin of PrBL is in science and engineering
whereas that of PBL is medicine and medical allied fields, architecture, business, education, and in other
situations where case study methods provide a useful focus in teaching/learning.

PBL is based on having an end product in mind while PrBL is based on solving a particular
problem.
PBL generally follows the production model (planning, researching, designing the product,
presenting and submitting the product, reflecting on the product and the entire production process)
while PrBL solves a problem via the inquiry model using a scenario or case study.
At the service of the K to 12
Curriculum
The standards and principles on which the K to 12 curriculum was anchored are the
same standards and principles that PBL and PrBL adhere to. The use of PBL and PrBL in
instruction is aligned with the instructional reform that the K to 12 wants to introduce in the
classroom. K to 12 is fo PBL and PrBL and PBL and PrBL are for K to 12.

Like the K to 12 Curriculum, both PBL and PrBL are very much learner-centered. The K to
12 Curriculum is based on a constructivist, inquiry-based, collaborative and integrative
instructional models.
 The 5 main features of PBL or PrBL cited by published studies and literature on PBL
match with the constructivist, inquire-based, collaborative and integrative instructional models of
the K to 12 Curriculum.
The 5 main features of PBL cited are:
1.Application of base knowledge
2.Development of critical thinking and decision-making skills
3.Self-directed learning
4.Collaborative work
5.Development of professional attitude
Assessment of PBL and PrBL and in K to 12

The philosophy of assessment and rating of learning outcomes for K to 12 is stated

in DepED order 73, s. 2012, to wit: “Assessment shall be used primarily as a quality assurance
tool to promote self-reflection and personal accountability for one’s learning. . .” The process of
self-reflection and self-directed learning or independent learning are essential features of PBL
and PrBL.

The learning outcomes to be assessed in K to 12 come in 4 levels beginning with

knowledge, followed by process or skills, understandings and product/performances.
 The lowest level, knowledge is defined in DepED Order 73, s. 2013, as the “substantive
content of the curriculum, the facts and information that the student acquires.”
Process, the second level for assessment, refers to “skills or cognitive operations that the
student performs on facts and information for the purpose of constructing meaning or
understandings.” From this definition, one learns that process, as the second level for
assessment, includes both manipulative skills and cognitive skills such as comparing, summarizing
, generalizing, drawing conclusions.
Understandings, as the third level of learning outcome, refer to the enduring big ideas,
principles and generalizations inherent to the discipline which are assessed using the six facets of
understanding (Mc Tighe and Grant Wiggins, Understanding by Design, 2005).
 The six faces of understanding are explaining, interpreting, applying, demonstrating perspective,
displaying empathy and possessing self-knowledge. This means that students develop understanding of
the lesson when they can:
1.Explain concepts, principles and processes by putting them in their own words, teaching them to
others, justifying answers;
2.Interpret by making sense of data, text and experience through images, analogies, stories and models;
3.Apply by effectively using and adapting what they know in new and complex contexts;
4.Demonstrate perspective by seeing the big picture and recognizing different points of view;
5.Display empathy by perceiving sensitively and putting one’s self in someone else’s shoes; and
6.Have self-knowledge by showing meta-cognitive awareness, using productive habits of mind such as
self-regulated thinking and self-directed learning and reflecting on the meaning of the learning and
experience.
Benefits to PBL
Project and problem-based learning prepare students for a competitive job market.

Project-based and problem based learning require the use of 21st century skills like collaboration, critical
thinking communication, and creativity.

“In this process, students pursue solutions to open-ended problems by formulating questions for investigation; designing
plans or proposals; collecting, analyzing, and integrating information; constructing explanations and models; and creating
artifacts or products of their understanding” (Papanikolaou & Boubouka, 2010, p. 135).
Problem-based learning ideas
What are solutions to problems kids face today?
-Childhood diabetes, childhood obesity

There are many endangered species in our state. What can we do to help solve the problem?

At one school each grade level has three problem based learning units per year. Students work towards
solving a real-world problem through deep research and investigation. Guest speakers come in, field trips are
scheduled, and then students present their solutions to a panel of experts as the culmination of the unit.
Project-based learning
Project-based learning projects are different because they rely upon student interest:

Question: Do a project where you find the volume of a specific object or design an object and find the volume.

Brainstorming ideas:
Design your dream house. Find the volume of each room.
Design an aquarium. Find the volume of water needed to fill the tank.
Find the volume of the swimming pools at Pirate’s Cove fun center
Problem-based learning and project-based
learning in your classroom
Project-based learning: start with a question and allow students to let interest drive learning.

Problem-based learning: Give students an open-ended and complex problem that they can solve. The
problem can be real-life focused and offer a solution to a real world problem.