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Introduction |
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NATURE presents wildlife in unique situations that raise challenging questions in both natural science and environmental protection. These questions can bring to light different viewpoints as well as inspire further inquiry. An ideal way for students to explore these questions is through problem-based learning (PBL), an approach that is integrated in several of NATURE's lesson plans. As you browse the lesson plans, look for those marked "PBL"; these lessons utilize the problem-based learning method.
Problem-based learning is an instructional method that develops the problem-solving skills needed to accomplish tasks both in the professions as well as in everyday life. In problem-based learning, students encounter a problem or issue and perform research in an attempt to reach a solution. As in everyday experiences, the process may begin with insufficient information. Students develop hypotheses in response to the problem. They gather and evaluate data from a variety of print, multimedia or Internet sources, and then revise their hypotheses in response to the data they encounter. A problem may have one or more solutions, and students' perception of the problem may change through synthesis, evaluation and communication with others.
Benefits of problem-based learning include skill development in areas such as problem-solving, critical thinking, creative insight, decision-making, conflict-resolution, and higher reasoning, as well as in written and oral communication. Students, by working through various challenges, acquire knowledge of problems and concepts through their own initiative, and gain greater respect for themselves and their fellow students. Students can also engage in problem-based learning through a cooperative-learning approach, in which students work in groups that determine different solutions to the same problem. This adds the further benefits arising from cooperative effort, including interpersonal and communication skills. And students come to recognize that a problem may inspire more than one reasonable solution.
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Procedure |
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Students work in groups (of about four members) to address a particular problem. Within these groups, they propose hypotheses and choose one for further inquiry. They then perform research directed by the hypothesis until they reach a reasonable solution in the time allotted by the teacher. Student Handout 1 summarizes the steps in the procedure. Handout 2 lists the rules that students should follow through the PBL process.
Step 1: Define the problem.
The teacher confronts the students with a plausible hypothetical problem. The teacher should do prior research to verify that material is available and suitable for students to research the problem.
Step2: Propose hypotheses.
Hypotheses are hunches or educated guesses about possible solutions. In problem-based learning, students form hypotheses based on group discussion, previous knowledge, and any information acquired up to that point. Through the course of the problem-based exercise, hypotheses will be continually evaluated and may be rejected, corroborated, synthesized, or modified. New ones may also be proposed as incoming data is evaluated. Use Handout 3 to organize discussions on hypothetical solutions.
Step 3: Gather and evaluate information.
With their hypotheses providing direction, students may explore print, Internet, and multimedia sources to acquire data. Handout 4 can be used to organize the information that students gather. An important aspect of gathering information is evaluation. Is the material relevant? Is it current? Are the sources unbiased and is the information they provide accurate?
Step 4: Synthesis and solutions.
Students develop their solutions. Discussion of the various solutions may follow, and synthesis and consensus may be used to come up with a solution that effectively incorporates important points from more than one point of view. Students may use Handout 5 to help facilitate this process. The groups can then present their solutions, using the criteria listed in Handout 6 and Handout 7 to guide their work. They may include video and multimedia, graphic displays, photographs, artwork, performance, as well as written and oral components. Students may then be invited to write papers on their own positions, and how they may have changed from when the problem was first proposed.
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Academic Standards |
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The process of problem-based learning may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from CONTENT KNOWLEDGE: A COMPENDIUM OF STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS FOR K-12 EDUCATION and have been provided courtesy of McREL, the Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning.
Working with Others: Standard 1
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=22&StandardID=1
Contributes to the overall effort of a group
Benchmarks: Challenges practices in a group that are not working; Demonstrates respect for others in the group; Takes initiative when needed; Identifies and deals with causes of conflict in a group; Engages in active listening; Evaluates the overall progress of a group toward a goal.
Working with Others: Standard 2
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=22&StandardID=2
Uses conflict-resolution techniques
Benchmarks: Communicates ideas in a manner that does not irritate others; Understands that three effective responses to criticism are (1) acknowledgment, (2) token agreement with a critic, and (3) probing clarifications; Identifies individual vs. group or organizational interests in conflicts
Working with Others: Standard 4
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=22&StandardID=4
Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.
Benchmarks: Displays empathy with others; Displays friendliness with others; Seeks information nondefensively; Provides feedback in a constructive manner; Uses nonverbal communication such as eye contact, body position, voice tone effectively; Reacts to ideas rather than to the person presenting the ideas.
Thinking and Reasoning: Standard 1
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=21&StandardID=1
Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument.
Benchmarks: Understands that when people try to prove a point, they may at times select only the information that supports it and ignore the information that contradicts it; Identifies techniques used to slant information in subtle ways; Understands that to be convincing, an argument must have both true statements and valid connections among them; Evaluates the overall effectiveness of complex arguments.
Thinking and Reasoning: Standard 2
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=21&StandardID=2
Understands and applies basic principles of logic and reasoning.
Benchmarks: Analyzes the deductive validity of arguments based on implicit or explicit assumptions; Understands that people sometimes reach false conclusions either by applying faulty logic to true statements or by applying valid logic to false statements; Understands that a reason may be sufficient to get a result but may not be the only way to get the result (i.e., may not be necessary), or a reason may be necessary to obtain a result but not sufficient (i.e., other things are also required; some reasons may be both necessary and sufficient).
Thinking and Reasoning: Standard 4
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=21&StandardID=4
Understands and applies basic principles of hypothesis testing and scientific inquiry
Benchmarks: Understands that there are a variety of ways people can form hypotheses, including basing them on many observations, basing them on very few observations, and constructing them on only one or two observations; Identifies and critiques studies in which data, explanations, or conclusions are presented as the only ones worth considering; Presents alternative explanations and conclusions to one's own experiments and those of others.
Thinking and Reasoning: Standard 5
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=21&StandardID=5
Applies basic trouble-shooting and problem-solving techniques.
Benchmarks: Applies trouble-shooting strategies to complex real-world situations; Represents a problem accurately in terms of resources, constraints, and objectives; Reframes problems when alternative solutions are exhausted; Evaluates the feasibility of various solutions to problems; recommends and defends a solution.
Language Arts: Standard 4
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=7&StandardID=4
Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
Benchmarks: Uses appropriate research methodology; Uses a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information for research topics; Synthesizes information from multiple research studies to draw conclusions that go beyond those found in any of the individual studies; Uses systematic strategies to organize and record information.
Language Arts: Standard 8
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=7&StandardID=8
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.
Benchmarks: Uses criteria to evaluate own and others' effectiveness in group discussions and formal presentations; Asks questions as a way to broaden and enrich classroom discussions; Uses a variety of strategies to enhance listening comprehension; Makes formal presentations to the class; Responds to questions and feedback about own presentations.
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Thirteen/WNET's Educational Publishing Department prepares educational kits to accompany
NATURE television programming. These guides are available in print and electronically,
as PDFs (Portable Document Format), through the Web.
Go to the Teacher's Guides
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