I want to share part of a unit evaluation I used in my economics class last semester. The unit I taught was a problem-based unit. This type of lesson front loads the unit with a “wicked” real-world problem that the students must grapple with before they begin to learn any content. This process makes the acquisition of new content more purposeful for students and will, in theory, promote meaningful and lasting learning.
Because students are challenged with solving the wicked problem, a high level of intellectual rigor is required throughout the entire unit. Students at all proficiency levels must struggle with unpacking the wicked problem before they can move forward. Students are ultimately successful in converting the wicked problem into a wicked question, and learning accelerates.
At the end of the semester I asked students the question below using a unit evaluation:
Those results were satisfying. Most students in that class think they learn better in a problem-based learning environment. This validates my hard work and effort. However the next question in the unit evaluation produced an unexpected pattern.
I asked students why they made their particular choice and requested their response in written format. Here are the groupings:
Students who preferred PBL provided
shorter simplistic responses.
Students who preferred “conventional” learning provided
longer well-articulated responses.
The salient points are not contained in any of the reasons they provided. Here is where the money is: students who are skillful reader/writers prefer units designed closer to lecture format. Shit! That was never my intention.
If PBL provides a more intellectually rigorous learning experience then conventional lecture/textbook learning, then why are my most academically proficient students giving thumbs down? (Disclaimer: many dissenters stated they like PBL, but they still prefer the conventional classroom)
According to a majority of my students, PBL is here to stay, at least in my regular economics classes. The challenge for me moving forward is too obvious…