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A Compelling Need to Know: a Taste of Investigative Cases and PBL
John PeleskoUniversity of Delaware
Pat Marsteller Emory University
Center for Science Education
It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.
Alec Bourne
Flu?
• Please read to yourself, noting questions
• We’ll then read aloud.
George:Hey Mary, how’s it going? With finals coming up, my life is
crazy! I sure hope I don’t get the flu again like I did last year…my gen chem grade took a nose dive!
Mary:So did you get your flu shot? I did.George:No way I’m wasting $30 bucks on a flu shot. I got one last
year and I still got sick. So sick I missed the Falcon’s game and had to watch it on TV at Jim’s party. Jim got one too and he got the stomach flu. Besides aren’t you worried about side effects from the flu shot?
Mary:Shoot, no! Besides if you get the shot you won’t
spread the flu to others. I heard on TV that a certain percentage of the population have to be protected or we could have an epidemic, like the one in 1918. I think over 20 million people died!
George:Are you sure that was flu? I’m gonna ask my Bio
prof.
What do you think this case is about?
What do you already know that relates to this case?
What do you need to know to understand the case?
PBL Process: Part 1
• Facts: What do you know from the case?
• Questions: What would you like to ask the characters to help you
• Hypotheses: What’s the case about?
• Learning Issues: What do you need to look up or find out about
Scene 2:
Later that day… George: Wow! My bio prof showed me a neat program to
look at the effects of people getting vaccinated. Let me show you….It’s called the SIR module.
http://www.bioquest.org/esteem/esteem_result.php
Starting Population
# Susceptible: 200
# Infected: 21
# Recovered: 0
Epidemiological Parameters
Initial Transmission Rate: 0.39 39
Post-Intervention Transmission Rate: 0.04 4
Recovery Rate: 0.20 20
Intervention Time: 10
0
50
100
150
200
250
0 50 100
Time
# People
# Susceptible # Infected# Recovered
The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover
new ways of thinking about them.Sir William Bragg (1862 - 1942)
Quick Review
• Student owns the learning• Collaborative• Instructor
– Selects or Designs Real, Authentic PBL– Asks questions– Uses Authentic Assessments– Debriefs and reviews– Monitors group process
PBL: a way of learning• Powerful educational tool• Uses small groups and tutor/facilitator model• Active, collaborative, student centered• Focuses on authentic problems and cases• Reflects complexity and interdisciplinarity • Develops life-long learning skills• Used in many disciplines
Variants on the Themehttp://www.bioquest.org/usernote.html
• A case is a narrative-often with characters facing decisions or dilemmas
• Cases define the problem space that the learner will investigate
• Cases are often open ended with no “right” answer
• Cases are often complex & multidisciplinary
Cases types
• Investigative: focus on 3Ps: Problem Posing, Problem Probing and Peer Persuasion
• Decision cases• Directed or Guided Cases• Interrupted Cases
All can incorporate labs, datasets,simulations
Define the problem Analyze the
problemWhat is known?
What information do you need to investigate?
Generate hypotheses
Identify resources
Collect new information
(Internet, books, journals, interviews, labs and
simulations)
Exchange new information
Is the case complete?
Summarize (create product/assessment
that demonstrates understanding)
NoYes
The extremes
Pure PBLComplex problem
Learner centered
Group size 6-8
Facilitated
Faculty as coach & designer
Authentic assessment
Usual Case Method
Simpler alternatives
Teacher directed
Single or whole class
Guide questions
Faculty as information dispenser
Many types of assessment
Implementation Models
• Roving facilitator
• Peer facilitators
• Alternate whole class and small group
• Short, targeted problems for specific objectives
• Large class with IT support
PBL and Cases• Motivate students and increases retention and
persistence in the disciplines (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997)
• Develop skills (Johnson et al 1991, 1998)
– Critical analysis– Observation– Computation– Written and oral communication– Logic– Decision-making
• Improves learning and retention of concepts and data (Springer et al, 1997)
Paradigm Shift!
• The role of the instructor changes– Instructional Design– Facilitator of Learning– Guide on the side, not the sage on the stage
• The role of the student changes– Asks questions– Identifies learning issues– Questions sources– Self reliant Learner
Which concepts?
• “We can’t make the whole course PBL. My department chair would have heart failure. I wonder what kinds of topics and concepts we should use it for? ”, Graham stated.
• “Let’s start with something easy that we already have a lab for so it can be investigative”, said Danielle.
• Ah, come on. We probably should pick one of the hardest things for students to learn. What we really want to do is incorporate more Quantitative methods, stats, equations…Or something where they have lots of misconceptions. That’s the stuff where they really get turned off and disengaged, countered Christine. Let’s all brainstorm a list of hard concepts.”
Finding Cases
• Aruna:• “So, where’d you find all these cases, Melissa?
• Melissa:• “Well, first I looked on Cases OnLine. Then if I could
find one for my topic I used some of the resource sites that Pat gave us from scienceNet. If nothing else worked …well you know. Google knows.”
• Janielle
• Cool, Let’s go surfin’.
• Dave:• Hey! I found this great Chemistry case, called “I am Nora’s Medulla Oblongata” on
CasesOnLine. It’s got a lot of calculations and a lot of neuroscience. I wonder if it will interest the intro students ,
• Janet:• I’d be a little worried about that one. Isn’t it all about drugs? I’m not sure we want our kids
to think about drug overdoses. “How can we fix it to make it less, you know, controversial?”
• Yvette • “I found lots of good stuff on this buffalo site. Most seem to be written without much
quantitative content but I bet we could add some datasets and simulations to make them more interesting. Like Pat says. Make them local, use dialogue, cool names, and local events. They even have math ones. I like this one, Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis:Bt Corn, Lignin, and ANOVAs. It’s a bit too directed though…but it’s got stats!
• http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/bt_corn/bt_corn1.html
• John:• There’s some cool problem spaces for bioinformatics on
this one. Let’s do HIV!• http://www.bioquest.org/bedrock/problem_spaces/
index.php
• Mary:• Hey cool..look at all these bio cases…lots have
investigations…not too quantitative though…http://www.bioquest.org/icbl/cases.php
Adopt and Adapt
• Using the Finding Cases handout or the powerpoint provided on your disk, find at least one case that you might use to teach a difficult concept.
• Report this afternoon• Why do you think it’s a good case? • How might it challenge and engage your
students?• How would you modify the case or PBL?
Adapting Cases
• Know your audience– What do students know?– What Interests them?
• Know your curriculum– What concepts are hard to teach?– What concepts can you connect to real world issues?
• Define your objectives– What do you want them to know and be able to do?
• What “Learning Issues” do you want students to investigate?
The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.
Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903)
Authentic Assesments
• Educational brochures
• Letters to editor, government agency
• Units for younger students
• Magazine articles
• Be creative!
How People Learn
People construct new knowledge based on what they already know.
“Constructivists assume that all knowledge is constructed from previous knowledge, irrespective of how one is taught . . .” (p. 11).
If you are planning for a year, sow rice.
If you are planning for a decade, plant trees.
If you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.
Thanks
• You!
• John Jungck,Margaret Waterman and Ethel Stanley: BioQUEST, Lifelines
• Jay Justice and Jordan Rose: PRISM
• PRISM grad students and teachers
• HHMI NSF and Emory for $$$
University of Delaware
• http://www.udel.edu/pbl/
Finding Caseshttp://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/case.html
Finding Cases https://www.mis4.udel.edu/Pbl/
Finding Cases http://www.uwrf.edu/caseit/caseit.html
Bioquest: Open Ended Simulations
Finding Cases http://www.asmusa.org/edusrc/souvenir/index.html
PBS Anthrax Case
• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/november01/anthrax/
PRISM: K-12 Cases
ScienceNET
– http://www.sciencenet.emory.edu/coll_curr/faculty_projects/recent.html
– http://www.sciencenet.emory.edu/coll_curr/pbl_links.html
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.Stephen Jay Gould (1941 - 2002)
Just for Questions
• http://www.cse.emory.edu/prism/learningissues.cfm
An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't.
Anatole France (1844 - 1924)
A compelling Need to Know
Assessment – StudentsYou can use these criteria to assess their products
• their participation and contribution to work in groups, • the kinds of issues they identify, • the questions they develop, • the investigations they propose, • where and how they locate resources,• how they conduct investigations, and • the presentations they make.
Assessment – Students
· actively acquiring information about a science topic within this problem space?· re-organizing this information?· using strategies to select resources beyond text materials?· using a problem-oriented approach? (Is there a question for investigation?)· collaborating with other individuals in problem posing or problem solving?
While students are working, consider these criteria:
Assessment – Students
· choosing among alternative approaches to solve problems?· negotiating, arguing, or attempting to convince others?· generating graphs, tables, charts, or other graphics?· presenting conclusions?· presenting evidence to support their conclusions?· generating further questions as a result of this activity?
While students are working, consider these criteria:
Assessment – How well did it go?• How well does the activity work as a learning tool with your students?
• Was the time allotted for exploration adequate?
• Were the students able to generate questions that they could investigate? • Was there a problem with the case in this regard - too vague, difficult, long, not challenging enough?
Assessment – How well did it go?• Did student discussion generally address
the objectives of the activity? Were there any other important objectives that should be included?
• Were the students able to locate additional resources? Were the materials useful?
• How well did the activity fit with the other lectures, labs, discussions, and recitations?
• What worked especially well?
Group Member
Provided
Significant
Contribution
Completed
Assigned
Task
Overall
Participation
Total
Score
Rate each group member on a scale of 1-10
(“1” being failed or not fulfilled, and “10” being excellent)
List specific roles, responsibilities, and tasks
performed by each group member
and the quality of the contributions.
See Tips for Making Your Group Work for other examples
Self/Peer Evaluation Form
Flexible Facilitation Models for Problem-Based Learning in K-12 Classrooms
Rationale for Flexible Facilitation Models
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a student-centered, inquiry-based pedagogy in which students work together in small groups to investigate real-world problems. In PBL, the role of the teacher changes from lecturer/instructor to facilitator/guide. Originally developed for use in medical school curriculum, PBL has spread to other academic subjects and settings, including primary and secondary schools, where particular challenges confront those who wish to implement PBL. The traditional PBL model of facilitation, in which a trained facilitator guides each small group of students through a problem, is not typically feasible for kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) classrooms that contain only one teacher. K-12 schools have limited resources to recruit, train, and schedule additional facilitators. In order for PBL to be successful in a precollege setting, one must allow for some departure from the small group/multiple facilitator model that typifies PBL. We recommend the adoption of alternate facilitation models that provide the flexibility necessary for implementation of PBL at the K-12 level.
Summer 2001
Small group / multiple facilitatorThis is the traditional PBL approach, with a trained facilitator in each group. Since there is typically only one teacher per classroom, this model is not generally feasible for K-12 schools, However, university students/faculty/staff, school staff/administrators, parents, and even advanced K-12 students may be used as facilitators.
PRO: Each group has a trained adult facilitator for maximal instructional support.CON: Resource intensive (recruitment, training, scheduling multiple facilitators).
Small group / two roving facilitatorsIn some classroom settings, it may be possible for two teachers to serve as roving facilitators. The classroom teacher may enlist the assistance of a team teacher, inclusion teacher, ESOL teacher, or other school staff. Furthermore, local graduate or undergraduate students may be available as classroom facilitators.
PRO: A more reasonable model for K-12 settings than the traditional PBL model, while still permitting lower student-teacher ratio than normal.CON: Depends on availability and training of the second facilitator..
Large group / teacher as facilitator Small group / teacher as roving facilitator
Although the large group model (on left) looks like a non-PBL classroom, when used in conjunction with the small group model (on right), the result is a mixed-model approach that makes PBL feasible for a single teacher. Students are able to work in small groups as the teacher rotates around the room spending time with each group. The teacher is then able to debrief the entire group, facilitating a whole-class discussion with input from each small group.
PRO: Feasible model for a 1-teacher classroom.CON: It can be easy to fall back into teacher-centered instruction.
Small group / student groups self-facilitate / teacher as roving facilitatorThis is the ideal model, in which students facilitate their own groups. This does not typically occur until later in the semester, after students have experienced PBL for some time and understand what is expected of them. Gradual movement toward this model can be made through step-wise increases in student responsibilities; as the teacher steps back, the students step up. The teacher still rotates through each group, but is less involved with managing group dynamics and directly facilitating group discussion. The students are now self-directed and self-sufficient learners.
PRO: Students take charge of their own learning.CON: It takes time to develop the experience, leadership, maturity, and self-confidence necessary for students to facilitate themselves.
