Problem-based curriculum
Is there a focus on identifying and solving intellectual and/or real-world problems?
A problem-based curriculum is identified by lessons in which students are presented with a specific practical, real, or hypothetical problem (or set of problems) to solve.
Problems are defined as having no specified correct solution, requiring knowledge construction on the part of the students, and requiring sustained attention beyond a single lesson.
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No problems are presented during the lesson.
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Some minor or small problems are posed to the students requiring substantial knowledge construction/creativity from students.
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A large problem has been set requiring engagement by students over a number of lessons.
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A year 8 Health and Physical Education teacher was working on a unit with a Year 8 class about building a raft. Teacher directed discussion ensued about what skills the students would need to build the raft and what outcomes they wanted from the exercise. This was discussed and negotiated.
The students suggested that if they were going to build a raft, they needed to learn how to effectively work in groups. In response to that the teacher had the students play game in the gym where students were allowed to throw balls in all directions with the aim of the game being to keep the balls in perpetual motion. There was frenetic movement of balls around the class. The teacher stopped the game and asked how it could be modified to work more effectively. There was extensive discussion about rules. Much of this discussion was extended to take in questions of rules in society - questions of who created them, why, were they able to be negotiated, did everyone have the same opportunity to create the rules and so on.
The game continued under different sets of rules. Students were able to construct rules, argue why they were appropriate and look at their effects. This one lesson was not treated as an isolated incident but as focusing on the development of one skill needed in order to solve the larger problem. A number of other interesting lessons were conducted by this teacher. All of these were designed in ways which sought to build upon the skills and knowledges which the students and the teacher had deemed necessary to solve the larger problem of the construction of a raft.
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