The Problem is the Solution
PBL in the Social Studies
glennw@essdack.org
February 17, 2009
Glenn Wiebe

Where are we going
today?

Sticky ideas?

Solving problems makes the
brain happy

It’s not a silver
bullet, it’s a
hammer

“I solemnly swear to share any helpful
resources with my new workshop
buddies - unless it’s Butch and his
gang.”

Workshop resources
www.socialstudiescentral.com

Jot down at least one thing you know
about problem based learning

Each person grab a coin!

PBL is:
and has these characteristics:

Driving question
Is it ever okay to violate the Bill of
Rights?

How can you develop an valid
argument so that Congress does
the right thing concerning the
compensation of Japanese
Americans interned during World
War II?

Using evidence from the WWII
Japanese American experience,
contemporary documents and contact
with mentoring politicians / experts,
focus on the following statement:

“Descendants of those of Japanese
descent interned during World War II
should be entitled to financial
compensation from the federal
government.”

GRASPS

Goal
Persuade the US Congress to support
o
your position concerning financial
compensation
Role
Japanese American Citizens League,
o
White House staff, others
Audience
Senate Judiciary Committee (Principal /
o
BOE president / Chamber of Commerce president)

Situation
You have been asked to present
o
arguments during committee hearings
on a bill that would compensate
Japanese Americans interned during
WWII and/or their descendants
Product
You need to prepare an oral argument
o
for or against the proposed bill

Standards
Your presentation should be both
o
textual and visual and include:
o Accurate data concerning the
internment
Possible consequences of
o
compensation
o Amount / Type of compensation
Possible funding sources
o
o Constitutional arguments

“Can We Believe This?”
Buck Institute for Education
o
www.bie.org

Based on these two examples and
“What Does Problem-Based Learning
Look Like in the Classroom”
PBL is:
And has these characteristics:

What is PBL?
“A way to organize learning around
ill-structured problems so that
students simultaneously acquire new
knowledge and experience in
wrestling with problems.”

Characteristics?
An actual or simulated situation
Problem is “messy”
Student centered
More work than one person can do
in time allowed

No clear solution
Requires a product or action
Students must have a “stakeholder”
“Raw” data

Add or subtract?

Why PBL?

“The brain developed to solve
problems relating to surviving in an
unstable, outdoor environment and to
do so in near constant motion.”
John Medina
Brain Rules

Can I eat it?

Can it eat
me?

Can I have sex
with it?

What then . . .
is your job?

Convince a 14 year
old that writing a five
paragraph essay is
vital for her survival

“If you wanted to
create an educational
environment that was
directly opposed to
what the brain is good at
doing . . .

“. . . you would
probably design
something like a
modern
classroom.”
John Medina
Brain Rules

Brains
search for
patterns

Won’t store discrete pieces of data
long-term

So?

So?
Everyone has personalized mental
models of reality called schema

So?
Everyone has personalized mental
models of reality called schema
Existing schema are key for new
learning

In the early 1860s, A______________
issued the Emancipation _____________.
This order freed millions of s___________.
The C____________ had the authority to
enforce this order. Emancipation alone
did not give the former s___________ a
new life. Decades of economic hardship
and unequal rights continued.
A____________’s plan was supported by
many.

In the early 1860s, Alexander II issued the
Emancipation Edict. This order freed
millions of serfs. The Czar had the
authority to enforce this order.
Emancipation alone did not give the
former serfs a new life. Decades of
economic hardship and unequal rights
continued. Alexander’s plan was
supported by many.

emotional
Brains work best when
chemicals are increased

Brains want to
work with
others

PBLs provide structured patterns

PBLs create emotional connections

PBLs encourage collaborative learning

PBLs become about “survival”

Simpler?

“True learning is based on
discovery . . . rather than the
transmission of knowledge.”
John Dewey

Oh . . . yeah.
And there’s
that whole
Flat Earth
thing

Great communications skills
Ability to define problems, gather
data, create solutions
Play nice in the sandbox

PBL structure
What are some basic assumptions we
should make concerning PBLs &
social studies?

History is incomplete & open to
interpretation
Facts as “evidence” rather than “truth”
o
Urge use of raw evidence
o

History is incomplete & open to
interpretation
Facts as “evidence” rather than “truth”
o
Urge use of raw evidence
o
Different “levels” of PBL
Quick “opener” up to several weeks
o

Focus on the process / not the
“correct” answer

Focus on the process / not the
“correct” answer
Subject matter experts provide
feedback

Focus on the process / not the
“correct” answer
Subject matter experts provide
feedback
Need a hook

Activity should be “ill structured”
Frustration is good for the brain
o

Activity should be “ill structured”
Frustration is good for the brain
o
Provide access to the same tools &
tech

Activity should be “ill structured”
Frustration is good for the brain
o
Provide access to the same tools &
tech
Don’t get too involved

Provide scaffolding
Process / team building / thinking /
o
reading

Provide scaffolding
Process / team building / thinking /
o
reading
Incorporate collaboration
A balance of individual / group /
o
outside expert work is important

Other examples?
WebQuests
PBL Online
www.pbl-online.org
Online sims and video games

WebQuests
“An inquiry-oriented activity in
which some or all of the information
that the learner interacts with comes
from resources on the Internet”
Bernie Dodge 1995

WebQuests
Do some searching at the WebQuest
matrix
Webquest.org
o
Nothing?
Try Google
o

Online PBLs

Online PBLs
Who Killed William Robinson?
www.canadianmysteries.ca
o
What Really Happened at
Thanksgiving?
www.plimoth.org/education/olc/
o
index_js2.html

What “squares”
with your
thinking?
What’s going
“around” in your
head right now?

Can they be less “intense?”
Presidential Candidates
o

What makes a great
leader?

Who’s who?
1) John Adams
2) Patrick Henry
3) Ben Franklin
4) Thomas Jefferson
5) Benedict Arnold
6) George Washington

Can they be digital?
Video games & online sims
o

Third World Farmer
www.3rdworldfarmer.com

www.knowledgematters.com

www.discoverbabylon.org

www.beyondtimeandspace.org

www.nps.gov/webrangers

www.plimoth.org/education/olc

www.stopdisastersgame.org

www.teamtreks.com

www.educationalsimulations.com

electrocity.co.nz

www.making-history.com

www.peacemakergame.com

Step one
Select knowledge & skills that
students will demonstrate
Based on local & state standards
o

Step two
Develop a driving question
Organizes and provides focus
o
Thought provoking and invites inquiry
o
Have no simple answers
o
Kid friendly
o

How can we best protect the Ogallala
Aquifer?
Can the use of nuclear weapons
ever be justified?
Which came first - slavery or racism?
Was FDR the best president ever?
Are there modern day “witch trials?”
What’s the best form of
government?

Problem template

Problem template
How can we (central issue) . . .
so that (conditions for acceptable
solution)

Problem template
How can we (central issue) . . .
so that (conditions for acceptable
solution)

Problem template
How can we (central issue) . . .
so that (conditions for acceptable
solution)
How can we develop a water use
policy so that natural resources
and the economy of western
Kansas are both protected?

What might be the content and skills
in your next unit?
Driving question ideas?
Problem ideas?

Step three
Develop possible product or
performance task
Use GRASPS as a starting point
o
Examples?
o

GRASPS
What is the Goal?
What is the Role?
Who is the Audience?
What is the Situation?
What is the Product / Performance?
What are the Standards for
evaluation?

What might be a product or
performance that is aligned to your
problem?

Step four
Determine availability of resources &
tools
Books, articles, web sites, computers,
o
fax machines, people

Step five
Map and manage the process
Create unit “storyboard”
o
Differentiated instruction
o
Step by step work plan
o
Be willing to “improvise” along the
o
way

Step six
Evaluation
Self-reflection

Is it any good?
The Six A’s & rubric
Authenticity
o
Academic Rigor
o
Applied Learning
o
Active Exploration
o
Adult Connections
o
Assessment Practices
o

Three important points
to remember?
Stop! How might I
implement what I’ve
learned?

Share out with last coin partner

Sticky ideas?

Solving problems makes the
brain happy

It’s not a silver
bullet, it’s a
hammer

“There are many ways of
going forward, but only one
way of standing still.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

WE TALKED
ABOUT PBLS.
Bill Watterson ©1995