Modern “problem-based learning” (PBL) includes problem solving, interpersonal communication, self-directed, critical thinking, and self-reflection. This kind of teaching and learning is fundamentally interpersonal placing emphasis on personal interaction, communication, coordination, and group discussion.
With widespread outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, schools were often closed or at best went remote or sometimes hybrid (where face to face and remote learning are combined together). Instructors committed to PBL have tried to find ways to sustain interaction and collaboration – but it is not easy. How can instructors adapt themselves to this challenge? What type of initiatives can they take to mitigate the disengagement of learners during distance learning?
Tools for problem-based learning have emerged with the development of educational technology and with our understanding of how to teach with it. Increasingly teachers are learning how to use platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google classroom to facilitate PBL – indeed such technologies may even encourage the take up of PBL.
Teamwork and collaboration are key to PBL. PBL can take place where students congregate in small groups, ask questions, discuss their suggested strategies, and share their solutions to the problem. In fact, teachers can create these learning spaces using the standard platforms, although many are not yet doing so. Let’s see how they can do this:
Microsoft Teams:
While conducting online meetings, where you can present the problem to your students using the “share content “tab of the MS platforms, you can use the following features of MS Teams to engage your students in PBL:
Breakout Rooms
Teachers can use “Breakout Rooms” tab in MS teams to divide the students into groups so that students in each group can discuss their approaches of finding out a solution to the problem. Using “Breakout Rooms”, teachers can create rooms and assign each group of students to a specific room. The students then will be moved automatically to their respective rooms.
Chat tab
In each room, students can raise questions and open a discussion via the “Chat” feature. They can also share files, images, notes and documents.
Whiteboard:
While working in the breakout rooms, students can use the whiteboard feature to brainstorm, problem-solve, and plan for sorting out the problem in hand. The whiteboard feature enables them to draw, sketch, and write using digital pens, collect ideas from each other using the “post it” notes. They also can insert images or pdf files into the whiteboard. This whiteboard is available to all students in each group, so that every student can collaborate by posting their ideas on the whiteboard canvas. The students can access the whiteboard even after their meeting is over.
One Note Class Notebook
Every individual student in each group can use this feature to have their own spaces to work. They can take notes during their meeting. Teacher can use OneNote Class Notebooks to provide every individual student with handouts and documents, in addition to supporting them with feedback. While students are working in groups (rooms), teacher can access all rooms along with their content (chats, files, whiteboards, or anything else students added or created in their rooms). He/she can move between the breakout rooms to monitor or clarify a task or to stimulate discussion.
Plenary Work
The teacher can broadcast an announcement to all breakout rooms. Students will receive notifications in their respective meeting chats. Once students are done with their tasks, teacher can bring them back to the main meeting by closing the rooms. He/she can close the rooms individually or all at once.
Zoom:
As with MS TEAMS, this learning platform offers an array of tools that engage students interactively in group work and hence facilitates PBL implementation. Tools include: video conferencing, virtual chat, screen sharing, annotations, break out rooms, and whiteboard. It is helpful that the chat thread can be archived, reviewed and shared at a later point. An additional interactive feature of Zoom is “Polling”. While working in the breakout rooms, students can use this feature to bring their discussion to a conclusion or rank their ideas
Google Classroom
It's a platform that ties together Google's Workspace tools (formerly known as G Suite). This platform integrates with Google's other tools like Meet, Documents, Forms, and Drive, etc. Teachers can use the Meet tool to conduct PBL lessons, where students can work collaboratively via breakout rooms, chat, and jam board (similar to whiteboard).
What this shows is that Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Classroom offer a similar set of tools to support interactive problem-solving, whether you are teaching remotely or in a hybrid manner. With practice and learning from one another, I believe, that we can become as assured in switching backwards and forwards from group to whole class work in a learning platform as we are in a face to face classroom.
Please share your experiences of managing interactive problem-based learning on line.
Dear Julian,
I totally agree that nowadays teachers need to possess an array of skills in order to cope with the unprecedented events which include, but not limited to, technological, pedagogical, and environnemental.
However, I think that coping with these events or changes or even improving has more to do with teachers' self-efficacy and attitude-more than her age. Once teachers view the benefits of any tool or any technique, they would anticipate the positive outcome.