Problem-Based Learning in K-8 Classrooms: A Teacher's Guide to Implementation

`Using Problem-Based Learning has changed the way I teach completely. My children now learn more, do more, and have much more fun in the process. I have more fun in the process too and, once again, can enjoy the things that attracted me to teaching in the first place. I recommend that every K-8 teacher pick up this book and use it not just for what PBL can do for students, but what it does for teachers!' - Elizabeth Durling, 20-year Elementary school teacher Winston-Salem, North Carolina This book is designed to familiarize educators with the philosophy of Problem-Based Learning, to show its intended benefits, and to present many classroom examples. In the problem-based learning approach, students are presented with a problem and work in small groups to arrive at some resolution to the problem. The teacher is no longer the focus of all that happens, although the teacher plays a crucial role in selecting the problem and facilitating the student groups. Rather, the students determine the kind of content learning required to move forward, the resources to use, and how new information is synthesized towards resolution. Ann Lambros demonstrates how, as a result, the students become an active part of their own learning, creating their own direction as driven by the problem scenario. PBL enlarges the scope of learning opportunities for students at all levels of education. The author clearly outline the implementation of PBL in classrooms at every level, including practical, easy-to-follow segments: "Getting Started," "It Looks Like This," "Problem Examples," and more This book is a valuable resource for any teacher or principal interested in learning about the benefits of Problem-Based Learning for their school.