Big6: 5 Actions (Part 3) #ecisdlearner

Note: This is Part 3 of the Big6 and Problem-based Learning series.Read Part 1 online here.

Image Source: http://www.summit.k12.co.us/cms/lib04/CO01001195/Centricity/Domain/606/big_six.png

Problem-based learning is a valuable tool for students of many levels. However, the task of designing a problem-based learning lesson can be daunting--the problems are large and messy, and it can be a challenge to know where to start. 

In the next part, we'll explore how five Big 6 related actions can help you keep your problem-based learning lesson under control and moving along.

Action 1 - Select a Problem and Brainstorm an Idea to Explore Its Potential (Task Definition)
According to Stepien and Pyke (1997), a problem-based learning situation must meet several criteria. The situation must provide an effective way of engaging students with experiences that scaffold higher order thinking. The situation should also accomplish curriculum objectives and include age-appropriate topics. Further, the learning situation should take the form of an ill-structured problem to foster inquiry at a level that is cognitively engaging but not frustrating. 

Lastly, the situation should make efficient use of instructional time allotted to the unit.When selecting a problem, the teacher can either look through academic standards and objectives for a dilemma, or search news stories for a problem that will allow the introduction of academic standards. In examining the problem, the teacher can use a brainstorming map to explore the content that students may encounter as they go about examining the issue and suggesting possible resolutions.

Brainstorming with some form of visual aid (e.g, spider map, clustering, fishbone mapping) can be an important tool for teachers to consider the breadth of the issue and to include cross-curricular connections. For example, in the past, the author worked with a sixth grade social studies teacher who was asking the class to examine the core dilemma involved in dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. 

By focusing only on activities to teach history, the sixth grade teacher missed the big question, "Should we have dropped the bomb?" and possible explorations through the stakeholders' points of view (for example, President Truman, U. S. Air Force Pilot, residents of Hiroshima, etc.).

Action 2 - Engage Students in a Real-Life Problem (Task Definition)
This action builds a blueprint for inquiry and the investigation process to follow. As the teacher, you identify key curriculum goals and work forward from those to pose an engaging introduction that reflects a real world, ill-structured problem.As in real-life, students must use the inquiry process and reasoning to solve the problem. The narrative that introduces students to the real-life problem is the key to a successful problem-based learning lesson.

Action 3 - Focus Inquiry and Investigation (Task Definition to Information Seeking Strategy, Location & Access and Use of Information)
Once students are engaged in the problem, they begin to write down their hunches about it and identify with a stakeholder. Following this, they can begin the process of locating, gathering and using sources of information using the Big6. Inquiry and investigation builds a basis for students to design a solution product.

Action 4 - Support Problem Resolution (Synthesis)
As students work their way through the different points of view according to the stakeholder position they have taken, it is important that they share information with each other. One way to do this is to encourage students to suggest a solution to the problem that considers the various points of view of all stakeholders. The teacher will want to facilitate a discussion to determine how students will share information to arrive at such a solution.

Action 5 - Facilitate Problem Debriefing (Evaluation)
After solving the problem, a key piece of problem-based learning is to debrief students. The debriefing step asks students to consider what steps they took to solve the problem and to determine the effectiveness of their reasoning. In addition, students reflect on whether or not they believe their solution will address the causes that were identified in Task Definition. For example, students can look at the criteria identified in Task Definition and ask themselves, "Did I find research from multiple sources?" and "Did I spend my time well in gathering and using information from various sources?" The role of the teacher is to help students focus on metacognition and to review issues inherent in the problem (Gallagher, 2000).