Problem+Based+Learning+(PBL)

Problem based learning (PBL) is an extremely effective teaching tool that can be used to engage students in content while learning problem-solving skills. The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice developing effective problem based learning activities for your classroom.

The rubric being used to assess this assignment is has two parts. The first part counts towards your course grade; the second part is being used by your instructor to assess how well your PBL lesson meets NCATE standards.

Web Quest Templates: [] []

As an introduction to Problem Based Learning, as well as the overall structure of a web quest, please go to [|What is Problem Based Learning?] and complete the activity described. When you are done, you should be able to ...

1. Describe the characteristics of a Problem Based Learning lesson. 2. Describe the purpose and structure of a web quest. 3. Analyze different web quests to determine if they are true PBL lessons or not.

Student Work:
RossettiRidge **By Kathy Rossetti** In this Problem Based Learning activity students will be exploring the affects of cigarettes and nicotine. Students are to work in groups of three and each students will have a specific role to fulfill during the project. After the students have collected data the group will then be organizing a portfolio. The portfolio will be turned in and grade. The students will have a mock debate once the project is completed.

http://bioxwebquest.wikispaces.com/ **By Max Green** Residents of Ebony, California have become concerned about the lifeblood of their town, a 20,000 acre alfalfa-hay farm. The farm just doesn't seem to be generating as much profit as it once did. At a recent town meeting, several proposals were made to help boost Ebony's economy that ranged from constructing a wind farm to staying the course. Students must research each proposal, decide which is the best option for the town, and present their findings in the form of a presentation to the class.

Columbia River Web Quest **By Lauren Clayton** During this PBL webquest, students will investigate a real-world case study: the population decline of wild salmon in the Columbia River in the USA's Pacific Northwest. The salmon population has dropped dramatically since the early 1900s, due to a variety of factors such as overfishing, damming of the river, urbanization and pollution. Students will work in teams of four. Each team will consist of an energy company employee, Native American tribe member, a conservation biologist, and a geologist. The students will work with their teams to develop a plan of action, recommending at least three different actions that can help improve the salmon population. This would fall in the ecology unit at the end of the year so students could integrate multiple concepts they had learned throughout the year.

Expandazoo **By Jill Dorbeck and Nicole Martinelli** In this problem based learning activity, students will be looking at the Dorbenelli Zoo. The zoo is looking to increase visitorship by adding one new endangered species exhibit. Students are asked to research all aspects of adding a new species to the zoo. The students will be working in groups of three and will be given class work time. This activity fits well in an ecology unit of introductory level biology.

On The Hunt **By Katie Greune and Lauren Birkner** In this PBL webquest students play an important member of society that will need to research and present their group viewpoint on a new law requiring all US citizens to be genetically tested for Huntington's disease to the President. Students will also need to sway the opposing opinions of "fellow citizens" by creating an informative brochure on their group viewpoint. Each group member will choose a different role, research Huntington's disease, answer the individual questions associated with their role and then collaborate with their group members to formulate their group viewpoint. This activity serves well as an ongoing project through a genetics unit or at the end and introduces students to the growing field of biotechnology.

Destruction in the Fields **By Brandon Parrott** In this PBL, the students are assembled into a group of experts in different fields of study in order to come together and solve the recent problems of soybean aphids in the local fields in central Illinois. Students will need to conduct research in their designated field and collaborate as to which method they find suitable to deal with the problem. They will then give a presentation in front of a mock city counsel and explain their research to them and validate through their research why their method they selected is the best method over the other methods they could have used. This activity fits well with studies of ecology and ecosystems as the information present is balance over the issue of how can they get rid of the pests and how their method of elimination will affect the local ecosystem.

[|Alderferberg or Fortuitous Bureaucrats] **By Sam Alderfer** In this activity the students will be playing the role of a consulting firm hired to help a small town spend stimulus money for green energy production. the students will be giving two presentations. the first they will do individually in it they will inform their group about the technical aspects of one type of green energy production. In the second presentation the students will work in groups to put together a pitch to the mayor and city council of the town advising them which kind of green energy industry they should invest their money in. This exercise could be a good fit in an ecology unit. It emphasizes the unique ability of the human animal to consciously alter its own environment.

http://medicineoftomorrow.wikispaces.com/ **By Lauryn Funteas and Tim George**

This problem based learning activity involves students working together in groups of four each with different roles in order to choose what medical plants the research company based out of South Dakota, Medicine of Tomorrow, should be grown for a specific population of citizens in South Dakota. The groups’ goal is to provide medical assistance to the town of South Dakota by constructing and operating a year round herbal pharmacy with land outside of Bloomington. The students will need to research and decide what plants they will grow, how many of each, and how they will make the medicine from the plants in order to inform the town with a source of visual media about the plants that they will be growing.

In this PBL the students will be in groups of 3 and they will be coming up with a conclusion for the cause of a major fish kill. The students will be given data over the last 2 years and they will need to compare it to the month of the fish kill. They will be expected to come up with a paragraph explaining what caused the fish kill using the EPA standards and data and other resources. They will also be given an individual role in the community in which they will need to write a paragraph defending themselves and be able to talk about it at the "town meeting" This PBL hits on the majority of sciences and allows the students to increase their research skills along with data and graph interpretations. It also allows them to come up with a plausible conclusion on the ripple effect that caused the fish kill.
 * [|What Caused the Fish Kill?] By Ashley Fleming and Frank Savaligo**

FDA Analysis - **By Kyle Gunlock, Kevin Templin, Jon DeRew** This activity allows students to make an educated decision based on research information. The drug Baycol has been found to lower harmful cholesterol, but unfortunately it causes some complications within some patients. Each student will make a decision to hinder or defend Baycol's decision to bring the drug back to the market. The students will be taking on the role of an FDA agents, and will present their side of the argument to try to sway the rest of the FDA (other students).

Going Organic? **By Kari Free** This problem based learning web quest is designed to involve students personally – their school wants to change the cafeteria food… to organic! The administrative board is having trouble voting on the issue because they do not understand what makes food organic, how it is nutritionally better, the extra cost of serving organic food, and how foods are digested in the body. The students are to form teams of 4; each student will have a specialty that they research. Once they complete their research, the team meets and shares information and then comes to a stance on the issue. Next, they complete a presentation including a visual aid that they will present at the next administrative board meeting. They are to inform and persuade the board members. This web quest could be used in a variety of areas in the curriculum – biochemistry, nutrition, digestive system, and even ecology.