Project-based learning (PBL)

This page can be accessed by shortlink http://bit.ly/pblecon
Peter J. Taylor , Graduate program in Critical & Creative Thinking , and Science in a Changing World track

A. Introduction to my use of a form of PBL in graduate-level teaching (5 mins)

• Origin in excess of topics and diversity of students, 2003-5
• Flourishing in Graduate Consortium for Women's Studies course, 2009
• Brought back into regular UMB graduate-level teaching, 2010-
• Evolving questions about how to ease students away from traditional vies of themselves as learners

B. Economics faculty think about the 1918 flu pandemic--A rapid PBL experience (36 mins)
Goals (2 min)

• generate a range of questions about the 1918 flu pandemic that connect with interests of economics instructors
• experiencing how much can be learned in a short time using the PBL structure

Listen to the audio recording from a witness to the 1918 flu pandemic, http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/107 (3 min)

On one's own

• What struck you in this witness report from the 1918 flu pandemic?
• What questions arise from this that you (as an economist, activist, human, teacher,...) might like to inquire into?

In pairs or threes: Compare responses with a view to stimulating more questions and clarifying those questions

On one's own
Spend time on the web finding out as much as you can that addresses one or more of the Questions, probably leading to more Questions.

In pairs (or threes) (5 min)

• What Question(s) did you inquire into? (No time to convey the answers)
• And what means did you use to Find out things related to your Question(s)?

On one's own (2 min)

• Write down the most significant thing you learned in this rapid PBL, either about
  • * your Question(s)
  • * the similarities or differences between your Question(s) and those of others
  • * internet-based inquiry into such Questions, or
  • * the rapid PBL process as experienced today.

Everyone together (5 min)

• Share that thing.

C. A larger picture of PBL -> Q & A (15 Mins)
Key features and tensions of PBL, http://cct.wikispaces.umb.edu/PBLguidedtour

(Footnotes: On the range of uses of wikis: http://www.faculty.umb.edu/peter_taylor/wikiuses
"Guided tour" on development of my teaching: http://cct.wikispaces.umb.edu/peter_taylorteaching
Fieldbook of tools and processes: Taylor, P. J., & Szteiter, J. (2012). Taking Yourself Seriously: Processes of Research and Engagement. Arlington, MA: The Pumping Station.)