Problem-Based Learning in Classrooms

 Panay News
 4 Apr 2018
  By Noel T. Vicente, Guinbanga-an Elementary School, District of Laua-an, Division of
Antique

ONE of the goals of the K to 12 Basic Education Program is to produce learners who are
problem solvers and critical thinkers. In order to produce these kinds of learners, teachers must
employ strategies that will facilitate the development of these skills.

One strategy believed to be effective in the realization this goal is to apply Problem- Based
Learning Approach in classrooms. Let this composition focus on how PBL Approach should be
done in classrooms.

PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

APPROACH

P ro b l em- B a s e d L e a r n i n g Approach is a method designed to engage all learners even

those who typically struggle. It gives students the opportunity to collaborate with their
classmates. It is a model that relies on students to think deeply and be cooperative learners
(DepEd NTOT 2017).

The use of PBL is very important because it develops mathematical and logical processes, and
student confidence and identities. It also provides a context to help students build meaning for
the concept, and focuses students’ attention on ideas and sense making.

For a clearer understanding of how PBL is applied in the classroom, the following procedures are
provided as a guide:

Problem-Based Learning Approach Lesson Plan Structure (Based on DepEd’s Format) I.

OBJECTIVES
Content Standards Performance Standards Learning Competencies/ Objectives Write the LC
code for each

II. CONTENT III. LEARNING RESOURCES

A. References Teacher’s Guide pages Learner’s Materials pages Textbook pages Additional
Materials from Learning Resource (LR) Portal

Other Learning Resources

III. PROCEDURES

B. Establishing a purpose for the lesson

(Here, the teacher shall provide introductory and motivational statements prior to the giving of
the problem.)

E. Discussing the answers to the problems

( Teachers should consider that there are several possible ways in solving the problem. Rubrics
should focus more on the right process than the mere final answer.)

G. Finding practical applications of concepts and skills in daily living

H. Making generalizations and abstractions about the lesson I. Evaluating learning J. Additional
activities application or remediation

III. REMARKS IV. REFLECTION

A. No. of learners who earned 80% in the evaluation

B . N o . o f l e a r n e rs w h o require additional activities for remediation

C. Did the remedial lessons work? No. of learners who have caught up with the lesson

D. No. of learners who continue to require remediation

E. Which of my teaching strategies worked well? Why did these work?

F. What difficulties did I encounter which my principal or supervisor can help me solve?

G. What innovation or localized materials did I use/discover which I wish to share with other
teachers?
Teachers should be very particular with the kind of problems they are trying to use. For their
guide, the following pictures taken from the DepEd NTOT 2017 are given for further
understanding.

TYPES OF PROBLEMS

1. Closed Problems – are problems which require only one answer.

2. Open-Ended Problems – are the ones that require students to think more deeply. These
problems have several correct and acceptable answers, and are considered to be very good
questions.

Let us learn how these problems are being done.

Closed Problem: The children in Cruz Family are aged 5, 8, 11, 13 and 17. What is their average
age?

Problem -Based /b2

INQUIRY AND PROJECT BASED

LEARNING
 Sun.Star Pampanga
 11 May 2018
 JULIUS Z. AUTOR

Inquiry-based learning is one of the most powerful teaching strategies in the classroom because
research tells us that students learn best when they construct their own meaning. Inquiry-based
learning triggers student curiosity. Teachers act as facilitators during the inquiry-based learning
process. According to Heather Wolpert-Gawron in the Edutopia article, regarding Inquiry-Based
Learning there are four steps in the process: ( a.)Students develop questions that they are hungry
to answer (b.) Students research the topic using time in class (c.) Students present what they’ve
learned (d.) Students reflect on what worked about the process and what didn’t. In a classroom
where students research a topic then present their findings, inquiry-based learning allows
students to "learn deeper and wider than ever before" (Wolpert-Gawron, 2016). In traditional
teaching, students are less likely to ask questions and are expected to listen and answer questions
posed by the teacher. Inquiry-based learning allows students to pose the questions and research
and convert the information into useful knowledge, thus ramping up the level of student
engagement. Research confirms that project-based learning (PBL) is an effective and enjoyable
way to learn. PBL also develops deeper learning competencies required for success in college,
career, and civic life . Project-based learning uses real-world scenarios, challenges, and problems
to engage students in critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and selfmanagement. Once
students solve the problem or challenge, they present their solutions. The problems students
solve can be presented to community leaders to solve problems in their own community and uses
collaboration, digital tools, and problem solving skills to come up with a solution to the problem
presented. Why are so many educators interested in this teaching method.

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP: BETTER

TEACHING
 Sun.Star Pampanga
 11 Aug 2017


CHRISTINE M. CALMA

Greater emphasis on skills also has important implications for teacher training. Our resolve to
teach these skills to all students will not be enough. We must have a plan by which teachers can
succeed where previous generations have failed.

Advocates of 21st century skills favor student-centered methods— for example, problem-based
learning and project-based learning— that allow students to collaborate, work on authentic
problems, and engage with the community. These approaches are widely acclaimed and can be
found in any pedagogical methods textbook; teachers know about them and believe they’re
effective. And yet, teachers don’t use them. Recent data show that most instructional time is
composed of seatwork and whole-class instruction led by the teacher (National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network, 2005). Even when class
sizes are reduced, teachers do not change their teaching strategies or use these studentcentered
methods.

Why don’t teachers use the methods that they believe are most effective? Even advocates of
student-centered methods acknowledge that these methods pose classroom management
problems for teachers. When students collaborate, one expects a certain amount of hubbub in the
room, which could devolve into chaos in less-than-expert hands. These methods also demand
that teachers be knowledgeable about a broad range of topics and are prepared to make in-the-
moment decisions as the lesson plan progresses. Anyone who has watched a highly effective
teacher led a class by simultaneously engaging with content, classroom management, and the
ongoing monitoring of student progress knows how intense and demanding this work is. It’s a
constant juggling act that involves keeping many balls in the ai r.

Part of the 21st century skills movement’s plan is the call for greater collaboration among
teachers. Indeed, this is one of the plan’s greatest strengths; we waste a valuable resource when
we don’t give teachers time to share their expertise. But where will schools find the release time
for such collaboration? Will they hire more teachers or increase class size? How will they
provide the technology infrastructure that will enable teachers to collaborate with more than just
the teacher down the hall? Who will build and maintain and edit the Web sites, wikis, and so
forth? These challenges raise thorny questions about whether the design of today’s schools is
compatible with the goals of the 21st century skills movement.

For change to move beyond administrators’offices and penetrate classrooms, we must understand
that professional development is a massive undertaking. Most teachers don’t need to be
persuaded that project-based learning is a good idea— they already believe that. What teachers
need is much more robust training and support than they receive today, including specific lesson
plans that deal with the high cognitive demands and potential classroom management problems
of using student-centered methods.

Unfortunately, there is a widespread belief that teachers already know how to do this if only we
could unleash them from today’s stifling standards and accountability metrics. This notion
romanticizes student-centered methods, underestimates the challenge of implementing such
methods, and ignores the lack of capacity in the field today.

Instead, staff development planners would do well to engage the best teachers available in an
iterative process of planning, execution, feedback, and continued planning. This process, along
with additional teacher training, will require significant time. And of course none of this will be
successful without broader reforms in how teachers are recruited, selected, and deselected in an
effort to address the whole picture of education’s human capital challenge. — oOo— The author
is Teacher I at Pulung Santol High School–Main
ROWEL M. LEAL

Any government or public office is now quantified in its capacity on how it answers effectively
to change. In this sense, leadership and managerial skills are requisite.

Leadership, as always defined by many, is a prowess to direct, influence, convince and persuade
people within the group in unison towards one direction to attain the set goals of the
organization. The leadership role of the school head is actually one of the delicate
responsibilities he handles for he leads diversity of people. He needs to understand that there are
more capable individuals. Some are experienced and some are neophytes who need scaffolding.
This simply means that he is leading/ managing people with ample differences in various
aspects. He needs to balance everything and ensures that each of them performs at the finest
level despite of these differences.

The school head performs different forms and levels of HR strategic approach as a response to
the aspiration of the government to quality change. A strategic approach to HR necessitates
rational and logical systems. All the tasks of HR function collectively and strengthen each other.
These work beneath a cohesive goal and that is to increase the performance of the organization.

The HR organization offers opportunities to guarantee the growth and protect the wellbeing of
both teaching and non-teaching staff and it enables them to effectively reply to the demands of
its swift changing environment.

The following are legal bases that reiterate the HR functions of the school head.

1. DO 9 Series of 2002: Establishing the Program on Awards and Incentives for Service
Excellence (PRAISE) in the Department of Education

2. DO 57, s. 2007- Guidelines on Hiring and Deployment of Pre-school Teacher s

3. D.O 66 Series of 2007: Revised Guidelines on the Appointment and Promotion of other
Teaching, Related Teaching and Non-Teaching Positions.

4. DO 50, s. 2014- Guidelines on the Recruitment, Selection and Placement of Personnel

Pursuant to the DepEd Rationalization Program Under Executive Order 366 s. 2004.

5. DO 2, s. 2015- Guidelines on the Establishment and Implementation of the Results-Based

Performance Management System (RPMS) in the Department of Education

6. D.O 6 Series of 2016- Hiring Guidelines for Senior High School Posit i ons.

7. DO 9 Series of 2016: Reinforcement of DepEd Order Nos. 7 and 22, s. 2015 as the Hiring
Guidelines for Kindergarten to Grade 10 Teaching Positions 8. RA 9155 Governance of Basic
Education Act of 2001 The school heads as the HR agents are now called to legally and
intelligently select the best people as the facilitators of learning. These facilitators will ultimately
develop and best equip their learners with all needed competencies that certainly respond to the
varying environment. Therefore, the bigger functions that the HR managers/ leaders have, the
greater responsibility and accountability they have. — oOo— The author is Teacher III at
Buensuceso Elementary School, Arayat West District

TEACHING STRATEGIES
 Sun.Star Pampanga
 12 Jan 2018


The author is Teacher

GERLIE M. GARCIA

Fact: Effective teachers are always on the prowl for new and exciting teaching strategies that will
keep their students motivated and engaged.

Fact: Whether you’re a new or experienced teacher, you may feel inundated by all of the new
educational buzzwords, theories, and new strategies that are out there.

Fact: With all of this information available, it’s hard to decide which strategies are right for your
classroom. Sometimes, the old tried-and-true ones that you have been using in your classroom
just happen to work the best, and that’s OK. Teaching strategies that are considered “new” may
just not fit into your teaching style.

These are facts unravelled by researcher Janelle Cox (2017), who, in a study, identified teaching
strategies that have been a staple in most classrooms:

1.Cooperative Learning: The Jigsaw

Cooperative learning gives students the opportunity to work with others and see different points
of view. Research shows that students learn more effectively when working together rather than
apart, and it is also known to improve self-confidence in students. The jigsaw technique is
especially effective because each student is responsible for one another’s learning, and students
find out really quick that each group member has something equally important to contribute to
the group in order to make the task a successful one. Students are exposed to and use many skills
throughout this strategy: Communication, problem-solving skills, cognition, and critical thinking
— all of which are essential for a successful academic career.

2.Inquiry-Based Instruction

Inquiry-based learning implies involving students in the learning process so they will have a
deeper understanding of what they are learning. We are born with the instinct to inquire — as
babies we use our senses to make connections to our surroundings. Inquiry-based learning
strategies are used to engage students to learn by asking questions, investigating, exploring, and
reporting what they see. This process leads students to a deeper understanding of the content that
they are learning, which helps them be able to apply these concepts they are learning in new
situations. In order for our students to be able to be successful in the 21st century, they need to
be able to answer complex questions and develop solutions for these problems. The Inquiry-
based learning strategy is a great tool to do just that.

3. Differentiated Instruction: Learning Stations

Differentiated instruction strategies allow teachers to engage each student by accommodating to

their specific learning style. According to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, every
person has a different mind, and therefore each person learns and understands information
differently. Differentiating instruction offers a way to meet all students’needs. One helpful
strategy to differentiate instruction is learning stations. Learning stations can easily be designed
to enable students with diverse learning needs. Teachers can set up each station where students
will be able to complete the same task, but at the level and style that is specifically designed for
them.

4. Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are a simple and effective tool to help students brainstorm and organize their
thoughts and ideas in a visual presentation. Simply put, they help students organize information
so it is easier for them to comprehend. Graphic organizers can be used for any lesson; to
structure writing, brainstorming, planning, problem solving, or decision-making. The most
popular organizers are the Venn diagram, concept map, KWL chart, and T Chart.

5. Utilizing Technology in the Classroom

Integrating technology into the classroom is a great way to empower students to stay connected
in this technological era. Technology-rich lessons have been found to keep students motivated
and engaged longer. Some examples of utilizing technology in the classroom is to create web-
based lessons or a Webquest, multimedia presentations such as a video, animation, or some type
of graphic, utilizing a tablet or an iPad, taking your class on a virtual field trip, participating in an
online research project, or even creating a class website. Any of these technology integration
strategies will have a positive impact on student learning.
As Cox notes, an experienced teacher knows that not every teaching strategy that you use will be
an effective one. There will be some hits and misses, and depending upon your teaching style,
and the way your students learn, you will figure out which strategies work and which do not. It
may take some trial and error, but it doesn’t hurt to try them all. — oOo—

I at Barit Elementary School, Candaba East District

And the next approach in this chapter is the Project- Based Learning
(PrBL/PjBL). What is Project-based Learning?
Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a
dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper
knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students
learn about a subject by working for an extended period of time to investigate and
respond to a complex question, challenge, or problem.
 It focuses on a production model. As the name implies involves a project which
involves a complex task and some form of student presentation and/or creating an
actual product.

Students can do Project-based Learning by defining the purpose of creating end

product, identifying their audience, doing research on the topic, designing the product,
implementing the design, solving the problems that arise and finally coming up with
product.

The two approaches that are discussed earlier are linked to each other and are
related to other approaches namely the inquiry-based, collaborative, research-based,
interactive and constructivist.

Reflection:

In this chapter, I have learned that a student best learn if they are finding ways to
come up with a solution in a given problem. These approaches are related to other
approaches like the research-based, inquiry-based, the collaborative, interactive and
constructivist.

Also I have learned that one hobby of our mind is to come up with a problem,
which is odd but definitely true, then finding ways to solve it. But I realized that even
though a human being such as me has an odd hobby, I find it useful and intriguing
because having a human to be curious to find something or to solve something, is very
rare. Nowadays, few people are curious on how to be significant and reliable.