Stoller: PBL - What is it?

Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a method of teaching math that involves a problem relevant and age appropriate to the students. The problem is truly a problem, in that it features more than one answer. Emphasis is placed on the process of solving the problem, and students work together with the teacher serving as a facilitator. The teacher asks questions to guide learning and initiates an ill-structured problem which the students claim as their own, personal problems. The students are encouraged to seek multiple answers, the final assessment being student reflections of themselves, their group, and their product.
PBLs require a few important details. First, the problem must be ill-structured (messy) so that students first need to define the problem based on what they know already and what they need to know. It forces them to organize and gather information before they can generate solutions and decide on the best solution.