Problem Based Learning

I don't get problem based learning. My secret is out.

I understand why it works. It presents a question. We love to answer questions. It's 10 times more interesting. It's not lecture. It's more concrete. It's more relevant.

I get that.

What I don't get is how to create them. How do you develop a problem that includes those layers of math? How do they problem solve without knowing what to do?

If I don't know how to do something, I'll google it, twitter it, and ask people about it.

But what if they're wrong? Just because I have answers doesn't mean they're right. Even if students do find answers, how do they know the answers are right? What if they don't know where to find the answers from in the first place?

My biggest fear is that I won't know how to solve it or I'll help to reinforce the wrong way.

I guess I need to learn more or see this in action to really understand how it is developed and implemented.

Furthermore, do students who learn through problem based curriculums score well or better on standardized tests? How can the curriculum be developed to cover all necessary objectives without weird gaps or leaving things out?

It's obviously more practical because life doesn't come at you in the form of standardized tests but in the form of problems. And in life, problems don't come with instructions on how to solve and don't always end in a prim and proper way.

Life is complex and messy and consists of problem solving with trial and error. While I would love my math class to be described in the same way, I would have no idea how to start. How do you assess? How much help do you give the students? How much scaffolding and guidance do they need? Are problem based curriculums implemented individually, cooperatively, or a combination of both?

One of my students stated it simply, "Math is a beast."

And to me, problem based learning is the dragon.