Problem-Based Learning: An Inquiry Approach by John F. Barell

by John Barell

A step-bystep guide for teaching your students to think critically and solve complex problems!

In a world with increasingly global economies and competition, students need to learn how to think critically and analytically, and to apply their imaginations to solve complex problems. Problem-based learning (PBL) does just that, helping students identify problems, pose their own questions, research answers, report results, and create a stake in their own learning. While teachers know the benefits, they are sometimes challenged by the process.

Expert John Barell troubleshoots the PBL process for teachers. Basic procedures make this remarkably effective teaching model accessible and highly doable for all teachers, from beginners to veterans. The author draws on practical classroom experiences and incorporates methods that are widely praised by reviewers and users of the first edition. This standards-based, teacher-friendly second edition includes:

A step-by-step method to simplify the process Examples showing problem-based learning in action Answers to frequently asked questions on standards-based implementation Thorough guidelines for developing problems for students to solve and letting them develop their own Rubrics and assessment tips to ensure that standards are met

Problem-Based Learning, Second Edition offers an easy-to-follow, rich teaching model for all teachers and grade levels, enabling you to confidently engage students for more meaningful learning and success, both inside and outside the classroom!

Genres: Teaching, Education

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

John Barell is a national and international consultant to schools interested in teaching inquiry, critical thought and reflection.

A native New Yorker, Barell has sailed to Antarctica as part of Operation Deepfreeze to explore that continent based upon his meetings and correspondences with Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. After Antarctica, he became an educator in New York City public high schools, then at Montclair State University in teacher education and world literature (now Professor Emeritus). Subsequently (2000-2007), he was a consultant at The American Museum of Natural History where he fostered networks of inquiry among science and social studies educators.

Currently, he is researching the various ways we assess the quality and improvement of students’ performances with 21st century skills: inquiry, problem solving, critical/creative thought and technological proficiency. The first completed report on this project, How Do We Know They’re Getting Better? Assessment for 21st Century Minds, K-8 (Corwin), was published January, 2012. His focus now is on those who teach at the high school level.

Sailing to Antarctica has served as his model for inquiry: starting with a dream and a passion leading to explorations of new territories, both physical, spiritual, educational and creative.

Barell is author of these publications about Antarctica: Quest for Antarctica—A Journey of Wonder and Discovery (memoir, 2011, ebook); Surviving Erebus—An Antarctic Adventure on board HMS Erebus and Terror (YA novel, 2008; 2011 ebook) and “Twenty Below,” an award winning story published by Boys’ Life and Boys’ Life Anthology.

He is also the author of these professional books: Did You Ever Wonder? Fostering Curiosity Here, There and Everywhere (2013); How Do We Know They’re Getting Better? Assessment for 21st Century Minds, K-8 (2012); Why are School Buses always Yellow? Teaching for Inquiry, PreK-5 (2007); Problem-Base Learning—An Inquiry Approach (2007); Developing More Curious Minds (2003); “. . . EVER WONDER. . ?” (1992); Opening the American Mind (1988) and Playgrounds of Our Minds (1980).

A recent (2013) novel, Absolute Bearing, is available at amazon.com. One reviewer wrote: “Not since I read Nicholas Monsarrat's THE CRUEL SEA have I enjoyed a sea tale, indeed, a tale of life itself, so much!”

Reviews

[Julián Cárdenas Barrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los ejemplos de aplicación de la estrategia PBL y otros se vuelven demasiado repetitivos, sin embargo, es una buena fuente de la fundamentación teórica.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm interested in implementing PBL around my literature units and found this book somewhat helpful. For me, I think the book lacked specificity even though it did give me some ideas on how to design PBL units. I would have loved to see a detailed literature unit all the way from start to finish upon which I could model my units, but the book lacked this amount of detail for literature. Still, I understand the basic premise around PBL and will be trying to integrate the concepts this upcoming year.