The problem with the problem: on student orientation in an advanced problem based teaching and learning

Abstract

Problem based education is not always desirable and does not lead to a good student orientation automatically. Rather, pivotal elements, the quality of the problems and the type of solution of the problems matter. The problems must contain pivotal tasks of prospective activities of the students. The students must be addressed by the problems. In vocational education, the problems must contain pivotal tasks of the prospective vocational activities of the students. The problems must invite the students to acquire a competence, namely shaping comp¬etence, by finding a solution more or less on their own and under consideration of possible alternative solutions. This will not only lead to the acquisition of information/knowledge/skills. Furthermore, it will not only lead to the ability to more or less skilfully combine information/knowledge/skills. Alone or in a group, the students must learn how to define and solve real problems of their everyday life and of their work life meaningfully and they need to justify the solution on their own. In this respect, the students need guidance and support. This article delineates and justifies an advanced problem based teaching and learning (PBL). Especially the requirements for a problem and the student orientation will be discussed. An adequate learning project will be described and discussed.