USING PROBLEM BASED LEARNING TO ACHIEVE

LIFELONG LEARNING

OPEN UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

14 NOVEMBER 2011

OUR ERA

• GLOBALIZATION ERA- ERA OF INFORMATION, TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNICATION

• SHOWS THE IMPACT IN ALL SECTORS OF SOCIAL LIFE

• APPERAS A NEW SOCIETY, KNOWLEDGE BASED• THE NEED OF READINESS FROM ITS MEMBERS TO

HAVE BOTH KNOWLEDGE AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

CHANGES IN EDUCATION

• THE CHANGES IN SOCIAL LIFE INFLUENCES THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION :

• ACCORDING TO THE DEMANDS OF THE PROGRES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• ACCORDING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS AND TECHNOLOGY OF LEARNING

• HERE ARE A LOT OF PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

1. SEPARATION BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE WHICH MAKE STUDENTS TO NOT UNDERSTAND THE BENEFIT OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE

2. THE METHOD OF TEACHING

LIFELONG LEARNING

• THE THEME OF THIS SEMINAR IS ABOUT LIFELONG LEARNING

• LIFELONG LEARNING IS THE EDUCATION RESULTING FROM INTEGRATION OF FORMAL, NONFORMAL, AND INFORMAL EDUCATION WHICH CREATE ABILITY FOR CONTINOUS LIFELONG DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE (NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ACT,1999)

• TEACHING LEARNING METHOD IS ONE OF THE TOOLS WHICH SUPPORTS LIFELONG LEARNING

LEARNING PROCESS

• THE LEARNING PROCESS IS DEFINED:• AS LEARNING WHICH PROGRESSES IN TIME AND

BY DEGREES, IS PLANED AND GOAL DIRECTED (DUCH & GROH,2001)

• AS A RESULT OF THE LEARNING PROCESS , THE LEARNER GETS AN INSIGHTFUL KNOWLEDGE WHICH INCLUDES BOTH ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO USE THIS KNOWLEDGE

TRADITIONAL & CONSTRUCTIVIST METHOD

• ACCORDING TO THE TRADITIONAL VIEW: • TEACHING HAS BEEN SEEN AS TRANSFERRING

INFORMATION TO A STUDENT • THE TEACHERS DECIDE WHAT INFORMATION AND

SKILLS THE STUDENT SHOULD LEARN• ACCORDING TO THE CONSTRUCTIVIST POINT OF VIEW:• THE LEARNER ACTIVELY CONSTRUCTS KNOWLEDGE • THE PHYLOSOPHY OF CONSTRUCTIVISM HAS BECOME

THE BASE FOR MANY LEARNING STRATEGIES ORIENTED TO THE LEARNERS’ NEEDS

PROBLEM BASED LEARNING

• CONSIDERING BLOOM’S MODEL OF COGNITIVE LEVELS , THE PBL STRATEGY IS MORE SUITABLE THAN THE TRADITIONAL METHOD BECAUSE :

a. WILL STIMULATE THE STUDENTS TO WORK AT THE HIGHER LEVEL OF ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION

b. THE SKILLS AND ABILITIES OF SOCIAL INTERACTION ARE IMPROVED

• SAFFERY&DUFFEY (1996) SAID THAT PBL IS ONE OF THE BEST TRANSLATION OF CONSTRUCTIVIST THINKING INTO PRACTICE

WHAT IS PBL?

• PBL IS AN INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD – THE STUDENTS WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE A PROBLEM

• PBL IS A CURRICULUM – CONSISTS OF WELL DESIGNED PROBLEMS

• PBL IS A PROCESS – DEMANDS A LOT OF SKILLS LIKE : CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING PROFICIENCY, SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING STRATEGIES

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PBL

• THE ROLES CHANGE- THE TEACHER BECOMES A FACILITATOR, THE STUDENTS ASSUME THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR LEARNING

• THE LEARNING PROCESS IS STUDENT-CENTRED• PROBLEMS ARE STIMULUS FOR LEARNING• ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO WORK TOGETHER • NEW INFORMATION AQUIRED THROUGH SELF-

DIRECTED LEARNING

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF PBL?

• TO DEVELOP : KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES• TO GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THE TUTORS TO

COMMIT TO STUDENTS DIRECTED LEARNING• TO MAKE CONSTRUCTIVE EVALUATION OF

STUDENTS• THE MAIN GOALS OF PBL:• TO SOLVE PROBLEMS• TO INSPIRE STUDENTS TO LEARN • TO FOSTER THE SKILLS FOR SELF-DIRECTED

LIFELONG LEARNING

ADVANTAGES OF PBL

• INCREASES THE STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN DEVELOPING INITIATIVE

• THE MORE REAL THE PROBLEM IS, THE HIGHER IS THE POTENCY TO TRANSFER THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE IN THE DAYLY LIFE

• DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING OR HIGHER ORDER OF THINKING

• SHOWS A BETTER INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE• DEVELOP LIFELONG LEARNING SKILLS:

MORE…..

• HOW TO RESEARCH• HOW TO COMMUNICATE• HOW TO HANDLE PROBLEMS• INCREASES MOTIVATION• INCREASES STUDENTS’ INTERACTION• INCREASES STUDENT-TUTOR INTERACTION

THE WEAKNESSES OF PBL

• THE FIELD OF SCIENCE IS NOT SO WIDE• NEED MORE TIME• DIFFICULT TO DESIGNE A GOOD ‘REAL PROBLEM’• TRANSITION FROM TRADITIONAL CLASS TO PBL

CLASS IS DIFFICULT FOR STUDENTS• IS DIFFICULT FOR THE LECTURER TO CHANGE THE

THINKING THAT HIS ROLE IS AS FACILITATOR

WHY WE LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE?

• KNOWING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE BRINGS OPPORTUNITIES

• HAVE A BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER PEOPLE AND CULTURE

• READ AND UNDERSTAND MORE• EMPLOYEMENT ADVANTAGES• AN EMPLOYEE WITH PRACTICAL LANGUAGE AND

INTERCULTURAL SKILLS IS NECESSARY FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH

• MULTILINGUALISM CONTRIBUTES TO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

PBL IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES

• MEET A LOT OF DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES • USING PBL IN CHINESE, JAPANESE, FRENCH AND

RUSSIAN CLASSES IS A DIFFICULT TASK, BUT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE

• TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM TAKES MORE TIME (ABOUT 3 MEETINGS) TO GET THE INFORMATION, TO SHARE, TO CORRECT, AND TO USE THE INFORMATION

• THE STUDENTS WORK WITH DICTIONARY MORE THAN IN TRADITIONAL CLASSES

• THEY HAVE TO COMMUNICATE EACH OTHER IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THEIR FLUENCY

MORE…

• IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES WITH PBL , PROBLEMS WILL LEAD STUDENTS TO THE CONTENT, BUT IN A WAY THAT FOSTERS LIFELONG LANGUAGE LEARNING

• TEACHERS CAN BEGINE WITH SIMPLE PROBLEMS ( LETTERS, ADVERTISMENT, ETC)

• PROBLEMS CAN BE SIMPLE OR COMPLEX DEPENDS ON THE STUDENTS’ LEVEL

THE CHALLENGES IN FLC WITH PBL

• STUDENTS COMMUNICATE IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE

• IF THE COMMAND OF LANGUAGE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH , CREATIVITY WILL DROP

• IS NOT RECOMMENDED AT THE BASIC LEVELS• NEEDS MORE TIME• IS DIFFICULT TO CONSTRUCT A PROBLEM PURE

LINGUSTIC• MUST COMBINE LANGUAGE WITH OTHER

SUBJECTS LIKE : HYSTORY, LAW, MEDICINE, GEOGRAPHY, ETC

MORE ABOUT …

• LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE TAKES TIME AND EFFORT

• IS A LONGLIFE TASK• ALWAYS ARE NEW VOCABULARY WORDS,

EXPRESSIONS, SENTENCES TO LEARN• BECOMING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER

SHOULD HAVE :1. KNOWLEDGE OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN

LANGUAGE- THE TEACHER CAN SPEAK AND WRITE WELL IN THAT LANGUAGE

2. KNOWLEDGE OF HOW LANGUAGE IS USED-

…….

• CAN EXPLAIN GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY• KNOWLEDGE OF PEDAGOGY- CAN APPLY THEIR

KNOWLEDGE TO THE LESSON, KNOW HOW TO CREATE A GOOD ENVIRONEMENT FOR LEARNING

• THE TEACHERS ALSO ARE THE LONGLIFE LEARNERS

THANK YOU