Problem Based and Studio Based Learning: Approaches to Promoting Reform Thinking among Teacher Candidates

Abstract

Problem based learning (PBL), which originated in medical schools in the 1960s, and studio based learning (SBL), which can be traced to apprenticeship designs of the Middle Ages, are pedagogies that are now being utilized across various disciplines of study. PBL is premised on the idea that when students independently research issues related to a problem and then reconvene in a large group to analyze what has been discovered about the issues, the students collectively learn more and learn more deeply about the problem under scrutiny. SBL is similar to PBL with a primary exception being that the learning occurs within the shared learning environment of a studio. This paper reports the findings of a study of the integration of PBL and SBL into a teacher education program. Three cases are presented that support the premise that PBL and SBL can serve as catalysts to reform thinking by teacher candidates.