PBL

What exactly is it?

You are placed in a small group of between 6-12 people with whom you discuss a scenario which you have been given. First the scenario is read and understood. Once this is done the group moves on to brainstorming the scenario.

Brainstorming is done in two parts. Firstly all words in the scenario are picked out and placed on the board.

Jim said ‘my liver is packing in.’

From the above sentence, you would take the words ‘liver’ and off that have ‘packing in’ and write them on the board. (Note in first year you are unlikely to get ‘packing in’ as you tend to focus on the normal function of the body.)

The next part involves using prior knowledge to a) find more words to come off liver and b) impress your fellow group members!

So off liver you would say ‘bile’ and go on to tell the group what you know about bile. Other suggestions might include portal system and anything else that is related to the liver. Again all this goes onto the board. The brainstorming part takes at least an hour of a two hour session.

After the group feels it has got all the information on the board it possibly can find, it moves on to creating objectives. Objectives are like homework questions that involve you going away and finding out about a particular thing.

So in the above example, on the board we would have (ignoring packing in):

·         Liver

·         Bile

·         Portal system

·         And anything else the group has come up with.

These are then converted to questions.

·         Describe the structure and function of the liver. Include blood supply and the portal system.

·         Describe the formation of bile and its use in the digestive system.

These are just examples taken from one sentence in a PBL scenario. They are my ideas, you probably have something different. This is one of the apparent beauties of PBL; everybody in the group has different points which they get across, and so help the PBL process.

Each student then goes away, learns and does their own research about each objective. After a week students return and report back their findings to the rest of the group. Discussion on each objective occurs.

The Pro’s of PBL

·         It’s a better way of learning. Apparently various studies show that students taught by PBL are just as good as students taught by the old ‘lecture based learning.’ PBL however helps students in other ways, see next points.

·         Students are better prepared to become doctors. Doctors require some ‘must have’ skills. Communication, leadership and the ability to remain on top of the latest discoveries in medicine. PBL helps you to do this.

·         Some students find learning by themselves helps the knowledge stick in their heads much better, rather than being ‘spoon fed’ by lecturers where information can go in one ear and out the other!

The Con’s of PBL

·         Conflict in the PBL group is certainly a possibility. I have never known this but I guess you could always find yourself with someone you don’t like.

·         Quieter students often don’t get as much benefit as other students. I have seen this and it’s usually the job of the chairperson and the PBL facilitator to ensure everybody has equal say. Problem with the quiet people however, is that you don’t know if they are quiet because they don’t know the answer or because somebody else is talking louder than them.

·         If one person doesn’t do the work then this will hinder the PBL group’s ability. I have noticed this and you will certainly experience this. When none of the group has done any work, you often find yourself sat in awkward silences!

·         More demanding, as you have to go out and actually do some work.

·         PBL is a new way of learning and at the end of the day, there will always be people who thought it was good for them, but find they were wrong.

 

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