Using Problem-based Learning to Explore Unseen Academic Potential
Main Article Content
Abstract
to see if the use of Problem-based Learning (PBL) would encourage students to reveal
previously unseen academic potential. Two PBL units were taught to 271 sixth grade students in
13 classrooms. Afterwards, teachers identified students who demonstrated previously unseen
academic potential during the PBL units. This advanced academic potential group was compared
with students identified as gifted using district criteria and the remaining sixth grade
students. Measures included standardized achievement test scores, teacher ratings of students’
engagement in PBL, and independent ratings of students’ performance on specific PBL
assignments. Results of comparisons support the teacher’s identification of the advanced
academic potential students as a group distinct from both from the traditionally identified
students and general education students. Findings suggest that a well-designed, engaging
curriculum such as PBL can create learning context that encourages more students to reveal
academic potential.
Article Details
1. Publication and Promotion: In consideration of the Publisher’s agreement to publish the Work, Author hereby grants and assigns to Publisher the non-exclusive right to print, publish, reproduce, or distribute the Work throughout the world in all means of expression by any method now known or hereafter developed, including electronic format, and to market or sell the Work orany part of it as Publisher sees fit. Author further grants Publisher the right to use Author’s name in association with the Work inpublished form and in advertising and promotional materials
2. Copyright: Copyright of the Work remains in Author’s name.
3. Prior Publication and Attribution: Author agrees not to publish the Work in print form prior to publication of the Work by the Publisher. Author agrees to cite, by author, title, and publisher, the original Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning publication when publishing the Work elsewhere
4. Author Representations: The Author represents and warrants that the Work:
(a) is the Author’s original Work and that Author has full power to enter into this Agreement;
(b) does not infringe the copyright or property of another;
(c) contains no material which is obscene, libelous, defamatory or previously published, in whole or in part.
Author shall indemnify and hold Publisher harmless against loss of expenses arising from breach of any such warranties.
5. Licensing and Reuse: Reuse of the published Work will be governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/4.0/). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the Work non-commercially; although new works must acknowledge the original Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning publication and be non-commercial, they do not have to be licensed on the same terms.
References
Archambault, F. X., Jr., Westberg, K. L., Brown, S. W., Hallmark, B. W., Emmons, C. L., & Zhang, W. (1993). Regular classroom practices with gifted students: Results of a national survey of classroom teachers (Research Monograph 93102). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.
Barrows, H., & Tamblyn, R. (1980) Problem-based learning: An approach to medical education. New York: Springer.
Belland, B. R. (2010). Portraits of middle school students constructing evidence-based arguments during problem-based learning: The impact of computer-based scaffolds. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(3), 285–309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11423-009-9139-4
Belland, B. R., Glazewski, K. D., & Richardson, J. C. (2011). Problem-based learning and argumentation: Testing a scaffolding framework to support middle school students› creation of evidence-based arguments. Instructional Science, 39(5), 667–694. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11251-010-9148-z
Bishop, P. A., & Pflaum, S. W. (2005). Middle school students’ perceptions of social dimensions and influencers of academic engagement. Research in Middle Level Education Online, 29(2), 1–14.
Callahan, C. M. (2005). Identifying gifted students from underrepresented populations. Theory Into Practice, 44(2), 98–104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4402_4
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd Ed.). Hillside, NJ: Erlbaum.
Coleman, M. R., & Gallagher, J. J. (1995). Middle schools and their impact on talent development. Middle School Journal, 26(3), 47–56.
Cross, T., Coleman, L., & Terhaar-Yonkers, M. (1991). The social cognition of gifted adolescents in schools: Managing the stigma of giftedness. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 15(1), 44–55.
Davis, W. K., Oh, M. S., Anderson, R. M., Gruppen, L., & Nairn, R.(1994). Influences of a highly focused case on the effect of small-group facilitators’ content expertise on students’ learning and satisfaction. Academic Medicine, 69(8), 663–669. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199408000-00016
Dicintio, M. J., & Gee, S. (1999). Control is the key: Unlocking the motivation of at-risk students. Psychology in the Schools, 36(3), 231–237. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6807(199905)36:3<231::AID-PITS6>3.0.CO;2-#
Faessler, L., Hinterberger, H., Dahinden, M., & Wyss, M. (2006). Evaluating student motivation in constructivistic, problem-based introductory computer science courses. In T. Reeves & S. Yamashita (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2006 (pp. 1178–1185). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Feng, A. X., VanTassel-Baska, J., Quek, C., Bai, W., & O’Neill, B. (2005). A longitudinal assessment of gifted students’ learning using the integrated curriculum model (ICM): Impacts and perceptions of the William and Mary language arts and science curriculum. Roeper Review, 27(2), 78–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02783190509554294
Gallagher, S. A. (2001). But does it work? Testing the efficacy of problem-based learning: A review of the literature and research agenda for educators of the gifted. In N. Colangelo & S. G. Assouline (Eds). Talent development IV: Proceedings from the 1998 Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace National Research Symposium on Talent Development (pp. 179–204.) Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Gallagher, S. A. (2005). Adapting problem-based learning for gifted students. In F. A. Karnes & S. M. Bean (Eds.), Methods and materials for teaching the gifted (2nd ed., pp. 285–312). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Gallagher, S. A. (2008). Designed to fit: Educational implications of gifted adolescents’ cognitive development. In F. Dixon (Ed.). Programs and Services for Gifted Secondary Students: A Guide to Recommended Practices (pp. 3–20). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Gallagher, S. A. (2009a). Problem-based learning. In J. S. Renzulli, E. J. Gubbins, K. S. McMillen, R. D. Eckert, & C. A. Little (Eds.). Systems and Models for Developing Programs for the Gifted and Talented (2nd ed., pp.193–210). Storrs, CT: Creative Learning Press.
Gallagher, S. A. (2009b). What do you need to know? Becoming an effective PBL teacher. In MacFarlane, B, and Stambaugh, T. (Eds.), Leading Change in Gifted Education: The Festschrift of Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska (pp. 337–350). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Gallagher, S. A. (2011). Black death: Teacher manual. Unionville, NY: Royal Fireworks Press. Gallagher, S. A. (in press). Mosquito coast. Unionville, NY: Royal Fireworks Press.
Gallagher, S. A., & Stepien, W. J. (1996). Depth versus breadth in Problem-Based Learning: Content acquisition in American Studies. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 19(3), 257–275.
Gallagher, S. A., Stepien, W. J., & Rosenthal, H. (1992). The effects of problem-based learning on problem solving. Gifted Child Quarterly. 36(4), 195–200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001698629203600405
Gamoran, A. (2000). High standards: A strategy for equalizing opportunities to learn? In R. D. Kahlenberg (Ed.), A notion at risk: Preserving public education as an engine for social mobility (pp. 93–126). New York: Century Foundation.
Garcia-Reid, P., Reid, R. J., & Peterson, N. A. (2005). School engagement among Latino youth in an urban middle school context: Valuing the role of social support. Education and Urban Society, 37(3), 257–275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013124505275534
Goodnough, K., & Cashion, M. (2003, December). Fostering inquiry through problem-based learning. The Science Teacher. 70(9), 21–25.
Gordon, P. R., Rogers, A. M., Comfort, M., Gavula, N., & McGee, B. P. (2001). A taste of problem based learning increases achievement of urban minority middle-school students. Educational Horizons, 79(4), 171–175.
Heller, R., Calderon, S., & Medrich, E. (2003). Academic achievement in the middle grades: What does research tell us? A review of the literature. Atlanta, GA: Southern Regional Education Board. Retrieved April 23, 2007, from http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/pubs/02V47_AchievementReview.pdf
Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:EDPR.0000034022.16470.f3
Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Duncan, R. G., & Chinn, C. A. (2007). Scaffolding and achievement in problem-based and inquiry learning: A response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark. Educational Psychologist, 42(2), 99–107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00461520701263368
Lieberman, S. A., Stroup-Benham, C. A., Peel, J. L., & Camp, M. G. (1997). Medical student perception of the academic environment: A prospective comparison of traditional and problem-based curricula. Academic Medicine, 72(10), 13–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199710001-00005
MacKinnon, M. M. (1999). CORE elements of student motivation in problem-based learning. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 1999(78), 49–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tl.7805
Maxwell, N. L., Bellisimo, Y., & Mergendoller, J. (2001). Problem based learning: Modifying the medical school model for teaching high school economics. The Social Studies, 92(2), 73–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00377990109603981
Plucker, J. A., Burroughs, N., & Song, R. (2010). Mind the (other) gap: The growing excellence gap in K–12 education. Bloomington, IN: Center for Evaluation and Educational Policy. https://www.iub.edu/~ceep/Gap/excellence/ExcellenceGapBrief.pdf
Rycraft, J. R. (1991). Behind the walls of poverty: Economically disadvantaged gifted and talented children. Early Child Development and Care, 63(1), 139–147. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300443900630117
Sak, U. (2004). A synthesis of research on psychological types of gifted adolescents. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 15(2), 70–79.
Schmidt, H. G., & Moust, J. H. (1995). What makes a tutor effective? A structural-equations modeling approach to learning in problem-based curricula. Academic Medicine, 70(8), 708–714. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199508000-00015
Schmidt, H. G., Rotgans, J. I., & Yew, E. H. J. (2011). The process of problem-based learning: What works and why. Medical Education, 45(8), 792–806. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2011.04035.x
Shamir, A., Zion, M., & Spector-Levi, O. (2008). Peer tutoring, metacognitive processes and multimedia problem-based learning: The effect of mediation training on critical thinking. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 17(4), 384–398. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10956-008-9108-4
Siegle, D., & Powell, T. (2004). Exploring teacher biases when nominating students for gifted programs. Gifted Child Quarterly, 48(1), 21–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001698620404800103
Slavin, R. E. 1990. “IBM’s Writing to Read: Is it right for reading?” Phi Delta Kappan, 72(3), 214–216. Swanson, J. D. (2006). Breaking through assumptions about low-income, minority gifted students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 50(1), 11–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001698620605000103
Theaker, R., Xiang, Y., Dahlin, M., Cronin, J., & Durant, S. (2011). Do high flyers maintain their altitude? Performance trends of top students. Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Institute. http://edexcellencemedia.net/publications/2011/20110920_HighFlyers/Do_High_Flyers_Maintain_Their_Altitude_FINAL.pdf
Van Berkel, H. J. M., & Dolmans, D. H. J. M. (2006). The influence of tutoring competencies on problems, group functioning and student achievement in problem-based learning. Medical Education, 40(8), 730–736. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02530.x
Van Tassel-Baska, J. & Stambaugh, T. (Eds.), (2007). Overlooked gems: A national perspective on low-income promising learners. Proceedings from the National Leadership Conference on Low-Income Promising Learners. Washington, DC: National Association for Gifted Children.
Vardis, I., & Ciccarelli, M. (2008). Overcoming problems in problem-based learning: A trial of strategies in an undergraduate unit. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45(4), 345–354. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14703290802377190
Westberg, K. L., Archambault, F. X, Jr., & Brown, S. B. (1997). A survey of classroom practices with third and fourth grade students in the United States. Gifted Education International, 12(1), 29–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/026142949701200106
Whitton, D. (1997). Regular classroom practices with gifted students in grades 3 and 4 in New South Wales, Australia. Gifted Education International, 12(1), 34–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/026142949701200107
Wyner, J. S., Bridgeland, J. M., & Dijulio, J. J. (2007). Achievementrap: How America is failing high achieving students from lower-income families. Landsdowne, VA: Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. http://www.promoteprevent.org/resources/achievement-trap-how-america-failing-millions-high-achieving-students-lower-income-familie