Problem-based instruction is designed to provide students with a guided experience in solving an ill-structured problem. All learning in problem-based instruction stems from students initial questions about a problem situation. Currently used in medical school programs, problem-based curriculum has not been tested at the high school level. Science, Society and the Future (SSF) is an experimental problem-based course for gifted high school students. In the interdisciplinary course, students examine the meaning and impact of current science issues (the effect of electromagnetic fields on childhood leukemia, the health care system). In this study, SSF students and a group of comparison students were tested to determine changes in their spontaneous use of problem-solving steps as they consider an ill-structured problem. Results show some significant changes for the SSF group not observed in the comparison group.

Many new curricular andinstructionalmodels must be developedor adapted as the nationmoves towards educational reform in science classrooms. This article describes how problem-based learning, an innovative curricular and instructionalmodel developed inmedical graduate schoolprograms, has been adapted for use in elementary and high school settings. Included in the integration of problem-based learning and science are components of allproblem-based episodes including initiating learning with an ill-structuredproblem, using the problem to structure the learning agenda, and teacher as metacognitive coach, wth important goals of a reformed science curriculum such as learning based on concepts of significance, student-designed experiments, and development of scientific reasoning skills, The community ofscience educators seems poised for action. There is widespread agreement that an understanding of science is increasingly critical to effective functioning in a democratic society, as issues

Classroom instruction in problem solving often takes the form of presenting neat, verification-style problems to students at the end of a period of learning. This practice stands in stark contrast to professional problem solving, where the problem comes first, and is a catalyst for investigation and learning. Problem-based learning provides students with an opportunity to grapple with realistic, ill-structured problems using the same kinds of techniques and habits of mind professionals use. The problem-based curriculum and instruction design puts students in the role of professional problem solvers by designing instruction around the investigation of an ill-structured problem. Teachers act as metacognitive coaches and tutors instead of “experts” who have the “right answer” to the problem. Two different applications of problem-based learning at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy are described in this article. One application is in an interdisciplinary senior elective course entitled Science, Society and the Future where problems investigate modern dilemmas resulting in modern advances in science and technology; the other is in a more traditional sophomore required course, American Studies, where the problems studied provide students with a feel for the critical decisions which drove the development of the Nation. A description of research projects underway to document the effectiveness of the program is also provided.

A continuing barrier to the implementation of curriculum fostering higher order thinking skills is the perception that use of these programs inevitably results in lower levels of content acquisition. This assumption was challenged in the current study, which compared high school students' scores on a multiple-choice standardized test after traditional or experimental instruction. Students in the experimental classroom were instructed by using an approach called problem-based learning where an ill-structured problem initiates learning and the teacher serves as a coach instead of an information repository. Results indicate that students in the experimental class did not sacrifice content acquisition when compared to students learning in more traditional settings. Implications regarding the breadth-versus-depth debate are discussed along with questions of research methodology in this area.

Problem-based learning (PBL), initiated when learners meet an ill-structured problem, develops skills and subject-matter content needed by students to make the transition from novice to more expert problem solver. However, the construction of problem-based learning units can be a formidable task. After a brief comparison of the characteristics of well-structured and ill-structured problems, the authors outline a systematic, user-friendly process for finding potential PBL topics; constructing brainstorming maps to explore the possibility of each topic becoming the focus for a PBL unit; and, then, designing the student's role, the situation he or she meets at the opening of the unit, and the unit's assessments.