PBL and its significance in the 21st century
PBL stands for Problem Based Learning, which is an instructional strategy as well as a developmental tool for the curriculum. The model of PBL emerged from the medical field in Canada in the 1960s. PBL is not just a theoretical approach to teaching; it is a well grounded and an internationally recognized method of both learning and teaching employed by many universities worldwide including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Malaysia, Sweden and Denmark. As mentioned earlier, PBL is mostly used in the scientific, medical, economic, engineering and in the information technology field where it is well-documented and researched.
In a PBL environment the main aim for students is to work on real-life problems and to develop critical thinking encompassing complex problems without the need to arrive at one single answer. According to Barell (2007) PBL is an ideal way to develop some of the 21st century skills. Students develop skills for the workplace environment, increase their workforce marketability, and prepare themselves for lifelong learning.
This method encourages students to apply their content-knowledge in real-life situations integrating students’ previous knowledge and other subjects. Most importantly, students in a PBL environment develop skills for self-directed learning. Therefore, Problem Based Learning lays the foundations for 21st century skills.
