Rubric For Designing Lessons in the Context of Problem Based Learning

 

Type of Lesson

Criteria

Concept Development

Analyzing The Relationships between Parts of a Concept

  1. List as many items as possible: ideas, objects, associations, memories, concepts, or attributes related to the topic
  2. Group the items: finding ways in which items are similar or related
  3. Label the items by defining the reasons for grouping: articulating the relationships between the items
  4. Regroup or subsume individual items or whole groups under other groups: involves looking at a single item from different perspectives
  5. Synthesize the information by summarizing the data and forming generalizations: making a generalization about the topic that briefly summarizes information
  6. Evaluate the students' progress by assessing their ability to generate a wide variety of items and to groups those items flexibly: Judge the students higher order thinking skills (Bloom's taxonomy)

Synectics

Developing Creative Thinking and Problem Solving

  1. Present the Problem: select and present an interesting, challenging problem
  2. Provide expert information:
  3. Question obvious solutions and purge: Lead the class in an exploration of the most obvious solutions and purge those that are not feasible
  4. Generate individual problem statements: Have each student write s statement regarding the problem, giving her interpretation or focus
  5. Choose one problem statement for focus: The problem statements are read aloud, and one is selected by the class for focus
  6. Question through the use of analogies: Present analogies to the class stated in the form of evocative questions
  7. Force analogies to fit the problem: Return to the original problem and ask the students to force the analogies to fit the problem
  8. Determine a solution from new viewpoint: Looking at the problem from a new viewpoint: Looking at the problem from a new viewpoint, ask students to determine a solution.
  9. Evaluate: Develop a process for determing if the techniques are becoming effective and habitual

 

Inquiry and Discovery Learning and

Teaching Problem Solving through Discovery and Questioning

  1. Select a problem and conduct research: Choose a puzzling situation or an event that will entice students to discover the answer, and then research the problem for possible solutions.
  2. Introduce the process and present the problem: Post the rules that the students will follow for the inquiry.  Present the puzzling situation to the students in writing, and provide them with a means for recording data.
  3. Gather Data: Respond to questions posed by students.  Guide the students to ask questions more clearly or more completely, but avoid answering questions. 
  4. Develop a Theory and verify: When a student poses as theory, stop the questioning and write the theory on the board.  The class decides to accept or reject
  5. State the rules and explain the theory: Once a theory has been verified, lead class into an explanation and application of the theory
  6. Analyze the process: Discuss the inquiry process with the class. Examine how they arrived at an acceptable theory to explain the problem and determine how the process could be improved
  7. Evaluate: Determine if students are able to generalize rules to other situations.  Encourage students to develop a habit of asking questions and looking for answers.