As teachers strive to make sense of and implement knowledge of creativity that is available from the research community, school librarians are called upon to help turn rhetoric into reality. Developing the creativity habit is far more meaningful and effective if the classroom activity is representative of the real-world problem-solving process.…

The current emphasis in K-12 education on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (Douglas, Iversen, & Kalyandurg, 2004; Sanders, 2009) creates many ways to partner engineering education with these fields. Therefore, it is appropriate to examine the commonalities these fields have with engineering education. Though much of the…

Effective integration of learning and practice continues to remain a challenge in leadership preparation. This paper describes a learning module used in a course within the Swedish National Principal Training Program and how it attempts to bridge learning with practice. In this course, each participant conducted a study in a school with the…

This Digest discusses Problem-Based Learning (PBL), a method developed by H.S. Barrows (1986), and originally created to prepare medical students for real-world problems by letting them solve medical problems based on real cases. The Digest contends that PBL can situate language learning in the real world by posing problems like those found in…

Constructivism, which holds that knowledge is created out of each individual's own experience, is recapturing researchers' attention. To constructivists, teachers are not omniscient oracles, but nutritionists providing an environment for children to grow their own knowledge. Students might learn division by planning a field trip instead of…

Examines how three students in an administrative-credential program developed collaborative problem-solving competence through participating in two problem-based learning classes. Data collected over one year indicates these classes allowed students to acquire knowledge and skills in group processes, problem solving, and course content. Later,…

Examines the progress of problem-based learning in the University of Colorado (Denver)'s educational administration program, stressing the roles of multiple design innovations, multiple intelligences, and constructivist approaches. Program developers learned five major lessons: clarifying roles, linking assessments with standards, defining the…

Problem-based learning (PBL) has gained credibility and some use in institutions of higher education. This paper provides a brief conceptual discussion of PBL and the idea of "problem," and describes one learning model that incorporates PBL as a method for moving students to high levels of learning. The second portion of the paper describes one…

Introduces major assumptions and theory surrounding problem-based learning (PBL) used in Stanford University's educational leadership program. Reviews instructional delivery, explains students' role in knowledge production, and illustrates the program's relationship to practitioners and the field. Use of PBL materials inspired significantly higher…

This article outlines a K-12 college learning partnership that has evolved over the past two years at the University at Albany, SUNY. Two faculty members with the School of Information Science & Policy (SISP) Joette Stefl-Mabry and Jennifer Goodall Powers, with administrative support of their Associate Dean, Carol Doll, have integrated…

Three principles based on research in cognitive psychology explain the potential power of problem-based learning: (1) learning is a constructive, not a receptive process; (2) metacognition affects learning; and (3) social and contextual factors influence learning. These principles are more likely to be activated when specific teacher behaviors and…

In the Prospective Principals' Program at Stanford University, students are engaged in problem-based learning (PBL), a cooperative, small-group approach providing opportunities to resolve problems likely to confront real-world professionals. To illustrate PBL's background and rationale, chapter 1 briefly describes how the topic of teacher…

This paper is a critique of problem-based learning and focuses on, first, the concept of life as problem-governed and professional practice as problem-solving; and, second, the utility of problem-based learning as a pedagogical approach in pre-professional training. The paper suggests that a problem-based approach to professional education is…

This collection of 18 papers covers four broad areas of teaching and learning in higher education: innovative college teaching/learning strategies; effective classroom research/assessment activities; advanced classroom technology; and developing teaching and learning centers. Titles include: (1) "Changing Teaching Styles When Technology Becomes…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…