Approach to Learning: Importance and Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning in Primary School Students

Running head: APPROACH TO LEARNING
Approach to Learning
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1APPROACH TO LEARNING
Problem based learning approach or the PBL involves the pupils who are basically
challenged for solving some genuine problems from their own discipline. It is a pedagogical
tool in which the students get engaged in a problem without having any introductory
knowledge about the same and they work for solving the problem by making use of their
existing knowledge as well as by applying them to the very situation for reaching a specific
solution. As stated by Peyrefitte and Lazar (2018), PBL is the most ideal way of applying the
theoretical knowledge of the students in authentic manner. It is often been used by the
students for developing their experience in problem solving process instead of just simply
seeking a correct solution for the same. This paper is going to focus on the importance and
effectiveness of this approach on the primary school students. It is going shed light on the
how problem based approach enhances the engagement of the primary school students and
that too, to what extent.
It is to note that PBL is often regarded to be a flexible approach which could be
applied in most of the disciplines, right from the partially concentrated to the much more
theoretical ones. This approach is also known to work well as an action or an activity for the
students but is particularly much more effective if it is used in groups as because of the fact
that it encourages the pupils in developing their team-working and creativity along with the
influencing interpersonal skill.
It is to mention that PBL is underpinned by the learning theories of constructivism
and the situational learning theory. With the same, it is also very strongly influenced by the
ideas that are espoused by the theorist named Dewey where ‘learning by doing’ features
(Philips, 2017). It basically follows the very natural process of learning by making the
learners engaged in a specific problem which is required to be solved. As the problem is been
encountered by them, the students or the learners could then acquire a much greater skills
and knowledge as they then seek some possible solution regarding the very problem as well

2APPROACH TO LEARNING
as its context. Therefore, it is said that learning has meaning beyond the classroom as the
students there are equipped with all the critical skills that are necessary for functioning more
efficiently in the world. By undertaking the PBL projects, the students in the primary school
setting develop some real world skills right since their yearly years. These real world skills
include the skill of solving complex problems, analysing skills, thinking skills and the skill of
evaluating the information and communicating in effective manner. Importance of PBL in the
primary school students could be related back to the skills that are necessary by the
workforce of this 21st century. As per Kohnen and Saul (2018), teachers are required to help
these students in successfully navigating such rapid changing professional and social context
by equipping them with the skills of 21st century.
Moreover, the concept of action learning also have an influence on the development
of the Problem based learning approach. From the perspective of action learning, people learn
the most effective way of working on a real life problems and issues and that too in a
typically, local context. Notwithstanding this fact, it is also to state that this aspect is
changing with the change in the advent of the global and the internet communities. However,
this approach is getting much interest from the parts of teachers in the recent years in
Australian society as well as in other several parts of the world. This is due to the fact that the
teachers always strive to engage the learners in some sort of authentic activities and PBL is
the best means to do so effectively. As per Shernoff et al. (2017), PBL could also be applied
in integrating the cross curriculum priorities as well as to include learning in the subjects like
writing and reading, science and mathematics, which are very essential to learn by the
primary school pupils so as to achieve a good knowledge on the same so as to excel their
upcoming future academic years. For this reason, PBL involves teaching the curriculum by
means of a project. PBL offers an ideal platform for the students for introducing their
expertise and knowledge from the people other than that of their institutions. For instance,