Successfully Implementing Problem-based Learning in Classrooms: Research in K-12 and Teacher Education

Problem-based learning (PBL) represents a widely recommended best practice that facilitates both student engagement with challenging content and students' ability to utilize that content in a more flexible manner to support problem-solving. This edited volume includes research that focuses on examples of successful models and strategies for facilitating preservice and practicing teachers in implementing PBL practices in their current and future classrooms in a variety of K-12 settings and in content areas ranging from the humanities to the STEM disciplines. This collection grew out of a special issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning. It includes additional research and models of successful PBL implementation in K-12 teacher education and classroom settings.

Dr. Thomas Brush is the Barbara B. Jacobs Chair in Education and Technology and chair of the Department of Instructional Systems Technology within the School of Education at Indiana University Bloomington as well as codirector of the Persistent Issues in History Network. Dr. Brush's research interests focus on developing methods and strategies to promote inquiry-oriented learning, particularly with more open-ended instruction.John W. Saye is the Mildred Cheshire Fraley Distinguished Professor of secondary social science education at Auburn University. He is the codirector of the Persistent Issues in History Network and director of the Social Studies Inquiry Research Collaborative, a coalition of university researchers studying the effects of challenging social studies and history instruction on student learning. Prior to his appointment to Auburn University in 1994, Dr. Saye was a high school history teacher for twelve years. His research interests include authentic pedagogy, problem-based inquiry, teacher thinking, and collaborative communities of practice.