Problem-Based Learning: Where Did it Come from, What Does it Do, and Where is it Going?

Problem-based learning, unbeknownst to many educators, has been around for two decades. A brief history of the evolution of PBL shows innovation comprised of four elements: an ill-structured problem, substantive content, student apprenticeship, and self-directed learning. Research evidence supporting its effectiveness is not numerous but tends to support that PBL is better than traditional instruction on a number of variables, including long-term information retention, conceptual understanding, and self-directed learning. PBL can be modified with integrity into elementary, middle, and high school classrooms for the gifted.