New PBL Guide Tackles Life Science Problems

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 06/07/16

Adding problem-based learning (PBL) to science classrooms can be tough to do. As a new book by the National Science Teachers Association points out, "Valuable resources exist that describe in general what PBL is, how to develop lessons, and how PBL can help students, but curriculum resources are much harder to find."

Problem-Based Learning in the Life Science Classroom, K–12 offers full lesson plans that support the Next Generation Science Standards. The lessons were developed by content experts who facilitated sessions during an association-hosted professional development workshop and then refined the problems in subsequent workshops.

The book covers eight "strands," including life cycles, genetics, ecology and cellular metabolism. The text offers examples, instructions and tips for managing students as they explore the scientific principles in search of solutions.

The goal of the book, according to its authors, is to provide scenarios that "prompt K–12 learners to immerse themselves in analyzing problems, asking questions, posing hypotheses, finding needed information and then constructing a proposed solution."

The 254-page volume is priced at $39.95 for non-members. A 58-page sample is available on the association's website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • laptop on a clean desk with digital padlock icon on the screen

    Data Privacy a Top Concern as Orgs Scale Up AI Agents

    As organizations race to integrate AI agents into their cloud operations and workflows, they face a crucial reality: while enthusiasm is high, major adoption barriers remain, according to a new Cloudera report. Chief among them is the challenge of safeguarding sensitive data.

  • chart with ascending bars and two silhouetted figures observing it, set against a light background with blue and purple tones

    Report: Enterprises Are Embracing Agentic AI

    According to a new report from SnapLogic, 50% of enterprises are already deploying AI agents, and another 32% plan to do so within the next 12 months..

  • stacks of glowing digital documents with circuit patterns and data streams

    Mistral AI Intros Advanced AI-Powered OCR

    French AI startup Mistral AI has announced Mistral OCR, an advanced optical character recognition (OCR) API designed to convert printed and scanned documents into digital files with "unprecedented accuracy."

  • student using a tablet with math symbols dissolving into a glowing AI

    Survey: Students Say AI Use Can Reduce Math Anxiety

    In a recent survey, 56% of high school students said that the use of artificial intelligence can go a long way toward reducing math anxiety.