In my excitement about this "new" approach to the traditional classroom, I have completely overlooked the history of PBL and its precursors. My advising professor, Mark Faust, cautioned me: "I think it is very important not to present PBL as if this were a new idea and not rooted in a long tradition that can be traced back to the 19th century but has been on the wane for 30 years though there are signs of a potential revival."
Based on Dr. Faust's recommendation, I sought out some information on John Dewey, an educational theorist in the late 19th and early 20th century. I am shocked at how "new" all his ideas feel and I'm pretty embarrassed that I didn't read up on him first. Dewey believed that learning is a social and interactive process and he argued that schools should create environments in which students are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, as well as have a say in their own learning. From what I've read, PBL definitely fits within Dewey's view on education.
I have started reading Dewey's 1936 book Experience in Education, in which he explores two conflicting educational philosophies and seeks to find some middle ground. Although his ideas are certainly progressive, he doesn't believe that progression education should inherently reject all tenets on traditional education just for the sake of rejection. I will be posting my reflections and notes from Experience and Education this week.
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