The use of problem-based learning technology in biology lessons for middle school students

Main Points

In contemporary school education, there is an increasing need to transition to a qualitatively new form of organizing the educational process–one that places students in the role of discoverers and truth-seekers. However, PBL presents several challenges: it requires more time; teachers must carefully allocate time for complex material; students need a certain level of prior biological knowledge to successfully solve problems. Conducting a problem-based lesson is significantly more difficult than using the traditional explanatory-illustrative method. It is also crucial for the teacher to engage all students in the thinking process and to pay attention to those who are falling behind.

Main Body

Biology is a science that demands not only the ability to find information but also to identify key problems, analyze situations, and find optimal solutions. Therefore, organizing problem-based learning in school biology lessons is an effective means of improving subject mastery and contributes to the development of cognitive universal learning actions (ULAs) among middle school students.

The technology of the problem-based learning method is one of the most optimal and meets the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standards (ФГОС ООО). The essence of PBL lies in creating problem situations and finding ways to resolve them.

The most challenging aspect of this method is identifying and formulating an appropriate problem situation. The problem presented to students must be age-appropriate, encourage them to generate new ideas, and seek new knowledge. A problem situation should contain a contradiction and spark interest through its unusualness or non-standard nature.

In this research, two methods for creating a problem situation were used: through surprise and through difficulty.

A lesson based on the problem-based learning method is structured as follows:

1. Setting a Problem Situation (Question).

2. Awareness and Formulation of the Problem by Students. To help students overcome difficulties, guiding questions are asked, but the contradiction is not directly pointed out.

3. Searching for a Solution. Work at this stage can be organized in various ways depending on the students' age and overall class preparedness:

• Hypothesis Generation (e.g., "Prediction Tree," "Basket of Ideas").
• Creating a Discussion (in groups).
• Organizing Research Activity (in textbooks, on the internet, etc.).
• Finding a Solution Based on Observations.

4. "Aha!" Reaction – Students choose the optimal solution, define new knowledge, and develop it. After discussing all possible options for resolving the problem situation, students collectively decide on the most correct one.

5. Application of New Knowledge and Reflection. This is the stage of consolidating the material. By performing exercises using the new knowledge, students once again confirm that the chosen solution was correct.

6. Knowledge Check and Control.

The following teaching methods are used in the strategy of learning through setting cognitive problems and searching for solutions: partially-search (heuristic), reproductive, problem-based presentation, and research methods. Of course, organizing the educational process using the problem-based learning method is complex and labor-intensive work. However, practice proves that such lessons are effective for developing creative thinking. Students remember the material better, participate more actively in the process, and their motivation for learning increases.

Four levels of problem-based learning are used in lessons: a problem task, a problem question, a problem situation, and a problem lesson. A problem task contains elements that are in contradictory relationships with each other or with the existing knowledge of students. The structure of a problem task is characterized by three components: data (conditions), requirement, and the unknown (goal).

The main elements of a learning task are what is "known" and "unknown" to the student. An educational problem is formulated as a task, assignment, or question. Biological tasks of various types generate keen interest among students, create a favorable emotional background, activate their mental activity, develop logical thinking and cognitive independence, and ultimately foster a cognitive interest in biology. While solving these tasks, students ask questions that demonstrate mental activity and a desire to learn more–an indicator of developing cognitive interest in biology.

A problem question can be part of a problem task structure or function as an independent form of thought requiring an answer. A problem question differs from an informational one in that it is oriented toward a contradictory situation and stimulates the search for unknown, new knowledge.

Since students entering the fifth grade already have certain knowledge about the world around them, when introducing a new topic, I always ask questions such as: "What do you know about...?" or "What can you tell me about...?" or "Remember...". Such questions activate students' cognitive activity and teach them to express their opinions and reason.

A problem situation can be created when revealing one of the questions while studying a new topic and resolved during a collective search conversation. For example, when studying the topic "Seed Plants" in the 5th grade, I give the following assignment: analyze the word "Angiosperms," what two words is it composed of, and try to formulate a definition – what plants are called angiosperms? Students attempt to answer these questions and express their opinions. This creates a problem situation that promotes growth in cognitive activity for mastering new knowledge.

A problem situation is a type of mental interaction between a subject and an object; it is characterized by a mental state that arises in a student when performing an assignment that requires finding (discovering or assimilating) new, previously unknown knowledge or ways of acting.

Conclusion

The problem-based approach to learning involves forming students' mental activity techniques: analysis, synthesis, comparison – i.e., it includes the logical operations necessary for choosing an appropriate solution. When planning a problem-based lesson, the teacher must identify the goal for which this technology is being used. Then, an analysis of the lesson's effectiveness should be conducted for each student from the perspective of that goal. Students discover new knowledge for themselves and learn to use it to understand the world around them.