A Tricky Part of PBELL: Writing a Meaningful Problem

Searching for a meaningful problem can be tricky. What might be meaningful for me, as the teacher, may not be as meaningful to my students. What might be meaningful for my students, may not align to the standards. Either way, it is well worth the effort to spend time formulating a meaningful problem to increase engagement, build inquiry strategies, and hone students’ solution sharing skills.

Some teachers begin with standards and compose a problem aligned to the standards. One model lesson our team uses is “Salsa Garden.” Our premise is that we are planning an end of year party for parents. The meaningful problem is “How can we, as a class, design our garden to effectively utilize the space we have available to us.” Our school has small areas to grow flowers, plants, and possibly a salsa garden. We brainstorm ingredients and research what we are able to grow in our small space. Students are motivated by the idea of growing the ingredients for the salsa. The math that is involved is calculating the space, purposefully designing the placement of each plant based on what we learn about plants, and then students present to the class where we vote on the best design. This meets all the criteria of a meaningful problem.

Sometimes a meaningful problem reveals itself in the classroom, school, or community. An example of this might be when students are concerned about stray animals in the community. We invite the local representative from animal control or the humane society. With that information, they create an informational presentation about how to protect your animals from straying away from home. The information was gathered, presentations were created, and shared with the community to support the importance of the solution to the meaningful problem. Standards were met in the area of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

You might also consider solution sharing and how the problem might be meaningful for the school and community. The tubric supports drafting the problem so it is a meaningful issue for all, whether it is in the classroom, school, or greater community.

When I write a problem, I find it helpful to write, revise, and collaborate with others to determine if the problem might have meaning for students and stakeholders. The key is to begin with a draft and go from there. No matter how you begin with standards or a problem, jump in and give it a try.

Below are some examples of well written, meaningful problems:

• How can our class create an environment that makes new students at our school feel welcome?

• How can we design a plan to teach Sunrise citizens how to use the buddy benches to build friendships and demonstrate kindness toward others?

• What can our class do to help solve the problem of waste in our school?

• How do we, as employees of SRP, decide which type of energy is best for Arizona residents?

Connect with Anne Smith, iTeachELLs Instructional Coach at AnneSmith@asu.edu

For more information on planning a PBELL, check out our Lesson Plan Guide, or visit the iTeachELLs Resources page.