Contexts and Approaches That Foster Complex Problem-Solving for a Wide Range of Diverse Learners: Origins and Conceptual Foundations

• In Event: Problem-Based Learning in Diverse Places: Motivation, Processes, and Beliefs

Abstract

While more than six decades of research on instruction that fosters complex problem solving has recorded numerous beneficial outcomes, educators largely fail to draw clear and consistent distinctions between the various instructional models, and may, in fact, discuss them interchangeably. This is problematic, not only because it may result in implementations with low fidelity, but also because it can result in our ability to effectively design for complex problem-solving in ways that meet the needs of a wide range of diverse learners. Thus, we argue for a dual approach: to clarify what we mean when regarding complex problem solving and to gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to design for a wide range of diverse learners.

Authors

• Krista D. Glazewski, Indiana University

• Peggy A. Ertmer, Purdue University

• Cindy E. Hmelo-Silver, Indiana University