Recently two high schools in Geelong, Victoria, Australia embarked on an ambitious plan to establish problem-based learning (PBL) as the preferred pedagogical model for the development and delivery of their curriculum. Corio Bay Senior College (CBSC) and Lara Secondary College (LSC) have begun to train their staff in the design and development of PBL activities with a view to mainstreaming this approach in their learning organisations.

The Principal of CBSC, Mr Stephen Boyle, indicated that he wished to encourage his staff to use PBL as a way of motivating and engaging their students (at all levels and abilities) in a way that would allow all of them to realise their full potential.

CBSC offers two major streams to students in years 11 and 12, one academically oriented and the other vocationally targeted. Mr Boyle believes that the introduction of a PBL approach that uses real learning tasks and a team approach to solve authentic problems will result in substantial increases in learning engagement and a concomitant effect with overall student performance.

In November 2004 CBSC engaged the services of Scot Aldred, a PBL consultant from Central Queensland University, to provide three days of professional development for its teachers. During this time staff were able to design and develop prototype curriculum that will profoundly alter their students’ learning experiences. While a traditional approach to curriculum design may ask students to read a novel and write about its themes and plot, the PBL approach will seek to introduce the novel as a resource that students will need to interact with to accomplish their authentic tasks.

Because effective PBL requires a multi-disciplinary approach, CBSC have modified their program to merge some of the subjects and to allow the students to access both of the subject teachers during this time. The learner-centred nature of the PBL approach allows the students to negotiate their outcomes and interactions with their teachers. By adopting this approach, students see their learning as meaningful and valued, with their teachers as facilitators and co-learners.

Lara Secondary College is a new school that offers years seven and eight with year nine to be offered in 2005. LSC already offers innovative and flexible programs and is seen as one of Victoria’s new breed of learning places. In many ways PBL provides a formal structure that brings together the existing pedagogical initiatives that are already in place.

The school is committed to their local community of Lara and many of the students’ learning activities are designed to support this goal. By using a PBL approach the school will continue to focus on its already impressive record of value-adding to the Lara community by having its student body undertake authentic tasks and donate the results to that community.