Using PBL teams in technology teacher education

Technology Teacher Education, in similar ways to medical practitioner education, has to rely heavily on constructivist learning principles whereby learning takes place as a result of processing and solving a series of relevant subject based question. Using PBL techniques, the objectives of the project were addressed in the following terms: 1. Increase collaborative Learning through quality learning teams; 2. To enhance academic outcomes of individual members of the quality learning team; 3. To inculcate a constructivism culture within the quality learning teams through PBL; 4. To enhance both learning and instruction strategies through PBL; 5. To encourage and increase motivation of both the quality learning team and each of its individual members by immersion in PBL techniques; 6. To increase student achievement and create a positive technology teacher attitude within the quality learning team and its individual members. The use of small PBL learning teams to enhance technology teacher learning not only created extremely motivated student teachers whose reflective skills constantly improved, but, also engendered a much improved attitude in language acquisition skill as each team confronted the difficulties of a second language. In adopting the PBL technique within small learning teams it has been found that in the case of Hong Kong the Confucian precept of learning and of collectivism fits well with the Chinese culture. Cultural perspectives in the five countries in which the authors conducted their research added to the learning psychology of this intervention, thus increasing understanding and reflection. Copyright © 2000 Hong Kong Institute of Education.