Teachers as Expert Learners and Fellow Travelers: A Review of Professional Development Practices for Problem-Based Learning

The label of "teacher" is something of a misnomer for the problem-based learning (PBL) practitioner. Rather than acting as a source of content knowledge, PBL educators are lead learners who demonstrate learning to students through their own authentic inquiry (Hmelo-Silver, 2004). PBL educators and students travel a road together that often leads them into uncharted territories. While PBL poses unique pedagogical challenges to K-12 teachers, professional development activities that incorporate recognized elements of effective professional development can enhance the likelihood of classroom implementation. Because PBL practices are a departure from the traditional pedagogies around which school structure is designed, professional development programs also must attend to the specific challenges that school structures and policy requirements pose for teachers. This review provides an examination of empirical evidence on the structural elements of professional development for K-12 educators, as well as associated outcomes as a means to identify elements of professional development that promote PBL implementation. The review concludes with a discussion of research and policy implications.