Whose learning is it anyway? Problem-based learning in language teacher development

This article describes the piloting of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach in a teacher education context. Originating in medical education in the 1980s, PBL is now applied in the teaching of a broad range of disciplines. While increasingly used in teacher education, however, PBL has not been applied, to the author's knowledge, in the area reported on in this paper - language learning materials development. Problem-based learning is rooted in constructivist philosophy, which holds that knowledge is actively constructed within the mind of the learner and influenced by his/her interactions with peers and with the environment. Furthermore, constructivism holds that learning is spurred by 'the problematic' (i.e. cognitive conflict). In PBL, cognitive conflict is 'concretised', in that a real problem is used to trigger the learning process. This article reports on the piloting of PBL on a materials development module in a Masters in English Language Teaching programme in Ireland. It presents the students' and tutor's reflections on the approach. These are largely positive as regards the development of professional skills especially teamwork, leadership and achieving compromise. It concludes with recommendations for further research on the use of PBL in language teacher education programmes.