Problem Based Learning: The President’s Dilemma

Problem Based Learning as presented by the Buck Institute for Education is based on the idea that a unit of instruction that presents students with an engaging realistic problem with more than one reasonable solution leads to deeper understanding. Students solve a problem through collaborative resource-gathering, investigation and decision-making. The teacher acts as coach and delivers problem based teaching.  Problem based learning will be most effective when it is a collaborate effort between the teacher and students with the teacher as the senior partner.

The President’s Dilemma

The PBL unit begins with a memo that outlines the dilemma facing  the President’s economic management team.  Due to a rapid rise in oil prices, the United States faces a severe economic crisis with high levels on inflation, unemployment, and negative economic growth . The President, fearing prospects for reelection, has asked a Special Task Force of the Council of  Advisors to recommend a policy that does not increase the national debt . You are to imagine yourself as a member of this  Task Force who will make an oral presentation with visual aides to a panel composed of representatives of various constituencies. The President also asks the Task Force, as a first step, to compare current economic indicators with statistics from the past .

Activities:

1. As a class, discuss the memo from the President.
2. Develop an initial What we Know list
3. As a class develop an initial problem statement
4. As a class develop a What we Need to Know list
5. Lecture #1 : What are Economic Indicators?
6. In your group write a memo using Google Docs comparing the current economic crisis with the past. (You will receive a table of data.)
7. As a class, discuss a  letter from Maria Bautista.
8. Lecture #2: Fiscal Policy Tools
9. Individually write your first problem blog entry: “How can fiscal policy be used to help workers like Joe Brezinski?”
10. As a class, discuss a letter from Angela Sorracco.
11. Lecture #3: Monetary Policy Tools
12. Review What we Know and What we Need to Know lists
13. Individually write your second problem blog entry: “How can monetary policy help people represented by Silver Cougars?”
14. As a class discuss the letter from William M. Jorgenson.
15. Individually write your last problem blog entry: “How can the government use demand side and/or supply side policies to respond to the differing views of corporate leaders, unemployed workers and retired people?”
16. Group work on policy recommendations.
17. Receive last memo from Chief of Staff
18. Finalize What we Know and What we Need to Know lists
19. Finalize Problem Statement
20. Group work on presentation
21. Group Presentation of Policy Recommendations
22. Debrief and reflection

PP Summary of 3.4 and 3.5

Stagflation and policy options