IMSA Model for PBL

I. Establish The Context For Problem Design

List: Priority Conceptual/Skills-Based Outcome

List: Significant Characteristics of the Learners (Middle Schooll)

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II. Create a Mess and a Map

Identify several complex issues, conflicts, puzzles, decisions, or circumstances from your teaching materials or from real-world experiences which are attractive on the basis of maximum integrative curricular yield and learner appeal.
Map out the conceptual complexities and learning opportunities within these issues, conflicts, puzzles, decisions, or circumstance.
Identify those mapped complex issues, conflicts, puzzles, decisions, or circumstances which are problematic and ill-structured in nature.

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III. Focus on the Center of the Mess

Select the "problematic center" which is most attractive in terms of maximizing the learners' interest and engagement and yielding curricular benefits. (Conduct a preliminary information search to determine the accessibility of critical pieces of information.)
Develop a focus for the chosen problematic center by experimenting with possible roles and situations, identifying in some way what one needs to know and do in order to bring the problem to an acceptable state of closure, decision, resolution, or understanding.

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IV. Develop an Inclusive Problem Statement

Select the role and situation of most promise and flesh out the map further by looking for opportunities to produce curricular yield not immediately evident in the problem center itself.
From the map construct a statement which defines the problem you see as a designer.
How can we ... come to a decision about et cetera, et cetera ... in such a way that we address et cetera, et cetera ...

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V. Prepare the Stage

Define in greater detail the role students will assume, the complex situation which will introduce them to this problem, and an authentic ending to the problem which will assess intended outcomes.
Create the actual speech, film, documents, script for drama, etc. which creates a hook for learners that compels them into the messiness of the situation and suggests the essence of the problem.
Reviewing the meet-the-problem materials you have created with the learner's eyes, anticipate what your learners will construct as a statement of the problem. (Ideally, your problem statement as a designer and the students' anticipated problem statement will be similar in their dimensions.) Refine the meet-the-problem materials as needed.
Conduct a thorough information search, identify potential professional mentors, and anticipate and develop essential instructional processes to be used in the teaching and learning sequence as needed.

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VI. Create the Props

Develop periodic assessments which allow you to check learners' understanding throughout the teaching and learning sequence.
Re-map the problem according to its curricular landscape. Build a teaching and learning template which anticipates and supports learners' thinking throughout the process of their inquiry.
Plan for the teaching and learning events of the PBL experience.

VII. Prepare students for PBL

VIII. Implement
(with an eye toward reflection and refinement)

When running the problem consider these questions: