Focus: problem-based learning

On the second day, we visited a local school to hear about the theme of the course, teaching in the field and by experiment. The school was within walking distance from our accommodation.

In the picture, the group is leaving the accommodation.

Continuing last year's tradition, it was a misty day.

The mist concealed everything in the hills.

This is the school building we went to. It was located near the shore of lake Laugarvatn, within a few hundred meters from our accommodation.

At the school entrance. The classroom we used was on the second floor.

The term had not begun yet, so we had the whole school for ourselves.

The whole group sat down for an introduction to the topic.

		Practical issues in problem-based learning
	During the day, there was a discussion in small groups about the practical problems encountered in implementing problem-based learning in biology and geography. There were two issues that could be identified as common to the different countries. First, the urban environment presents a challenge to successful implementation of problem-based learning in these fields, because there is less nature to work with, when compared to a rural setting. Secondly, many teachers oppose the introduction of problem-based learning, because it means more work for them — in their already overloaded schedule.

In this picture, Sigurður St. Helgason lectures the group about Laugarvatn as a teaching environment, and his projects as a teacher. The greenhouse classroom project became the main theme of the day.

His Swedish was relatively easy to understand.