Overview: Problem Based Government
Problem Based Government is a rigorous and relevant, highly participatory way to teach the fundamental mechanics of government as well as important concepts about democracy and civic participation. In Problem Based Government:
- Students and teachers confront a dilemma that, through investigation, research, and cooperative input, allows for more than one possible solution;
- Students discover that knowledge of government is essential to understanding and solving the problem;
- Students become motivated to learn the content in the curriculum.
BIE works with a group of high school teachers and subject matter experts to develop the Problem Based Government materials. These curriculum units address key content standards set forth by the states and in the National Standards for Civics and Government. All units are field-tested in a variety of classrooms. Teachers concerned about "covering" the standards for their course may wonder if they can take the time for problem based learning. Our research and teachers' experience show that they can, because of the careful design of these units.
