PBL in the classroom

I feel as though the author brought up many important points about probelem based learning, but some might not fit with problems of today. Many students can learn more effectively from classroom activities that are more hands on learning. However, many teachers have to "teach to the test". This means that they have to focus on teaching to material covered in standarized tests. This severley limits the teachers realm of creativity and teaching possibilities. When teachers are pressured into teaching so that their students pass standarized tests they focus on specifically the criteria they know will be on the standarized tests.
Teachers that involve problem based learning into their classrooms have studetns that use critical thinking skils as well as an enthusiasm for what they are learning. Problem based learning activities are not like normal homework assignements that kids find to be busy work. Problem based learning activities let kids find out what their creative areas might involve. This process makes kids go deeper into thier thinking, and they have to invest more of their time and effort into their assignment making it more meaningful. This strategy, if set up efficiently by the teacher, can prove to be very beneficial for students because it promotes a higher level of learning.