Pembelajaran Berbasis Masalah (PBM) atau Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

Fogarty (1997, dalam Wahyuni, 2011:2) menyatakan bahwa:  “PBL is a curriculum model designed around real-life problems that are ill-structured, open-ended, or ambiguous”.  Sementara itu, Frinkle & Trop (1995, dalam Wahyuni, 2011:2)  menyatakan bahwa:  “PBL is a curriculum development and instructional system that simultaneously develops both problem solving strategies and disciplinary knowledge bases and skills by placing students in the active role of problem solvers confronted with an ill-structured problem that mirrors real-world problems”.  Sementara itu Torp & Sage (2002, dalam Wahyuni, 2011:2) menyatakan bahwa:  “PBL is focused, experiential learning, organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, realistic problems”.

Problem based-learning is a student-centered approach that organizes curriculum and instruction around carefully crafted “ill-structured” and real-world problem situations.  Learning is active rather than passive, integrated rather than fragmented, and connected rather than disjoined.  As in cooperative learning, student work in small groups, share responsibility for learning together, and in the process develop critical thingking and problem-solving skills and skills for collaboration and project management.  Developers and theoritists have identified a number of defining characteristic and futures of PBL (Arends, 2009;  Bridges & Hallinger, 1993;  Levin, 2001).  These are summarized below.

·         Problems or issues.  The starting point for PBL lessons and activities is a compelling problem or issue.  The content of learning is organizined around problems rather than academic disciplines.

·         Authentic.  Students seek realistic solutions to real-world and authentic problems.  Problem that focus student inquiries are socially important and one student are likely to encounter later on in life.

·         Investigation and problem solving.  Rather than acquiring knowledge and skills by listening or reading, student in PBL are actively engaged in learning through inquiry, investigation, and problem solving.

·         Interdisciplinary perspectives.  Students explore a number of perspectives and draw on multiple disciplines while involved in PBL investigations.

·         Small-group collaboration.  Learning occurs within the context of small, five- or six-member, learning groups.

·         Product, artifacts, exhibitions, and presentations.  Students demonstrate their learning by creating products, artifact, and exhibits.  In many instances, they present the result of their work to peers and to invited guest from other classrooms or the community (Arends & Kilcher, 2010:326).

Lebih lanjut Arends (2004, dalam Dasna & Sutrisna, 2010:5-8) merinci langkah-langkah pelaksanaan PBM.  Arends mengemukakan ada 5 fase yang perlu dilakukan untuk mengimplementasikan PBM.  Fase-fase tersebut merujuk pada tahapan-tahapan praktis yang dilakukan dalam kegiatan pembelajaran dengan PBM sebagaimana disajikan pada Tabel 1. 

Tabel 1.  Sintaks model PBM.

Fase	Aktivitas Guru
1.      Mengorientasikan siswa pada masalah	Menjelaskan tujuan pembelajaran, logistik yang diperlukan, memotivasi siswa terlibat aktif pada aktivitas pemecahan masalah yang dipilih.
2.      Mengorganisasi siswa untuk belajar	Membantu siswa membatasi dan mengorganisasi tugas belajar yang berhubungan dengan masalah yang dihadapi.
3.      Membimbing penyelidikan individu maupun kelompok	Mendorong siswa mengumpulkan informasi yang sesuai, melaksanakan eksperimen, dan mencari untuk penjelasan dan pemecahan.
4.      Mengembangkan dan menyajikan hasil karya	Membantu siswa merencanakan dan menyiapkan karya yang sesuai seperti laporan, video, dan model, dan membantu mereka untuk berbagi tugas dengan temannya.
5.      Menganalisis dan mengevaluasi proses pemecahan masalah	Membantu siswa melakukan refleksi terhadap penyelidikan dan proses-proses yang digunakan selama berlangusungnya pemecahan masalah.