Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 15 (2011) 727730

WCES-2011

Problem solvers are better leaders: facilitating critical thinking

among educators through online education.
Katherine Greena *, Christine Jax a
a

Capella University, 225 South 6th Street, 9th Floor, Minneapolis, MN. 55402, USA

Abstract
The schools that new teachers and teacher leaders will be entering into in upcoming years will be diverse racially, culturally,
economically, and technologically. New educators and leaders must be prepared to enter this 21st Century workforce with an
understanding of these complexities, an ability to think critically and creatively, and be open to teaching and learning in ways and
situations they may not previously encountered. Problem-based learning and the use of case studies and eportfolios are
showcased as methods in which both online and face to face teacher education programs can best prepare new teachers and
teacher leaders in order to promote their critical thinking skills and ability to problem solve.
2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Keywords: Problem-Based learning; case study; online learning; teacher education

1. Introduction
Education is a multifaceted and an increasingly complicated process that demands high levels of knowledge,
ability, critical thinking and problem solving. As we move from a model of work-force development to one of
global collaboration, teachers have to expand their vision as well as their roles in order to mesh with the 21st Century
expectation of education and technology. Educational leaders must be prepared to guide their teachers and staff on a
path that has not necessarily been developed. Educational programs must focus on increasing student teachers
abilities to problem solve, use technology, and think critically because many issues they will encounter in the future
have not been anticipated and addressed in their studies.
Becoming a high quality teacher today means using appropriate technology, meeting students where they are
technologically, and understanding that the world is accessed differently among our learners. However, this type of
integration of technology with real classroom experiences will not be easy for many of our teachers. Often students
know much more about technology than do their teachers. They send podcasts to each other and refer to people who
email as old-fashioned, yet they have teachers who are satisfied to have a homepage and to have mastered the use
of PowerPoint, barely realizing that there is little difference between a chalkboard and PowerPoint to the receiver of
information, especially if the teacher is simply reading the information.

*Katherine Green. Tel.:(865) 335 9758

E-mail address: . katherine.green@capella.edu

18770428 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.03.173

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Katherine Green and Christine Jax / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 15 (2011) 727730

At the same time, there are still many children in classrooms who do not have cell phones or computers at home,
much less the necessary applications and networks. This means that current and prospective teachers have to keep
current with technology and how to use it, while simultaneously relying on old ways of accessing information so as
not to create an insurmountable divide between the technological haves and have-nots. High quality educators have
to be adept in this complex world by being flexible, creative, and continuously learning. Teacher education and
teacher-leader programs must focus on these elements if they wish to produce graduates capable of this high quality.
One way in which these newer and high quality approaches are being shared is via the internet. Online education
is growing exponentially. Germain-Rutherford and Kerr (2008) suggest that it is one of the fastest growing areas in
education but they note simply assuming that because the course or program is online and uses current technology, it
is automatically designed to educate for the 21st Century is erroneous. Many programs have been put into an online
format with little thought as to how these courses now reflect best practices related to technology and learning.
When we do this the sage on the stage simply becomes the sage in the box, which leaves much to be desired in
quality (McDonald, 2002). However, online education does not have to be so limited and programs and classes can
entail so much more.
This paper presents a variety of instructional strategies and tools that can be employed online or face-to-face to
develop effective educational leaders through the use of case-based learning and problem-based learning (PBL).
Examples are given of research-based best practices in online education that promote critical thinking, action
inquiry, and reflective teaching.
The use of cases as a learning tool has long been utilized in education as a way to develop high quality teachers
and teacher-leaders. Using cases as a basis of learning is supported by many educators (Darling-Hammond, 2006;
Harris, Pineggar, and Teemant, 2005; Levin, He, and Robbins, 2006; Weiss, Kreider, Lopez, and Chatman, 2005) as
a means of immersing learners in the experience and thus allowing them to make higher levels of connections
between theory and practice. Using the online environment as a platform for cases also allows for a rich and varied
approach that can incorporate multiple ways of learning. A case is traditionally a written description of a problem
situation for which students are tasked with applying course-provided information towards solving the prescriptive
problem. The emphasis course designers and instructors place on the outcome or resolution to the problem reflect
the objectives of the learning (Bridges and Hallinger, 1999). To expand the learning experience, cases can be in
video or audio format, created by the instructor, or brought to the course by the learners and shared in a
collaborative fashion. These approaches promote utilizing a format that supports multiple ways of learning, present
varying world perspectives, is more authentic, and can also aid learners whose first language may not have been
English (Harris, Pineggar, and Teemant, 2005).
Another approach that supports the development of high quality teachers and teacher-leaders is that of problembased learning. PBL originated in medical education 40 years ago (Bridges and Hallinger, 1999) with its roots
deeply embedded in cognitive psychology (Weaver Hart, 1999). While cases are used within PBL, the difference is
that problem-based learning relies on a project approach and the problem is not always clearly articulated to
students. It is perhaps less prescriptive in many ways and students must practice their growing knowledge and
theory skills within the project through such tools as role-playing, written materials, archival data or other
approaches to gathering and presenting information as they would perhaps utilize when actually in the classroom or
performing administrative roles (Weaver Hart, 1999).
Ryan and Grieshaber (2005) state that a postmodern teacher education program must provide students with a
theoretical toolbox that can be used to view issues from a multitude of angles, including angles yet to be needed.
PBL offers an additional way to help students develop leadership skills that can maneuver these angles because it
encourages them to manage multiple meanings and develop strategies for critical action (Savin-Baden, 2000, p.
143). Bridges and Hallinger (1999) state that PBL is generally centered around three primary objectives: 1.
acquiring new knowledge, 2. developing life-long learning skills, and 3. acquiring insight into the emotional aspects
of leadership. The authors articulate further that the first objective in PBL provides opportunities for five types of
knowledge including; domain-specific, procedural, strategic, self, and practical wisdom. Thus an instructor can

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choose to emphasize such areas as theory application, group decision making, problem solving, and/or identifying
personal bias depending on the focus of the course.
The second objective clearly reflects the type of teacher or teacher-leader needed in the 21 st Century. A report by
the World Bank supports this notion: In the 21st century, workers need to be lifelong learners, adapting
continuously to changed opportunities and labor market demands of the knowledge economy (World Bank, 2002,
p. 9). The report goes on to state that learning is not a luxury and post-basic, lifelong learning is vital to people in all
countries of the world. Learning does not begin at enrollment in university and end upon graduation; rather learning
is built upon within the program and skills promoted that allow graduates to be successful in ongoing discovery
(Aspin, Chapman, Hatton and Sawano, 2001; Moreno, 2005).
Bridges and Hallingers (1999) third PBL objective focuses on the emotional side of leadership. They purport
this is often overlooked by authors in the field and yet is not an area that should necessarily be read about but rather
students need to enact and feel the emotions of leadership. Through PBL, students are able to take on leadership
roles and feel what it means to be a leader as opposed to a subordinate, (p. 2).
Researchers are documenting a growing trend between PBL and the use of information technology in learning.
Evidence suggests that online learning is particularly rich and lasting when students are self-directed and participate
in the learning process (Heppell & Ramondt, 1998) and this is a notion supported by PBL (Savin-Baden, 2000). This
self direction must start in the beginning of the process with students encouraged to frame the problem based on
their own current understandings not only of the theory and material but their life view. Online learning often draws
together a rich tapestry of students who hail from varied locations, cultures and educational or work backgrounds.
This wide range of learners necessitates the need for instructors to put aside their own prescriptive problem solving
steps and prompt students to frame problems within their own socio-cultural lens. Leithwood et al. (2005) write,
We need to be developing leaders with large repertoires of practices and capacity to choose from that repertoire as
needed, not leaders trained in the delivery of one ideal set of practices (p. 8). These practices are not to be gained
simply from immersion in theory or readings but must be reflected upon and then acted upon. Freire (1970) stated
that reflection alone does not produce change and thus actions must be taken after reflection. PBL in the online
learning environment offers multiple ways to both reflect and then act.
Using asynchcronous online discussions for instance, allow for ongoing group work that can be contextualized to
the specific population and thus allow for higher persistence, increased motivation, and higher learning outcomes
(Smith, 2005). Discussion has been a highly utilized teaching strategy throughout history (Brookfield, 1990;
Waltonen-Moore, Stuart, Newton, Oswald, and Varonis, 2006) and promotes critical thinking, problem solving,
knowledge building plus aids in creating a sense of engagement and social connectedness. Research has shown that
learners who are active in course discussions have been found to be more successful in the course (Valasek, 2001)
and thus this element of online education should be seen as a large element of the learning process.
As has been described, case-based learning and PBL are both valuable approaches to developing successful
teachers and teacher-leaders both in traditional face to face classes and those online. But in an age of growing
dependence on prescriptive education grounded in mandated outcomes, standards-based learning, and test-driven
programs, how do we not only engage and utilize these approaches but document and show the growth that is
happening. We know that effective leaders are developed when students are encouraged to view their life
experiences and studies as continuously informing and supporting each other. Covey (2004) and DiMarco (2005)
describe the old model of skills assessment and traditional assessment (standardized tests, applications, and
resumes) as fading away due to 21st Century needs of knowledge over skill. In the age of knowledge there is a focus
on intellectual capital, technological skills, plus personal and professional traits. These are best enhanced by PBL
which places a focus on information gathering and critical thinking. One method of promoting and capturing this
learning progression is through the use of dynamic electronic portfolios. These provide a means of shifting passivity
in learning to one of an active and engaged role as students are able to choose artifacts, reflect on how these
demonstrate competencies, and generally engage in advanced forms of critical and complex thinking (Johnson,
Mims-Cox, & Doyle-Nichols, 2006). Eportfolios can include multiple forms of artifacts ranging from traditional
papers to video to representational art. Audio recordings of segments of the PBL experience could also be captured

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Katherine Green and Christine Jax / Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 15 (2011) 727730

as well as collaborative case assessments and problem solving scenarios. It is often impossible for an instructor to
envision the totality of type of documentation and keeping an open mind is vital to allowing this process of
assessment to remain focused on 21st Century knowledge needs (known and unknown). Doing so may allow for cocreation of new methodologies and approaches.
PBL is an ideal approach for developing programs for new teachers and educational leaders. The focus is on
active and engaged learning, critical thinking, problem analysis, and solution evaluation (Levin, 2001). Blending
these foci with best practices in online learning is essential as technology changes how the world communicates.
Understanding and being open to these newer approaches will help ensure we have educators who can help our
younger generations be more successful in their own journeys.
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