“We Are Scholars”: Using Teamwork and Problem-Based Learning in a Canadian Regional Geography Course

Keeling, Arn (2008) “We Are Scholars”: Using Teamwork and Problem-Based Learning in a Canadian Regional Geography Course. MountainRise, 4 (3). pp. 1-13. ISSN 1555-7200

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Abstract

This pedagogical reflection recounts the implementation of a team-based and problem-based learning format in a regional geography of Canada course at a Canadian university. Regional geography courses, popular in many collegiate geography departments, often rely on the “transmission” mode of learning, which relies on the presentation of factual information about regions and its recitation in examinations. This format tends to reify existing regional divisions, whether political or otherwise, and makes it difficult for students to comprehend the dynamic, historical and constructed nature of regions. Team-based and problem-based learning was deployed in this third-year course to enliven and enrich the study of regional geography through the use of learning groups which produced regular research products during a series of thematic modules. Based on student feedback and the instructor’s reflections, the article highlights key benefits of teamwork in terms of learning outcomes and student personal development.

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