Problem-based, self-directed learning

There is an increasing concern that the curricula of many medical schools put too heavy an emphasis on memorization of facts and little stress on problem solving or self-directed study skills necessary for the practice of medicine. Problem-based, self-directed learning is a teaching-learning method specifically designed to emphasize these skills and to increase the retention of facts and their recall in the clinical situation. This approach, built on research into the problem-solving skills of physicians and principles of educational psychology, is employed by several medical schools and serves as an antidote to the many educational abuses seen in more traditional approaches. (JAMA1983;250:3077-3080)