The Egg Drop Challenge, PBL & the Industrial Safety
1974 in Canada. Howard Barrows first used the term problem-based learning (PBL) as a leading figure at McMaster University Medical School. He added a description to the term: ?innovative approach to medical education?.
PBL today has expanded beyond medical education and is now used in various fields of study across many educational institutions and corporate teams worldwide. Years ago, I experimented with PBL in my lectures and in my work in healthcare and hospital communication with the then successful version of the “Teddy plush toy clinic” for children on open day, where any self-defined illness of Teddy with all his cuddly friends by the children was welcome for recovery.
Objective: tangible eye and mindset openers that reach every cell and also shake things up a bit can be implemented really well with meaningfully designed explorative learning.
3 highly effective Problem-based learning PBL sessions in industrial safety training - as an inspiration:
1 Egg Drop Challenge
While not exclusively focused on industrial safety, this classic PBL exercise can be adapted to teach important safety concepts.
Action
What to expect | A creative problem-solving, teamwork, and the application of safety principles in design and construction. Related to industrial safety by discussing how protective measures and engineering controls are developed to prevent accidents and injuries in the workplace.
2 Interactive Safety Quests
Involves teams working through simulated real-world scenarios to solve safety-related problems.
Examples
What to expect | These quests require participants to apply safety knowledge, identify hazards, and develop solutions in a hands-on, collaborative manner. This session enhances problem-solving skills and the practical application of safety protocols in industrial settings.
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3 Emergency Situation Reenactments
Role-playing activity which involves teams acting out various emergency scenariosActiona
Participants performance:
What to expect | Reinforcement of safety procedures and prepares employees to respond effectively to potential industrial accidents or hazards.
Hint | Make in your little playbook for this PBL a short background info about Critical Thinking available. And mention, that this method is part “of the game”.
PBL Session Measurement
And the effectiveness of these PBL sessions in (industrial) safety? How to capture group dynamics, future impact and meaningful outcomes? As a proposal, here are two quantitative and one qualitative measurement approaches:
2 x Quantitative
1 Safety Knowledge Assessment
> Pre-test and post-test multiple-choice questionnaires
> Measure improvement in safety knowledge scores
> Calculate percentage increase in correct responses
> Track long-term retention with follow-up tests after 3 and 6 months
2 Performance Metrics
> Time taken to complete tasks in each PBL session
> Number of safety violations identified during simulations
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> Success rate in the Egg Drop Challenge (percentage of intact eggs)
> Quantify improvements in emergency response times
1 x Qualitative Measurement
Reflective Learning Journals
> Participants maintain journals throughout the PBL sessions
> Encourage reflection on learning experiences, challenges, and insights
> Analyze entries for themes related to safety awareness and attitude changes
> Conduct content analysis to identify recurring patterns and individual growth
Closing – a learning characteristic comparison:
Traditional Learning (TL) versus Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
a) Signal Detection
TL: focuses primarily on strong, obvious singlas
PBL: encourages identification of both weak and strong signals
b) Critical Thinking
TL: limited development of critical thinking skills
PBL: significantly improves critical thinking abilities
c) Learner Engagement
TL: passive reception of information
PBL: active participation in problem-solving
d) Adaptability
TL: may struggle with evolving workplace challenges
PBL: prepares learners for complex, ever-changing environments
e) Collaborative skills
TL: Limited emphasis on teamwork
PBL: promotes group collaboration and discussion
f) Contextual understanding
TL: may lack situational context
PBL: provides multidimensional perspective on problems
g) Retention of information
TL: may lead to short-term memorization
PBL: promotes long-term retention through active problem-solving
We just started to rethink (industrial) safety. There is no recipe how to do this. The PBL opens a gateway to discovery learning that, in combination with curiosity and intelligent collaboration methods, creates a tool for the ongoing knowledge acquisition of development groups.
The goal does not always have to be innovation. For me, especially in “head office” (global or zone) groups, the focus is more on the emergence of collective intelligence and self-directed learning (heutagogy). Using a linked satellite system similar to the retail sector, convincing developments or interventions can also be distributed to the “local impact” with efficient distribution.
So let's put all the learning eggs in the safety basket.
The Egg Throw Challenge. This post created some direct talks, that was refreshing and truly amazing. This included an interesting, spontaneous PBL safety version: giving the groups the task of wrapping the egg with the craft materials provided and then throwing it from at least the third floor of a building without breaking it. For a powerful symbolic awareness booster for safety-promoting measures, this was certainly a memorable exercise and experience. Eggtastic. PS: The final nuance - the projectiles can be collected at the end via a “giant cloth in the meadow” - or similar - and “converted” into a record fried egg or record omelette for a team snack.
Maurice, a very interesting post! This type of learning, the PBL you talk about is the type of learning from failures that Amy Edmondson talks about in her excellent book "Right kind of wrong". It is learning from failures in a complex, novel situation, that will allow people to get better at embracing the times that it doesn't work - which is a lot in the example of the egg drop challenge - and learn then iterate to get a better solution, without risking harm to anyone (except the egg). If you have not read that book yet, please do!
Moderator | Creator | Values: Curiosity ? Trust ? Integrity? | Ex- Global Safety at Schindler Group
2 个月Such a refreshing way to learn new things and to increase the collective intelligence of a group. What I love about the PBL is that it can be transformed and applied in different languages and cultures while maintaining the same impact. Seeing and measuring how safety knowledge and alertness goes up would be the one part. The other is the soft skills and group dynamics that developed in the teams. Of course, not everyone is the same or learns the same way and PBL gives trainers the chance to adapt, create and improve through each step of the way. Thank you for sharing and igniting inspiration Maurice Codourey