Wittgenstein, Problem-based Learning and Higher Education

One of the greatest challenges that faces first-year university students is to figure out not just what to study, but also how to study, and whether that, the what and the how, is in alignment with the skills and beliefs they already possess and the ones they hope to develop. In this chapter, the author shows how Ludwig Wittgenstein can provide a framework upon which a sensible comprehension of the why, the what and the how can be constructed. He shall paints his picture using a case that highlights some of the difficulties that students face when making sense of learning strategies and abilities in higher education, and one which provides the paper with a clear pedagogical model for enacting and engaging with learning at a university. Wittgenstein's Tractatus is a form of demarcation game.