Introduction Problem-based learning (PBL) deserves a more prominent place in undergraduate elementary science education for pre-service teachers because the process empowers students and educators to assume responsibility for directing learning, defining and analyzing problems and constructing solutions. Having students work on solutions to problems encountered by stakeholders provides all parties involved in the process with a framework for extending learning opportunities. Problem-based learning guides learners to useful facts and concepts that would not otherwise have been encountered. Finally, problem-based learning helps cultivate strategic learners and problem solvers who can work with the local community as innovators and embracers of productive, progressive education. This article reports on the first attempt of an undergraduate teacher education program to incorporate at a problem-based learning (PBL) mode of teaching at an Australian university. A necessary condition of implementing a PBL mode of learning in science is to have course instructors work together to facilitate rich classroom discussion that maintains rigorous critical inquiry and analysis. This is different to the traditional way of learning science, which often resembles cookbook procedures (Hackling, 2005), where students passively follow an established line of inquiry that does not promote nor require problem-solving cognitive skills (Ronis, 2008;