The initial education and formation of secondary classroom teachers has, over time, been constrained by a number of factors. In the UK these have historically included central prescription of teacher education course content and associated teaching methodologies. However, these prescriptions have to be observed against a background of developing new methodologies in professional education in general. An increased emphasis on understanding the nature of learning and the ways in which this is best fostered has moved the agenda away from didactic teaching and towards experiential and social learning. Within this context, problem-based learning (PBL) has become a feature of professional education in Europe in the medical, engineering and legal fields in the last twenty years. However, there has not been a substantial cognate development of this methodology within the initial education and training of teachers in the UK. This paper will give an account of two contrasting, yet related approaches to the use of PBL methodologies in the initial formation of secondary teachers. Within the University of Glasgow, research in problem based methods in initial teacher education was carried out at undergraduate level from 2000 onwards (McPhee, 2002). This research was contextualised within both the developments in PBL as a methodology for professional education and policy contexts relating to the initial education and formation of teachers in the UK. The present research to which this proposal relates builds on the findings of this earlier work to interrogate issues arising from two contrasting but ultimately related problem based methodologies. In particular, it focuses upon whether the optimum strategy at postgraduate level lies in a tightly defined problem or in a more loosely structured format. Two separate teaching sections of approximately 33 students within the Professional Studies element of the PGCE Secondary course were each offered one of the variant methodologies during Session 2002-3. Progress was monitored using a combination of questionnaires, focus groups and individual interviews. Some modification was made to materials in response to student feedback and the overall purpose was to build on the prior experience of the graduates and to utilise this in advancing their professional formation. The findings of this current research will be presented together with a discussion of their general application to initial teacher formation. Attention will be paid to assessment of the differing approaches in terms of their acceptability to the students and to the students' own assessment of them as relevant to their professional growth and development. Reference. McPhee, AD (2002): Problem based learning in initial teacher education - taking the agenda forward. Journal of Educational Enquiry, Vol 3 No 1 pp 60 - 78