Supporting Problem Solving Skills
One can support student problem solving skills by helping the student improve his/her analytical skills. This seems to be accomplished must successfully by providing problems/scenarios to the student and helping the student progress through the critical thinking steps to solve the problem.
One way to support the development of problem solving in your students is to allow them to creatively approach problems with new ideas. I believe that a huge component to that is to allow collaboration among students in such a way that they can help each other view problems for multiple perspectives.
Clifton,
Problem solving skill is based upon a person being able to collect information about the problem, propose solutions, think through each solution and then select one that best fits that setting. The opposite is for a person to do the same thing over and over again whether it actually fits the situation or not and hope that will solve the problem.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
am little confused with definition of the problem solving. Concrete data( facts, goals statistics and history) and abstract abstract data. I need more elaboration on it please. I will really appreciate. What problems?
I agree totally! I always tell students there are NO dumb questions....all questions have value because we hopefully will be learning from the answer.
Excellent point, Maria. There is so much value in learning by trial and error--and often, those experiences are often the ones we remember the longest. In a teaching environment, this is such a valuble lessson and tool. It is so important to encourage students to take risks without fear of being perfect. There is a great quote that goes: "Mistakes are simply stepping stones on the way to success."
Excellent point, Maria. There is so much value in learning by trial and error--and often, those experiences are often the ones we remember the longest. In a teaching environment, this is such a valuble lessson and tool. It is so important to encourage students to take risks without fear of being perfect. There is a great quote that goes: "Mistakes are simply stepping stones on the way to success."
What are some ways you can support the development of problem solving skills in your students?
We must be familuar with the skills ourselves.
Donna,
I use case studies a lot in my classes for the some of the reasons you list. I want them to be able to take a situation, patient, etc. and work through possible solutions. Case studies are ways of getting them to develop their analytical skills and then be able to discuss their solutions or recommendations with colleagues and you the instructor.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach in a health care related field so I have the opportunity to present my students with scenarios that require they think their way through a "real life" situation. I use case studies or "this patient presents as....." scenarios and require they think it out. This type of scientific method thinking is great for development of problem solving skills.
Marie-Anne,
This is a terrific (and tasteful) way to apply the critical thinking process. Thanks.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I teach baking and pastries. After teaching the basic science of baking, I enjoy purposely making a mistake in the process of my demonstration and then have them go trough the steps to try and figure out where I went wrong. It gives me a chance to help those who have difficulty problem solving and reitterate the science basics.
Dennis,
These are excellent takeaways. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have been teaching math for 18 years.
Most of my creative thinking problems are not
limited to just math.
Students work in teams of two or three.
At the start of class, I present a crisis problem
such as first aid for "the hot coffee spill" that they need to decide in about 30 seconds. Solutions are discussed and then the best answer
is explained. Near the end of the class, I give out a brainteaser problem that is often "survival" in nature. They must work with a partner and arrive at a concensus solution. Points are awarded based on how likely they are to survive the situation.
There has been a lot of interest and participation
in these problems. Students earn extra credit
points towards their grade for the course.
Dennis Smith
Adjunct Math Instructor
IADT - Detroit
During my lectures I give the students examples of situations they may face in the real world and then have them come up with solutions to the examples.
Scott,
These 'case studies' are so valuable for the thinking experience. Nice job.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I am a diesel engine instructor, I think it is very important to help the students improve and develop their problem solving skills. We have several different exercises, individual and team. the students are given a complaint, and they have have to formulate questions to gather information on the problem, and use taht info to determine possible repair plans
David,
Starting them with success is a terrific approach.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Start the students with simple problems that they have some background in and have them apply the problem solving principles to arrive at their solutions. This can also be done in step by step process presenting the results to the class as the go. Also, problem solving in groups will help them develop team skills and see the value of different perspectives. From there, give them increasingly more difficult problems to tackle.
