The Problem with Problem-Solving in Education (and what we can do about it)
The following is a guest post from Chris Woods. You can watch his video session on this topic in The STEM Teachers Club Membership.
If you really want to build critical thinking skills in your students, problem-solving is a great way to start. But the problem is, problem-solving is not announcing to your students, “Hey kids, try this problem: 391 x 17.”
First of all, that’s not a problem. It’s an expression, specifically a numerical expression. Expressions get simplified. Equations get solved (okay, my math teacher rant is over...I feel much better now).
More importantly, many problems we assign to students are not problems to solve, they’re mostly just tasks to accomplish. Problems like the one above can be calculated the “long way” by using some sort of steps (or algorithm) or the “short way” by typing the digits into a calculator. Or it can be solved by typing it into Google. Problem-solving is not Googling. And problem-solving is not just another way to get kids to do projects. Problem-solving involves way more than just letting kids build a science fair project or use spaghetti and marshmallows to build a tower.
The Problem with Problem-Solving
Each and every day, we as educators tend to give students “problems” to solve that require them to follow a series of steps, hopefully arriving at the answer we’re looking for. But if we want to create a thriving educational culture of learning, one that engages kids in discovery, we need to rethink how we “teach” the skill of problem-solving to our students. Too often, teachers approach problem-solving much different than the world approaches problem-solving.
Here’s how problem-solving looks in a classroom:
Create an imaginary problem for kids to solve
Assign problem to students to solve
Students solve problem
Students hand in
Problem solved
That’s not problem-solving. In fact, those steps actually create problems. We now have the problem of grading all those answers and the problem of trying to figure out if our students really understood what they were learning.
Contrast that approach to how problem-solving usually happens in the real world:
Some product or service needs fixed, redesigned, or improved
People get together and brainstorm ideas that could solve the problem
Potential ideas get tested through focus groups
Ideas get refined
Ideas get tested again
Solutions are chosen to apply to the product or service
Everyone is excited about the solution
Solution is released to the public
Social media erupts with frustrated consumers
Back to the brainstorming and refining steps
Etc…
Do you see the difference? I do. Every time we do problem-solving with our kids it MUST start with a REAL problem and progress towards a tested solution. Problem- solving can’t just be something we “do,” it has to be a way of thinking. It has to lead to a culture of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. Problems are all around us in the world, and they all need solutions. Sure, there are big problems that may seem daunting or overwhelming to try and solve, especially if you work with smaller kids. But most big problems have smaller, simpler aspects that students of any age can tackle.
What We Can Do About It
So, what’s a good way to start adding some authentic problem-solving to your classroom?
First, identify a good problem for your students to work on. It could be a product or a service that someone needs. If you can’t think of a real problem that needs solving, ask your kids. Actually, if you let your students look for problems, they’ll be more engaged and willing to buy-in to the learning process. They have favorite apps or games that could use improvements. They see problems in their neighborhood or community that need good solutions. They hear complaints in the hallways and locker rooms and buses that would make the perfect starter for real classroom problem-solving. Get your kids brainstorming real problems to solve. Relevance is the key to every type of learning, especially STEM learning.
Second, get your kids to work together to think up possible solutions to the problems. Don’t let kids pick their favorite problem. Challenge them to think about solutions to all of the potential problems. They may find that they can actually solve a few smaller problems just as easily as they can solve one bigger problem. Or at some point, their solution to a chosen problem may become too costly or impractical.
Third, challenge kids to pick one problem to work on and start brainstorming and refining possible solutions to that problem. It may also be good to avoid using the word “solve” for a while to make sure they don’t just approach it with an “I just want to complete this and hand it in” attitude. Every step of the problem-solving process is important. The final product may seem like the fun part, but proper planning and critical thinking along the way lead to a better end result.
Fourth, encourage students to formulate good questions to narrow down their solutions. Learning to ask good questions isn’t just a skill that educators need. It’s a skill that helps everyone. Good questions help in emergency situations, when we’re getting to know new people, and of course when we’re trying to learn something new. When I show my students some new invention or idea in the news that will supposedly make life better, I ask my kids questions like, “Would that work if the person was left-handed?” or, “Would that work for older and younger people?” or, “What happens if it loses power or something?” Those types of critical thinking questions help make a more complete solution.
Lastly, don’t let kids just pick their solution and “build” it. Make sure they test it out. Challenge them to try building a smaller or easier prototype and then refine it. Or if their solution is more of a service than a product, have them run the idea past some focus groups (A.K.A. their friends, relatives, or some other teachers) before rolling it out full scale. And don’t forget to schedule some time in a few weeks to have students revisit their solutions and see if they need to make some modifications to their solution. Chances are, there’s always an opportunity for improvement.
Changing the Way We Think About Problems
Think of a company like Apple. They completely revolutionized our world by changing how we interact with technology on a daily basis. They may not have invented the phone, but they sure made them a whole lot more useful. Not only did they make that original iPhone, they’ve redesigned and refined that original many times over to solve problems and make it even better.
I want my kids to look at the problems of the world and see opportunities for solutions. Problem-solving can be a great addition to your classroom no matter what age or subject you teach. Don’t be afraid to give your kids the opportunity to sharpen their critical thinking skills, even if it takes a little bit of time and adds a little bit of chaos to your classroom routine. Our world needs more problem solvers. Your kids can be problem solvers, not problem complainers. Unleash the power of real and relevant problem-solving in your classroom!
Want more tips for helping students become critical thinkers? Get access to the full training video when you join The STEM Teachers Club Membership!
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