Problem SolvingBy: Nigel Maccagno

ContextSchool District #22Silver Star ElementaryMontessori ProgramGrades 4 – 65th year teaching in ProgramPhilosophy: students stay with same teacher for 3

year cycles

ContextI recognize that even with a huge emphasis on student independence, students continued to show an inability to problem solve for themselves. When a student was faced with a problem, it immediately became everyone else’s problem - most consistently, the teacher’s problem. This trend, combined with the fact that the class composition is quite static for multiple school years at a time, I found myself faced with a demanding challenge.

ContextEven with being aware of the importance of these critical learning/developmental years, I found that independent problem solving was not being fostered. The reasons for this are complex and seem endless: environment at home and dependence on parents problem solving, developmentally incapable of expectations, subconscious support of student dependence, unwillingness to invest effort on the part of the student …..and so on.

Context When committing to teach young individuals for the first 3 - 5 years of their

educational experience, one must become very intentional. Constant change in student learning is necessary when faced with the same audience for years at a time.

The goal has always been to challenge students in a way that fits their learning needs, abilities, and to build on both strengths while addressing needs. This is a vital part of the program as it focuses on the individual learner and their individual needs. In order to do this, I have been building “learning profiles” for each student in the program. This allows me to track growth and progress. To create profiles, I have utilized the following: Self Regulation (Zones of Regulation), Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Gardiner’s Multiple Intelligences, Brain Studies (Mind-Up, Brain Gym, Spark), Social Thinking (Super Flex), Assessments (Words Their Way, First Steps in Math, Island Net, PM Benchmarks, Whole Class Read and Whole Class Writes, Montessori Developmental Stages, etc)

I have now come to a point where I can add “Problem Solving” to each learner’s profile. Though it is not complete and I have just begun to map it out, I am excited to track student progress in this crucial area of learning.

Problem StatementThe problem exists when students are faced

with/challenged by a problem (real or perceived) and their only solution is to go to an adult.

Everyone is faced with problems on a daily basis; from small problems to massive problems that can overwhelm or even change your life.

Students who can properly identify their problem and create numerous viable solutions are well on their way to becoming truly independent and resilient to change.

Problem StatementStudents must begin to practice problem solving strategies independently in order to become masters at solving problems. The sooner they begin to take ownership of their challenges, the sooner they can begin to take responsibility for themselves. It has become all to common that everyone else is responsible for the individual instead of the individual being responsible for him/herself. The empowered individual will take on their problems and create a plan to solve whatever the challenge may be.

Problem Statement

The result will be a more self reliant student body that will take action first, instead of passing the problem on to someone else.

Having said this, I recognize the importance of informing an adult of a serious problem. School wide initiatives address this type of problem/strategy.

Needs AssessmentType of learning outcome: When looking at

Gagne’s types of learning outcomes, “Intellectual Skills” is the outcome most applicable to the learning goal that I have set. It reflects the importance of learning how to respond to a variety of problems, rather than just individual problems in a structured environment or specific context (Smith pg.80). Learning outcomes related to problem solving address the critical skills involved in applying rules and strategies to previously un-encountered examples (pg.80).

Needs Assessment

One must learn to not only recall, but more importantly, apply knowledge to instances not encountered during instruction in order to indicate true learning (pg.80).

This is the focus of my problem, as I frequently observe students lacking in the ability to problem solve outside of a controlled environment.

Instructional Intervention and Strategies

Type of Instructional Strategies:Introduce what a problem is and have an

example of a problem for the class to use. (preferably a smaller problem with multiple solutions.) As you work through what a problem is, move to defining a solution. As a class, brainstorm as many possible solutions to the example problem.

Instructional Intervention and Strategies

Brainstorm Session: The class brainstorms as many “problems” as possible. It is important to provide the students with slips of paper so that they can remain anonymous throughout the brainstorming process. This supports those students who are taking the opportunity to disclose their own “real” problems. The problems will inevitably range in severity from simple to complex.

Instructional Intervention and Strategies

The teacher will then read all of the problems (after class) and choose the problems that are appropriate or have numerous solutions. They will then transfer the chosen problems into closed containers.

Introduce “Pulling Pockets” game.

Pulling

Pockets

A Problem Solving Game

What is a problem?: an unwelcome or harmful situation that needs to be dealt with and overcome in some way or form.

Examples of problems:

Best friend moves

away

Can’t find your journal

Forgot your lunchat home

Locked out of your car

Parents are going through a difficultdivorce

After unloading all of your groceries at the

checkout you realize you forgot your wallet

SOLUTIONS: a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation.

Possible Solutions:

-Call a cab-Call a neighbor-Ride your bike-Call a tow truck-Charge your battery-Call your boss to explain situation-Call your mechanic for advice-Take public transportation

What was the problem?

Vehicle won’t start, making you late for work.

RULES1. Students will be divided into teams of 4 -6 members2. Each group will determine the members roles within the group3. Determine the team that goes first and the direction of the game.4. The member without a role will pull the problem and read it aloud.5. Each group will have 2 minutes to create as many viable solutions as possible.6. After the 2 minutes is up, the team who pulled the problem starts by stating a

solution. The teacher and student judges will determine if it is a viable solution worth a point. The turn then moves to the next group who will offer a different solution than the previous group.

* Each viable solution that is not repeated will receive one point. A group who offers a repeated solution or a solution not deemed viable will not be awarded a point and the turn will move to the next team.

7. Once all solutions have been stated and each group “passes,” the next group starts a new round by pulling another problem. The team with the most points wins.

ROLESA Chairperson, whose job it is to make sure

that everyone in the group contributes and is listened to

A Secretary, whose job it is to record the teams solutions

A Spokesperson, whose job it is to report the solutions to the judges

An Assessor, whose job it is to observe their group and report back to the class (at the end of the game) on good features of good group work and what could be improved on

A Judge, whose job it is to determine whether or not a solution is viable/possible (worthy of a point)

SCOREBOARD

Team 1 Team 2

Team 3 Team 4

Lessons Learned I was pleasantly surprised with how effective the problem-

solving lesson was. The conversations were rich, insightful, and productive. The fact that all ages are faced with problems of all severity and variety allows this lesson to be applied to many different age groups.

My younger test subjects were notably in tune with their own personal problems and the strategies they used to solve those problems.

I found it helpful to have notebook software, as it made the writing portions more enjoyable for the reluctant writer. A quick mini lesson on how to change individual penmanship into computer font and quick spell checks for spelling mistakes had students highly engaged and more confident.

Lessons Learned When introducing the prototype, I quickly found that I was learning more from

my test subjects than I expected. I was shocked at their social, emotional, and academic awareness, and what strategies they have employed. It was so eye-opening that it has altered the course of my own identification of the problem. This research has me leaning towards the re-identification of the issue regarding critical thinking and problem solving.

Originally, the lack of independent thinking and problem solving skills appeared to be linked to the students’ struggles with properly identifying the problem and coming up with viable solutions to apply to the particular problem.

After testing the prototype (which aimed to aid students with this portion of the problem solving process), I now feel that the problem may lie with the deployment or action portion of this process. The observations that students are not prepared to be critical thinkers and independent problem solvers may be due to the inability to apply themselves to actions required to solve the problems. I find this to be a very plausible explanation and am excited about the foundational skills my test subjects showed.