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Show Standard-Examin- er and Lakeside Review, Tuesday, April 10, 1990 A the dark in order to have at What is a problem? To live is to have problems 77 Guilford . e all have them. We all try to deal with them as best we can. What exactly are they? Lets start with a definition. A problem exists when someone senses a significant difference between what is a and what could be a missed discrepancy, connection between reality and a wished for state of being. An obstacle (or two) might stand in the way of your particular goal. For example: You come to school and suddenly realize at 10 a.m. that you left your lunch at home. These types of problems are shared by everyone. Theres no one magical solution to this type of life problem. The good news is that there are endless possibilities. Or . . . A problem could be a question or a situation that requires an answer of some kind. Many of the problems students work on in school fall into this category. With this sort of problem theres usually one right answer out there somewhere. For example: Johnny has black socks and brown socks in his drawer, mixed in the ratio of 4 to 5. What is the fewest number of socks he has to remove from the drawer in least one matching pair? Maybe the best way to define problems is to describe the way they make most of us feel. Theres an uneasy feeling associated with problems, a nagging anxiety. Something is not quite right, the way its supposed to be. Things seem off balance, not quite centered. Maybe thats why there are so many sloppy problem solvers out there in the world, eager to do anything to get rid of these bad feelings as quickly as possible. Some equally ineffective problem solvers go into a state of paralysis, upset by the problem but frozen by panic. Neither approach works well. Are you still wondering about Johnny trying to get dressed in the dark? How many socks would he have to remove from the drawer? 16 and check answer. your What solutions can you list to the missing lunch problem? Turn to page To the teacher "It is strange that we expect students to learn, yet seldom teach them anything about learning. "We expect students to solve problems, yet seldom teach them anything about problem solving. -- D.A. Norman In todays complex world, memorizing facts and figures is no longer enough. No student no teacher, for that matter could possibly keep up with the information explosion. To succeed in their personal and professional lives, students must learn critical and creative thinking. But, how can you teach someone how to think? This supplement uses a variety of problem-solvin- g .techniques to develop those critical and creative thinking abilities. The supplement is organized with a specific model in mind. As you can see from the diagram on Page 2, the model depicts problem solving as a three-stag- e process similar to of a computer: function the input, processing, output. The three sections of the supplement correspond to those three stages. Through the activities in the input section of the supplement, students will focus on defining problems: analyzing situations carefully before proceeding, gathering information where necessary, questioning themselves (What do I know? What do I need to find out?) for insight and direction. This is a starting point because clearly defining a problem increases the probability of solving it effectively. Activities in the processing section offer the student a range of strategies for producing new ideas with a strong emphasis on creativity and group process. The output section illustrates various decisionmaking models. How do you choose among a list of possible solutions? Which one will be most effective? How do you design a plan of action? A range of educational research is reflected in this supplement. First and foremost, is the brain as computer model that hails from the field of cognitive psychology. (For more information on this approach, see Human Information Processing, by D.A. Norman. N.Y. Academic Press, 1977.) The section on creativity references the work of Sidney Parnes, Edward DeBono and W.J.J. Gordon. Other contributions will be credited throughout the supplement. , Dont be too hasty Theres a story that goes something like this: A boy runs down the hall and almost collides with his science teacher, Mr. Siegel. The boys name is Jeffrey and he is in a panic. Jeffrey has a problem. Whats the matter? asks Mr. Siegel. I need a ladder! Jeffrey , replies breathlessly. Why? demands his teacher. To get my project down from the ceiling before last bus call. Aha. The problem is clear to Mr. Siegel. And he determines a workable solution almost at once. ' Jeffrey doesnt need a ladder. Mr. Siegel, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, can easily stand on a chair to help Jeffrey retrieve his project in time to catch his bus home. What went wrong here? This story is an example of how problem solvers sometimes defeat themselves by focusing on a solution before they have properly defined the problem! 3 |