problem solving skills teacher

Why Every Educator Needs to Teach Problem-Solving Skills

Strong problem-solving skills will help students be more resilient and will increase their academic and career success .

Want to learn more about how to measure and teach students’ higher-order skills, including problem solving, critical thinking, and written communication?

Problem-solving skills are essential in school, careers, and life.

Problem-solving skills are important for every student to master. They help individuals navigate everyday life and find solutions to complex issues and challenges. These skills are especially valuable in the workplace, where employees are often required to solve problems and make decisions quickly and effectively.

Problem-solving skills are also needed for students’ personal growth and development because they help individuals overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. By developing strong problem-solving skills, students can improve their overall quality of life and become more successful in their personal and professional endeavors.

Problem-Solving Skills Help Students…

develop resilience.

Problem-solving skills are an integral part of resilience and the ability to persevere through challenges and adversity. To effectively work through and solve a problem, students must be able to think critically and creatively. Critical and creative thinking help students approach a problem objectively, analyze its components, and determine different ways to go about finding a solution.

This process in turn helps students build self-efficacy . When students are able to analyze and solve a problem, this increases their confidence, and they begin to realize the power they have to advocate for themselves and make meaningful change.

When students gain confidence in their ability to work through problems and attain their goals, they also begin to build a growth mindset . According to leading resilience researcher, Carol Dweck, “in a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”

Set and Achieve Goals

Students who possess strong problem-solving skills are better equipped to set and achieve their goals. By learning how to identify problems, think critically, and develop solutions, students can become more self-sufficient and confident in their ability to achieve their goals. Additionally, problem-solving skills are used in virtually all fields, disciplines, and career paths, which makes them important for everyone. Building strong problem-solving skills will help students enhance their academic and career performance and become more competitive as they begin to seek full-time employment after graduation or pursue additional education and training.

Resolve Conflicts

In addition to increased social and emotional skills like self-efficacy and goal-setting, problem-solving skills teach students how to cooperate with others and work through disagreements and conflicts. Problem-solving promotes “thinking outside the box” and approaching a conflict by searching for different solutions. This is a very different (and more effective!) method than a more stagnant approach that focuses on placing blame or getting stuck on elements of a situation that can’t be changed.

While it’s natural to get frustrated or feel stuck when working through a conflict, students with strong problem-solving skills will be able to work through these obstacles, think more rationally, and address the situation with a more solution-oriented approach. These skills will be valuable for students in school, their careers, and throughout their lives.

Achieve Success

We are all faced with problems every day. Problems arise in our personal lives, in school and in our jobs, and in our interactions with others. Employers especially are looking for candidates with strong problem-solving skills. In today’s job market, most jobs require the ability to analyze and effectively resolve complex issues. Students with strong problem-solving skills will stand out from other applicants and will have a more desirable skill set.

In a recent opinion piece published by The Hechinger Report , Virgel Hammonds, Chief Learning Officer at KnowledgeWorks, stated “Our world presents increasingly complex challenges. Education must adapt so that it nurtures problem solvers and critical thinkers.” Yet, the “traditional K–12 education system leaves little room for students to engage in real-world problem-solving scenarios.” This is the reason that a growing number of K–12 school districts and higher education institutions are transforming their instructional approach to personalized and competency-based learning, which encourage students to make decisions, problem solve and think critically as they take ownership of and direct their educational journey.

Problem-Solving Skills Can Be Measured and Taught

Research shows that problem-solving skills can be measured and taught. One effective method is through performance-based assessments which require students to demonstrate or apply their knowledge and higher-order skills to create a response or product or do a task.

What Are Performance-Based Assessments?

With the No Child Left Behind Act (2002), the use of standardized testing became the primary way to measure student learning in the U.S. The legislative requirements of this act shifted the emphasis to standardized testing, and this led to a decline in nontraditional testing methods .

But many educators, policy makers, and parents have concerns with standardized tests. Some of the top issues include that they don’t provide feedback on how students can perform better, they don’t value creativity, they are not representative of diverse populations, and they can be disadvantageous to lower-income students.

While standardized tests are still the norm, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona is encouraging states and districts to move away from traditional multiple choice and short response tests and instead use performance-based assessment, competency-based assessments, and other more authentic methods of measuring students abilities and skills rather than rote learning.

Performance-based assessments measure whether students can apply the skills and knowledge learned from a unit of study. Typically, a performance task challenges students to use their higher-order skills to complete a project or process. Tasks can range from an essay to a complex proposal or design.

Preview a Performance-Based Assessment

Want a closer look at how performance-based assessments work? Preview CAE’s K–12 and Higher Education assessments and see how CAE’s tools help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and written communication skills.

Performance-Based Assessments Help Students Build and Practice Problem-Solving Skills

In addition to effectively measuring students’ higher-order skills, including their problem-solving skills, performance-based assessments can help students practice and build these skills. Through the assessment process, students are given opportunities to practically apply their knowledge in real-world situations. By demonstrating their understanding of a topic, students are required to put what they’ve learned into practice through activities such as presentations, experiments, and simulations.

This type of problem-solving assessment tool requires students to analyze information and choose how to approach the presented problems. This process enhances their critical thinking skills and creativity, as well as their problem-solving skills. Unlike traditional assessments based on memorization or reciting facts, performance-based assessments focus on the students’ decisions and solutions, and through these tasks students learn to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Performance-based assessments like CAE’s College and Career Readiness Assessment (CRA+) and Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) provide students with in-depth reports that show them which higher-order skills they are strongest in and which they should continue to develop. This feedback helps students and their teachers plan instruction and supports to deepen their learning and improve their mastery of critical skills.

Explore CAE’s Problem-Solving Assessments

CAE offers performance-based assessments that measure student proficiency in higher-order skills including problem solving, critical thinking, and written communication.

College and Career Readiness Assessment (CCRA+) for secondary education and
Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) for higher education.

Our solution also includes instructional materials, practice models, and professional development.

We can help you create a program to build students’ problem-solving skills that includes:

Measuring students’ problem-solving skills through a performance-based assessment
Using the problem-solving assessment data to inform instruction and tailor interventions
Teaching students problem-solving skills and providing practice opportunities in real-life scenarios
Supporting educators with quality professional development

Get started with our problem-solving assessment tools to measure and build students’ problem-solving skills today! These skills will be invaluable to students now and in the future.

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Learn more about cae’s suite of products and let’s get started measuring and teaching students important higher-order skills like problem solving..

Center for Teaching

Teaching problem solving.

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Tips and Techniques

Expert vs. novice problem solvers, communicate.

Have students identify specific problems, difficulties, or confusions . Don’t waste time working through problems that students already understand.
If students are unable to articulate their concerns, determine where they are having trouble by asking them to identify the specific concepts or principles associated with the problem.
In a one-on-one tutoring session, ask the student to work his/her problem out loud . This slows down the thinking process, making it more accurate and allowing you to access understanding.
When working with larger groups you can ask students to provide a written “two-column solution.” Have students write up their solution to a problem by putting all their calculations in one column and all of their reasoning (in complete sentences) in the other column. This helps them to think critically about their own problem solving and helps you to more easily identify where they may be having problems. Two-Column Solution (Math) Two-Column Solution (Physics)

Encourage Independence

Model the problem solving process rather than just giving students the answer. As you work through the problem, consider how a novice might struggle with the concepts and make your thinking clear
Have students work through problems on their own. Ask directing questions or give helpful suggestions, but provide only minimal assistance and only when needed to overcome obstacles.
Don’t fear group work ! Students can frequently help each other, and talking about a problem helps them think more critically about the steps needed to solve the problem. Additionally, group work helps students realize that problems often have multiple solution strategies, some that might be more effective than others

Be sensitive

Frequently, when working problems, students are unsure of themselves. This lack of confidence may hamper their learning. It is important to recognize this when students come to us for help, and to give each student some feeling of mastery. Do this by providing positive reinforcement to let students know when they have mastered a new concept or skill.

Encourage Thoroughness and Patience

Try to communicate that the process is more important than the answer so that the student learns that it is OK to not have an instant solution. This is learned through your acceptance of his/her pace of doing things, through your refusal to let anxiety pressure you into giving the right answer, and through your example of problem solving through a step-by step process.

Experts (teachers) in a particular field are often so fluent in solving problems from that field that they can find it difficult to articulate the problem solving principles and strategies they use to novices (students) in their field because these principles and strategies are second nature to the expert. To teach students problem solving skills, a teacher should be aware of principles and strategies of good problem solving in his or her discipline .

The mathematician George Polya captured the problem solving principles and strategies he used in his discipline in the book How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method (Princeton University Press, 1957). The book includes a summary of Polya’s problem solving heuristic as well as advice on the teaching of problem solving.

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Teaching Problem-Solving Skills

Many instructors design opportunities for students to solve “problems”. But are their students solving true problems or merely participating in practice exercises? The former stresses critical thinking and decision making skills whereas the latter requires only the application of previously learned procedures.

Problem solving is often broadly defined as "the ability to understand the environment, identify complex problems, review related information to develop, evaluate strategies and implement solutions to build the desired outcome" (Fissore, C. et al, 2021). True problem solving is the process of applying a method – not known in advance – to a problem that is subject to a specific set of conditions and that the problem solver has not seen before, in order to obtain a satisfactory solution.

Below you will find some basic principles for teaching problem solving and one model to implement in your classroom teaching.

Principles for teaching problem solving

Model a useful problem-solving method . Problem solving can be difficult and sometimes tedious. Show students how to be patient and persistent, and how to follow a structured method, such as Woods’ model described below. Articulate your method as you use it so students see the connections.
Teach within a specific context . Teach problem-solving skills in the context in which they will be used by students (e.g., mole fraction calculations in a chemistry course). Use real-life problems in explanations, examples, and exams. Do not teach problem solving as an independent, abstract skill.
Help students understand the problem . In order to solve problems, students need to define the end goal. This step is crucial to successful learning of problem-solving skills. If you succeed at helping students answer the questions “what?” and “why?”, finding the answer to “how?” will be easier.
Take enough time . When planning a lecture/tutorial, budget enough time for: understanding the problem and defining the goal (both individually and as a class); dealing with questions from you and your students; making, finding, and fixing mistakes; and solving entire problems in a single session.
Ask questions and make suggestions . Ask students to predict “what would happen if …” or explain why something happened. This will help them to develop analytical and deductive thinking skills. Also, ask questions and make suggestions about strategies to encourage students to reflect on the problem-solving strategies that they use.
Link errors to misconceptions . Use errors as evidence of misconceptions, not carelessness or random guessing. Make an effort to isolate the misconception and correct it, then teach students to do this by themselves. We can all learn from mistakes.

Woods’ problem-solving model

Define the problem.

The system . Have students identify the system under study (e.g., a metal bridge subject to certain forces) by interpreting the information provided in the problem statement. Drawing a diagram is a great way to do this.
Known(s) and concepts . List what is known about the problem, and identify the knowledge needed to understand (and eventually) solve it.
Unknown(s) . Once you have a list of knowns, identifying the unknown(s) becomes simpler. One unknown is generally the answer to the problem, but there may be other unknowns. Be sure that students understand what they are expected to find.
Units and symbols . One key aspect in problem solving is teaching students how to select, interpret, and use units and symbols. Emphasize the use of units whenever applicable. Develop a habit of using appropriate units and symbols yourself at all times.
Constraints . All problems have some stated or implied constraints. Teach students to look for the words "only", "must", "neglect", or "assume" to help identify the constraints.
Criteria for success . Help students consider, from the beginning, what a logical type of answer would be. What characteristics will it possess? For example, a quantitative problem will require an answer in some form of numerical units (e.g., $/kg product, square cm, etc.) while an optimization problem requires an answer in the form of either a numerical maximum or minimum.

Think about it

“Let it simmer”. Use this stage to ponder the problem. Ideally, students will develop a mental image of the problem at hand during this stage.
Identify specific pieces of knowledge . Students need to determine by themselves the required background knowledge from illustrations, examples and problems covered in the course.
Collect information . Encourage students to collect pertinent information such as conversion factors, constants, and tables needed to solve the problem.

Plan a solution

Consider possible strategies . Often, the type of solution will be determined by the type of problem. Some common problem-solving strategies are: compute; simplify; use an equation; make a model, diagram, table, or chart; or work backwards.
Choose the best strategy . Help students to choose the best strategy by reminding them again what they are required to find or calculate.

Carry out the plan

Be patient . Most problems are not solved quickly or on the first attempt. In other cases, executing the solution may be the easiest step.
Be persistent . If a plan does not work immediately, do not let students get discouraged. Encourage them to try a different strategy and keep trying.

Encourage students to reflect. Once a solution has been reached, students should ask themselves the following questions:

Does the answer make sense?
Does it fit with the criteria established in step 1?
Did I answer the question(s)?
What did I learn by doing this?
Could I have done the problem another way?

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the CTE Support page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.

Fissore, C., Marchisio, M., Roman, F., & Sacchet, M. (2021). Development of problem solving skills with Maple in higher education. In: Corless, R.M., Gerhard, J., Kotsireas, I.S. (eds) Maple in Mathematics Education and Research. MC 2020. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1414. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81698-8_15
Foshay, R., & Kirkley, J. (1998). Principles for Teaching Problem Solving. TRO Learning Inc., Edina MN. (PDF) Principles for Teaching Problem Solving (researchgate.net)
Hayes, J.R. (1989). The Complete Problem Solver. 2nd Edition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Woods, D.R., Wright, J.D., Hoffman, T.W., Swartman, R.K., Doig, I.D. (1975). Teaching Problem solving Skills.
Engineering Education. Vol 1, No. 1. p. 238. Washington, DC: The American Society for Engineering Education.

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Teaching problem solving

Strategies for teaching problem solving apply across disciplines and instructional contexts. First, introduce the problem and explain how people in your discipline generally make sense of the given information. Then, explain how to apply these approaches to solve the problem.

Introducing the problem

Explaining how people in your discipline understand and interpret these types of problems can help students develop the skills they need to understand the problem (and find a solution). After introducing how you would go about solving a problem, you could then ask students to:

frame the problem in their own words
define key terms and concepts
determine statements that accurately represent the givens of a problem
identify analogous problems
determine what information is needed to solve the problem

Working on solutions

In the solution phase, one develops and then implements a coherent plan for solving the problem. As you help students with this phase, you might ask them to:

identify the general model or procedure they have in mind for solving the problem
set sub-goals for solving the problem
identify necessary operations and steps
draw conclusions
carry out necessary operations

You can help students tackle a problem effectively by asking them to:

systematically explain each step and its rationale
explain how they would approach solving the problem
help you solve the problem by posing questions at key points in the process
work together in small groups (3 to 5 students) to solve the problem and then have the solution presented to the rest of the class (either by you or by a student in the group)

In all cases, the more you get the students to articulate their own understandings of the problem and potential solutions, the more you can help them develop their expertise in approaching problems in your discipline.

Teaching problem solving: Let students get ‘stuck’ and ‘unstuck’

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, kate mills and km kate mills literacy interventionist - red bank primary school helyn kim helyn kim former brookings expert.

October 31, 2017

This is the second in a six-part blog series on teaching 21st century skills , including problem solving , metacognition , critical thinking , and collaboration , in classrooms.

In the real world, students encounter problems that are complex, not well defined, and lack a clear solution and approach. They need to be able to identify and apply different strategies to solve these problems. However, problem solving skills do not necessarily develop naturally; they need to be explicitly taught in a way that can be transferred across multiple settings and contexts.

Here’s what Kate Mills, who taught 4 th grade for 10 years at Knollwood School in New Jersey and is now a Literacy Interventionist at Red Bank Primary School, has to say about creating a classroom culture of problem solvers:

Helping my students grow to be people who will be successful outside of the classroom is equally as important as teaching the curriculum. From the first day of school, I intentionally choose language and activities that help to create a classroom culture of problem solvers. I want to produce students who are able to think about achieving a particular goal and manage their mental processes . This is known as metacognition , and research shows that metacognitive skills help students become better problem solvers.

I begin by “normalizing trouble” in the classroom. Peter H. Johnston teaches the importance of normalizing struggle , of naming it, acknowledging it, and calling it what it is: a sign that we’re growing. The goal is for the students to accept challenge and failure as a chance to grow and do better.

I look for every chance to share problems and highlight how the students— not the teachers— worked through those problems. There is, of course, coaching along the way. For example, a science class that is arguing over whose turn it is to build a vehicle will most likely need a teacher to help them find a way to the balance the work in an equitable way. Afterwards, I make it a point to turn it back to the class and say, “Do you see how you …” By naming what it is they did to solve the problem , students can be more independent and productive as they apply and adapt their thinking when engaging in future complex tasks.

After a few weeks, most of the class understands that the teachers aren’t there to solve problems for the students, but to support them in solving the problems themselves. With that important part of our classroom culture established, we can move to focusing on the strategies that students might need.

Here’s one way I do this in the classroom:

I show the broken escalator video to the class. Since my students are fourth graders, they think it’s hilarious and immediately start exclaiming, “Just get off! Walk!”

When the video is over, I say, “Many of us, probably all of us, are like the man in the video yelling for help when we get stuck. When we get stuck, we stop and immediately say ‘Help!’ instead of embracing the challenge and trying new ways to work through it.” I often introduce this lesson during math class, but it can apply to any area of our lives, and I can refer to the experience and conversation we had during any part of our day.

Research shows that just because students know the strategies does not mean they will engage in the appropriate strategies. Therefore, I try to provide opportunities where students can explicitly practice learning how, when, and why to use which strategies effectively so that they can become self-directed learners.

For example, I give students a math problem that will make many of them feel “stuck”. I will say, “Your job is to get yourselves stuck—or to allow yourselves to get stuck on this problem—and then work through it, being mindful of how you’re getting yourselves unstuck.” As students work, I check-in to help them name their process: “How did you get yourself unstuck?” or “What was your first step? What are you doing now? What might you try next?” As students talk about their process, I’ll add to a list of strategies that students are using and, if they are struggling, help students name a specific process. For instance, if a student says he wrote the information from the math problem down and points to a chart, I will say: “Oh that’s interesting. You pulled the important information from the problem out and organized it into a chart.” In this way, I am giving him the language to match what he did, so that he now has a strategy he could use in other times of struggle.

The charts grow with us over time and are something that we refer to when students are stuck or struggling. They become a resource for students and a way for them to talk about their process when they are reflecting on and monitoring what did or did not work.

For me, as a teacher, it is important that I create a classroom environment in which students are problem solvers. This helps tie struggles to strategies so that the students will not only see value in working harder but in working smarter by trying new and different strategies and revising their process. In doing so, they will more successful the next time around.

How to Teach Problem Solving Skills Like a Pro

Problem solving can be one of the most difficult things to teach children. It isn’t super cut and dry, and often times it can be simple to explain, but challenging for students to put into practice.

Here are the different ways I love to teach problem solving strategies to my students, and will make you a problem solving pro.

Problem Solving Strategies List

Have a script
Consistency, consistency, consistency
Kelso’s Choices
Realistic & Specific scenarios

Before we jump in- I am going to let you in on a little secret. When I am teaching my students problem-solving skills, I am typically referencing one of two things 1) my problem-solving posters and scenarios or 2) materials from Kelso’s choices. Kelso’s choices is a FANTASTIC, concrete way to give students action steps to take when they are trying to problem-solve.

I highly recommend incorporating Kelso’s choices from the beginning of the school year, and consistently teaching your students how to use it.

1. Have a Script

When you are teaching younger students how to problem solve, it may seem like they should know what to say and when to say it. You ask them, and they can tell you what should happen… and somehow, when that moment comes where there is disagreement…you still are hearing that yelling and screaming that you were hoping to avoid.

Here’s the thing- students need more help with these skills than we think, and that is why I believe it is crucial to have posted scripts for students to use to talk through their problems.

2. Consistency, consistency, consistency

Yup, you guessed it. You can’t just teach problem solving skills once or twice, and expect students to have it perfect. Just like with a new math or reading skill, problem solving takes time. LOTS of time- and lots of practice. Any time you can, have students practice their problem solving skills. Teach whole group and small group lessons on problem solving regularly. Choose one strategy, and teach it as often and consistently as you can.

Also- make sure to catch students working through problems IN THE MOMENT. Talking about it after is helpful, but not as helpful as if you can pull students aside as they are working through a problem, and guide them through it.

Some of the things I tell students before we do a ‘Talk it Out’ is:

-When student A is talking, you will wait to speak. I want you to focus on LISTENING to what they are saying. When Student B is talking, you will stay quiet, and focus on LISTENING.

-Then, I will have student A explain how THEY are feeling (and not what they think the other student did wrong). Then Student B shares their feelings.

-Afterwards, I help the students lead their own discussion on coming up with a solution to the problem.

3. Roleplay

How do actors memorize their lines? They act out their script until they have it memorized. Give your students opportunities to practice solving made up, but realistic, scenarios.

4. Kelso’s Choices

I love Kelso’s Choices . You can access the Kelso’s Choices poster (and other free resources) by clicking here , or, if you are feeling fancy, there is an entire curriculum that can give you some easy, low prep lessons to work on with students.

(If you are someone who prefers to have things ready to go, this is for you. For example, look at this Conflict Management kit! Tell your principal and counselor how awesome it is, and see if they can squeeze it into the budget.)

I introduce Kelso’s Choices at the beginning of the school year. I have the poster hung in the classroom, we look at the wheel, and I play this Kelso’s Choices Rap for students. (It is super silly and engaging.)

Over the first few weeks (or sets of lessons if you don’t see students every day), we really dig into what each choice looks like and means. I also love the motions that this counselor adds to her lessons.

Then, we use scenarios to practice which choice we might choose, and why.

Lastly, we act out those scenarios, so we get lots of practice.

Students know that they need to choose two Kelso’s Choices to try before they come get a teacher to help.

5. Realistic & Specific Scenarios

Last but not least, make your practice scenarios realistic . If you ask a student what they might do if someone has something they want, or they want to join into a game- that is important. But really dig into the specifics of these issues when you practice. Think of every day scenarios, and don’t just practice the original scenario, but what happens NEXT.

What if you ask someone if you can join their game, and they tell you no ? What if you left your homework at home and you already tried to call your grown-up, and they didn’t answer the phone ? If your friend says something mean to you multiple times and you already told them you didn’t like it ? I have a bunch of specific problem-solving scenarios in this product!

Be sure that when you have students practice, your scenarios are realistic and specific.

Overall, when you are teaching problem solving skills to your students, really focus on the specifics, your consistency, and regular practice!

11 of My Favorite Videos to Teach Gratitude

The Role of the Teacher Changes in a Problem-Solving Classroom

How can teachers help students develop problem-solving skills when they themselves, even though confronted with an array of problems every day, may need to become better problem solvers? Our experience leads us to conclude that there is an expertise in a certain kind of problem-solving that teachers possess but that broader problem-solving skills are sometimes wanting.There are a few reasons why this happens. One reason may be that teacher preparation programs remain focused on how to teach subjects and behavior management techniques. Another reason may be that professional development opportunities offered in schools are focused elsewhere. And, another reason could be that leaders still often fail to engage their faculties in solving substantive problems within the school community.

A recent issue of Education Leadership was dedicated to the topic, “Unleashing Problem Solvers”. One theme that ran through several of the articles was the changing role of the teacher. In a positive but traditional classroom, information is shared by the teacher and the students are asked to demonstrate application of that information. A problem-solving classroom is different. A problem-solving classroom requires extraordinary planning on the part of the teacher. For problems to have relevance, students are engaged in the identification of the problem. Teachers have to become experts at creating questions that require students to reach back to information and skills already attained, while figuring out what they need to learn next in order to solve the problem. Some of us are really good at asking these kinds of questions. Others are not.

Students have to become experts at reflecting on these questions as guides resulting in a gathering of new information and skills, and answers. Teachers have to be prepared to offer lessons that bridge the gaps between the skills and information already attained and those the performance of the students demonstrate remain needed. Often it involves teams of students and they are simultaneously learning collaboration and communication skills.

Problem-Based Classrooms Require Letting Go

Opportunities for teachers to work with each other, to learn from experts, to receive feedback from observers of their work, all allow for skill development. But at the same time, there is a more challenging effort required of the teacher. Problem-based classrooms require teachers to dare to let go of control of the learning and to take hold of the role of questioner, coach, supporter, and diagnostician. In addition to the lack of training teachers have in these skills, the leaders in charge of evaluating their work also have to know what problem-solving classrooms look like and how to capture that environment in an observation, how to give feedback on the teachers’ efforts. Of course, if problem- solving is a collaborative school community process, how does that change the leader’s role? Are leaders, themselves, ready to become facilitators of the process rather than the sole problem solver? Many talk about wanting that but most get rewarded for being the problem solver.

Questions are Essential

There is a place to begin and that place is the shared understanding of what problem-based learning actually is. Because teachers traditionally plan for a time for Q and A within classes, they and their leaders may think of questions as having a correct answer. In moving into a problem-based learning design, the questions also have to be more overarching, create cognitive dissonance, and provoke the learner to search for answers. Here is why it is important to come to an understanding about the types of questions to be asked and shifting the teaching and learning practices to be one of expecting more from the learner.

Students Need Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-based learning skills are skills that prepare for a changing environment in all fields. Current educators cannot imagine some of the careers our students will have over their lifetimes. We do know that change will be part of everyone’s work. Flexibility and problem-solving are key skills. Problem- solving involves collaboration, communication, critical thinking, empathy, and integrity. If we listen to the business world, we will hear that design thinking is the way of the future.

Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO says,

Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.

The only way for educators to develop these skills in students is to build lessons and units that are interdisciplinary and demand these skills. If we begin from the earliest of grades and expect more as they ascend through the grades, students will have mastered not only their subjects, but the skills that will prepare them for the world of work. How do we best prepare our students? We think problem solving is key.

A nn Myers and Jill Berkowicz are the authors of The STEM Shift (2015, Corwin) a book about leading the shift into 21st century schools. Ann and Jill welcome connecting through Twitter & Email .

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

The opinions expressed in Leadership 360 are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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Don’t Just Tell Students to Solve Problems. Teach Them How.

The positive impact of an innovative UC San Diego problem-solving educational curriculum continues to grow

Daniel Kane - [email protected]

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Not getting stuck

One of the overarching goals of this project is to teach both problem-identification and problem-solving skills that help students avoid getting stuck during the learning process. Stuck feelings lead to frustration – and when it’s a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) project, that frustration can lead students to feel they don’t belong in a STEM major or a STEM career. Instead, the UC San Diego curriculum is designed to give students the tools that lead to reactions like “this class is hard, but I know I can do this!” – as Ogo, a celebrated high school biomedical sciences and technology teacher, put it.

Three years into the curriculum development effort, the light-hearted energy of the students combined with their intense focus points to success. On the last day of the class, Mourad Mjahed PhD, Director of the MESA Program at Southwestern College’s School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering came to UC San Diego to see the final project presentations made by his 22 MESA students.

“Industry is looking for students who have learned from their failures and who have worked outside of their comfort zones,” said Mjahed. The UC San Diego problem-solving curriculum, Mjahed noted, is an opportunity for students to build the skills and the confidence to learn from their failures and to work outside their comfort zone. “And from there, they see pathways to real careers,” he said.

What does it mean to explicitly teach problem solving?

This approach to teaching problem solving includes a significant focus on learning to identify the problem that actually needs to be solved, in order to avoid solving the wrong problem. The curriculum is organized so that each day is a complete experience. It begins with the teacher introducing the problem-identification or problem-solving strategy of the day. The teacher then presents case studies of that particular strategy in action. Next, the students get introduced to the day’s challenge project. Working in teams, the students compete to win the challenge while integrating the day’s technique. Finally, the class reconvenes to reflect. They discuss what worked and didn't work with their designs as well as how they could have used the day’s problem-identification or problem-solving technique more effectively.

The challenges are designed to be engaging – and over three years, they have been refined to be even more engaging. But the student engagement is about much more than being entertained. Many of the students recognize early on that the problem-identification and problem-solving skills they are learning can be applied not just in the classroom, but in other classes and in life in general.

Gabriel from Southwestern College is one of the students who saw benefits outside the classroom almost immediately. In addition to taking the UC San Diego problem-solving course, Gabriel was concurrently enrolled in an online computer science programming class. He said he immediately started applying the UC San Diego problem-identification and troubleshooting strategies to his coding assignments.

Gabriel noted that he was given a coding-specific troubleshooting strategy in the computer science course, but the more general problem-identification strategies from the UC San Diego class had been extremely helpful. It’s critical to “find the right problem so you can get the right solution. The strategies here,” he said, “they work everywhere.”

Phan echoed this sentiment. “We believe this curriculum can prepare students for the technical workforce. It can prepare students to be impactful for any career path.”

The goal is to be able to offer the course in community colleges for course credit that transfers to the UC, and to possibly offer a version of the course to incoming students at UC San Diego.

As the team continues to work towards integrating the curriculum in both standardized high school courses such as physics, and incorporating the content as a part of the general education curriculum at UC San Diego, the project is expected to impact thousands more students across San Diego annually.

Portrait of the Problem-Solving Curriculum

On a sunny Wednesday in July 2023, an experiential-learning classroom was full of San Diego community college students. They were about half-way through the three-week problem-solving course at UC San Diego, held in the campus’ EnVision Arts and Engineering Maker Studio. On this day, the students were challenged to build a contraption that would propel at least six ping pong balls along a kite string spanning the laboratory. The only propulsive force they could rely on was the air shooting out of a party balloon.

A team of three students from Southwestern College – Valeria, Melissa and Alondra – took an early lead in the classroom competition. They were the first to use a plastic bag instead of disposable cups to hold the ping pong balls. Using a bag, their design got more than half-way to the finish line – better than any other team at the time – but there was more work to do.

As the trio considered what design changes to make next, they returned to the problem-solving theme of the day: unintended consequences. Earlier in the day, all the students had been challenged to consider unintended consequences and ask questions like: When you design to reduce friction, what happens? Do new problems emerge? Did other things improve that you hadn’t anticipated?

Other groups soon followed Valeria, Melissa and Alondra’s lead and began iterating on their own plastic-bag solutions to the day’s challenge. New unintended consequences popped up everywhere. Switching from cups to a bag, for example, reduced friction but sometimes increased wind drag.

Over the course of several iterations, Valeria, Melissa and Alondra made their bag smaller, blew their balloon up bigger, and switched to a different kind of tape to get a better connection with the plastic straw that slid along the kite string, carrying the ping pong balls.

One of the groups on the other side of the room watched the emergence of the plastic-bag solution with great interest.

“We tried everything, then we saw a team using a bag,” said Alexander, a student from City College. His team adopted the plastic-bag strategy as well, and iterated on it like everyone else. They also chose to blow up their balloon with a hand pump after the balloon was already attached to the bag filled with ping pong balls – which was unique.

“I don’t want to be trying to put the balloon in place when it's about to explode,” Alexander explained.

Asked about whether the structured problem solving approaches were useful, Alexander’s teammate Brianna, who is a Southwestern College student, talked about how the problem-solving tools have helped her get over mental blocks. “Sometimes we make the most ridiculous things work,” she said. “It’s a pretty fun class for sure.”

Yoshadara, a City College student who is the third member of this team, described some of the problem solving techniques this way: “It’s about letting yourself be a little absurd.”

Alexander jumped back into the conversation. “The value is in the abstraction. As students, we learn to look at the problem solving that worked and then abstract out the problem solving strategy that can then be applied to other challenges. That’s what mathematicians do all the time,” he said, adding that he is already thinking about how he can apply the process of looking at unintended consequences to improve both how he plays chess and how he goes about solving math problems.

Looking ahead, the goal is to empower as many students as possible in the San Diego area and beyond to learn to problem solve more enjoyably. It’s a concrete way to give students tools that could encourage them to thrive in the growing number of technical careers that require sharp problem-solving skills, whether or not they require a four-year degree.

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Published: 05 September 2024

The effectiveness of training teachers in problem-based learning implementation on students’ outcomes: a mixed-method study

Nawaf Awadh K. Alreshidi ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7934-4724 1 &
Victor Lally 2

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume 11 , Article number: 1137 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

The aim of this study was to understand the effect of training teachers in problem-based learning (PBL) implementation on students’ outcomes. Mixed methods were used to analyse the quasi-experimental study data. 127 students were divided into three groups: Group A ( N = 52) was taught by a trained teacher using the PBL teaching strategy, group B ( N = 39) was taught by an untrained teacher using traditional teaching methods, and group C ( N = 36) was taught by an untrained teacher using the PBL teaching strategy. The results showed that students whose teachers received training in PBL implementation significantly improved in terms of applying knowledge compared with students whose teachers used traditional teaching methods. The findings also provide robust evidence to show that using PBL teaching methods significantly improves students’ attitudes towards mathematics compared with traditional teaching methods, regardless of the teacher training effect. The key element in training teachers in PBL to improve students’ application of mathematics is training teachers in using metacognitive strategies that facilitate students’ learning processes.

Fostering twenty-first century skills among primary school students through math project-based learning

A meta-analysis to gauge the impact of pedagogies employed in mixed-ability high school biology classrooms

Secondary school students’ attitude towards mathematics word problems

Introduction.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching strategy in which a facilitator assists students to solve real-world problems as they work in small groups; the facilitator’s aim is to help the students to gain new knowledge and improve their problem-solving skills (see Barrows, 1986 ; Goodman, 2010 ). PBL aims to improve students’ knowledge application (Hmelo, 1998 ; Hmelo and Lin, 2000 ; Schmidt et al., 1996 ), and attitudes towards learning the subject (Hung, 2006 ; Westwood, 2011 ).

In mathematics, PBL is an instructional strategy that contextualises mathematics knowledge (i.e., real-life problems) in a way that helps students to understand where, when and how to apply knowledge. In PBL, when students encounter a real-life problem, they should identify what they have already learned about the problem (i.e., activating their prior knowledge) and establish what they need to know in order to solve the problem (i.e., missing information). They have to search for missing information and then combine it with what they already know (i.e., relevant prior knowledge), applying this to a new context (Bokonjic et al., 2007 ). Therefore, using a PBL teaching strategy in mathematics should reflect on students’ improvement in applying mathematics. Applying mathematics is the concept of using mathematics in real life (Mumcu, 2016 ).

Contextualising knowledge can be prepared by embedding learning opportunities in real-life contexts, which could it also be of interest for students, and it shows students the value of the function of the subject matter in the real world (Hung, 2006 ; Westwood, 2011 ). In the mathematics context, the content of PBL settings (real-life problems) shows the function of mathematics in reality and gives meaning to learning mathematics (Westwood, 2011 ). This should place value on learning mathematics for students, leading to an increase in positive attitudes towards learning mathematics. Attitudes towards mathematics is a negative or positive emotional disposition toward mathematics (Zan and Di Martino, 2007 ). In a systematic review and meta-analysis, Suparman et al. ( 2021 ) determined that PBL is one of the best teaching strategies for primary school mathematics teachers to enhance students’ mathematical abilities. However, students’ learning processes need to be facilitated by teachers in their approach to solving problems (Collins et al., 1989 ; Hmelo-Silver and Barrows, 2006 ; Hung, 2011 ). Thus, it is essential for teachers to be able to do this effectively to produce a noticeable improvement in students’ outcomes. This might require teachers to complete training in facilitation processes. To date, little is known about how the training of teachers in PBL implementation affects students’ outcomes. The results of the present study will help educational decision-makers to understand how training teachers in implementing PBL affects students’ mathematical applications and attitudes towards mathematics.

This article begins with a review of previous studies on PBL, followed by a discussion of teacher training in PBL implementation. The experiment conducted as part of this research examined the effects of training teachers on students’ knowledge application in mathematics and students’ attitudes towards mathematics.

Previous studies in problem-based learning

The overall review of empirical studies shows that PBL tends to significantly improve knowledge application (Abdalqader and Khalid, 2014 ; Primadoni et al., 2020 ; Tong et al., 2021 ; Wirkala and Kuhn, 2011 ; Wong and Day, 2009 ) and generate positive attitudes among students compared with traditional teaching methods (TTM; i.e., teacher-centred instruction) in kindergarten to 12th grade (K–12) settings (Goodnough and Cashion, 2006 ; Lou et al., 2011 ; Merritt et al., 2017 ; Nowak, 2001 ; Tong et al. 2021 ). For example, a quasi-experimental study including control groups conducted by Tong et al. ( 2021 ) examined the effectiveness of PBL on 10th-grade students’ mathematical application knowledge and their attitudes towards mathematics. The results showed that the students taught by the PBL group improved significantly in the application of knowledge and attitudes towards mathematics compared to the students taught by conventional methods. The real-life problems used with PBL are expected to drive students’ curiosity and capture their interest (Schmidt et al. 2009 ); therefore, PBL pedagogy and content could enhance students’ interest and promote their knowledge application.

Most of the literature pertaining to PBL has been conducted in the field of medicine and its allied contexts at universities. A limited number of studies have been carried out in K–12 contexts, and very few studies have been conducted in primary schools see (Alshhrany and Mohammed ( 2010 ); Eviyanti et al., 2017 ). Additional empirical research is needed to investigate the effects of PBL on the outcomes of younger students.

Training in PBL implementation

Although training teachers to implement PBL is generally viewed as critical for improving students’ achievement (Arani et al., 2023 ; Barrows, 1996 ; Fernandes, 2021 ; Hmelo-Silver and Barrows, 2006 ; Leary et al., 2009 ; Wosinski et al., 2018 ) the effects of teacher training on students’ performance are still ambiguous. The agreement on the importance of training is supported by literature outside of PBL, where reports have shown that the most effective teachers are trained in how to use facilitation skills (Leary et al., 2009 ). A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between teacher training and students’ learning outcomes, and 94 studies were selected for inclusion in the study. The results showed a significant relationship between teacher training and students’ achievement. The study suggested that untrained teachers have similar student outcomes to those of teachers who use TTM (Leary et al., 2013 ). The researchers concluded that the facilitator may be a key factor in students’ outcomes. In another study, Tawfik and Kolodner ( 2016 ) revisited PBL’s foundations from a case-based reasoning perspective suggested that novices must be trained to facilitate scaffolding students during PBL. Maxwell et al., ( 2005 ) suggested that PBL instruction can improve learning compared with conventional methods when teachers are trained well in PBL. El-Aziz El Naggar et al., ( 2013 ) found that training was necessary to improve facilitators’ skills in collaborative learning and self-directed environments. However, there is a lack of research studies that have experimentally examined the effects of teacher training on student learning. More primary research is required to measure the effects on students’ outcomes of training teachers in PBL.

The aim of training teachers in PBL is to develop teachers in their professional role (Friedman and Woodhead, 2008 ; Villegas-Reimers, 2003 ). Both teachers and students have a role in PBL. To delineate the role of teachers, first, we have to identify the role of students. In PBL, the role of students is to go through the PBL process. Students work in small groups to understand the problem, identify and learn what they need to know and generate hypotheses to solve the problem (Hmelo-Silver, 2004 ). The role of students also involves questioning, researching and using critical thinking in an active way to solve problems (Cerezo, 2004 ). Students are required to take responsibility for their learning and engage in meaning-making in terms of their knowledge (English and Kitsantas, 2013 ). For effective engagement in PBL, students must be responsible for their learning, and they must actively participate in constructing knowledge and making meaningful processes (English and Kitsantas, 2013 ). However, many students cannot easily shift into this role because they have developed ingrained habits from the typical traditional classroom experiences, and they rely on the passive receiving of knowledge (English and Kitsantas, 2013 ; Hung, 2011 ; Ronis, 2008 ). To shift effectively to the new role, students must develop self-regulated learning (SRL) skills (English and Kitsantas, 2013 ).

SRL refers to the extent to which the learner is motivationally, metacognitively and behaviourally active in their learning processes (Zimmerman, 1989 ). Self-regulated learners can set goals and plans, identify appropriate strategies, and self-monitor and self-evaluate their learning; they are intrinsically motivated to learn. Thus, for effective learning in PBL, SRL is an essential skill (English and Kitsantas, 2013 ). In PBL, teachers can consciously activate students’ behaviours, leading to SRL. When it comes to promoting students’ skills to be able to do this, the role of teachers is to structure activities to stimulate students’ motivation, encourage reflection and facilitate their learning processes through guidance, scaffolding feedback and prompting independent thinking (English and Kitsantas, 2013 ). The role of the teacher in PBL is to facilitate collaborative knowledge construction by students, monitor learning processes, model desired behaviours and concentrate students’ efforts on critical thinking (Hmelo-Silver and Barrows, 2006 , 2008 ); this can be done by raising awareness of students’ higher cognitive thinking (Barrows, 1998 ).

Effective teachers should know how to facilitate groups’ learning processes (Dolmans et al., 2002 ; El-Aziz El Naggar et al., 2013 ). To enhance cooperation and production within groups, teachers should use intervention strategies, such as making decisions on what, when and how to intervene (Bosse et al., 2010 ). Teachers may need to be trained to implement such strategies in such a way as to facilitate tutorial processes, since it is teachers’ responsibility to guide students’ learning (Yew et al., 2011 ). In this study, we attempt to understand the effect of training in implementing PBL on students’ outcomes. We address the following questions:

How do trained and untrained teachers in PBL techniques implement PBL?

What are the effects of teacher training in implementing PBL on students’ mathematical applications?

What are the effects of teacher training in implementing PBL on students’ attitudes towards mathematics?

Study design

A quasi-experimental design was adopted in this study as the main quantitative approach to minimise bias in estimating the difference between traditional instruction and PBL classes. In addition, a qualitative approach was used during the intervention using field observation notes and after the intervention using interviews, as a secondary approach (see Fig. 1 ).

The figure illustrates the study design; mathematical test and attitudes towards mathematics were applied before and after the intervention, while during the quasi-experimental implementation, field observation notes were taken, and at the end of the intervention semi-structured interviews were conducted with the teachers.

Figure 1 illustrates the study design; during the quasi-experimental implementation, field observation notes documenting the authors’ observations were taken with the aim of observing how teachers implemented PBL, while semi-structured interviews were conducted with both types of the teachers who only implemented PBL (trained and untrained teachers) after the implementation of PBL as a supplement, with the aim of being used as part of the triangulation method for the author’s observations in how teachers implemented PBL.

School and participating students

The school was located in an urban district in a major city, Hail, which is situated in the north of Saudi Arabia. The school was randomly selected from ten private schools. Then, seven of the third-grade classes out of nine in the selected school were randomly chosen. The third grade is an important level, as it is the final grade of lower primary school. The classes were instructed by three teachers; one taught three classes, and the others taught two classes each. These classes comprised the three following groups: group A (three classes taught by a trained teacher using a PBL teaching strategy), group B (two classes taught by an untrained teacher using TTM) and group C (two classes taught by an untrained teacher using a PBL teaching strategy; see the study design in Table 1 ).

Ethical approval was obtained, and all participants signed consent forms to participate. They were informed that they could withdraw any time with no need to justify their decision, nor would there be any consequences of withdrawal.

In total, 127 pupils participated in the study, and their ages ranged from eight to nine years old. They were in the last semester of the third grade. Most of the students at the school were Saudis; in each group, two to four students had Arab backgrounds, such as from Syria, Egypt and Sudan. All students had a middle-class socioeconomic status. Academic school records and pre-test’ scores were used to ensure that the groups were similar in terms of mathematical achievement. Within each group, students showed a wide range of academic achievements; the students spanned from very low to very high achievers. There were no special education pupils within the groups.

Three teachers were randomly selected from one large primary school to take part in this study. The first teacher was randomly selected to receive training courses in using the PBL teaching strategy. The second teacher did not receive any training, but he was provided with PBL materials—specifically, design problems and guidelines for implementing PBL; he was asked to conduct self-directed learning (SDL) to implement PBL in his classrooms. The aim of including a trained and an untrained teacher using PBL was to measure the effects of training teachers on students’ outcomes. The third teacher was not trained in PBL and was asked to teach students using TTM.

The teachers had similar characteristics in terms of qualifications, experience and expertise, as well as in their beliefs and perspectives on PBL and TTM. They are all male and they believed that the aim of teaching mathematics is to conduct real-life problem solving, and they considered active learning to be important for students. They had been teaching mathematics to third-grade school students for 10 years. They all had a first degree in mathematics. They were all Egyptians and aged in their late thirties. According to the teachers and the administration of the school, the teachers had all attended the same training courses in different aspects of education, such as active learning. However, none of them had ever been trained in using PBL teaching strategies.

The topic covered in the classes was ‘data display’. It covered representation through codes, interpretation of representation through codes, representation in columns and interpretation of representation in columns. The content was new to the students. The instruction took place during ten class sessions (45 min each) comprising four sessions per week over for two and a half weeks, with a total of 7.5 h for each group. To control for the time factor, all groups, whether PBL or traditional, were given the same amount of time.

Instruments

Six multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, fill-in table questions and drawing tests were applied at the beginning of the study (pre-test) and in the final experiment (post-test). Mathematics items were selected from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 , 2007 and 2011 (see Mullis et al., 2012 ). The TIMSS items that were selected matched the objectives of lessons for knowledge application exactly; they had already been examined for the purpose of the test. We chose TIMSS mathematics items because they were verified as appropriate for the students’ ages. The students had nearly finished the third grade, and the curriculum for that grade contained many TIMSS topics (see TIMSS, n.d. ). Each item on the test received a score of either one or zero. An example of the items is given in Appendix A . The measure ‘attitudes towards mathematics’ of TIMSS 2007 (Mullis et al., 2008 ) contains four items, as follows:

I would like to take more mathematics in school

I enjoy learning mathematics.

Mathematics is boring (reverse-coded).

I like mathematics.

This measure was adopted and assumed to meet the standard of a valid and reliable test (see, Mullis et al., 2008 ). Attitudes were assessed using four items applied twice as pre- and post-measures; four items with 4-point Likert scales (disagree a lot, disagree a little, agree a little, and agree a lot) were presented. Each item score ranged from 1 to 4. The total marks ranged from the number of items of the measure to multiply them by 4; the measure consisted of four items, so the total scores ranged from 4 to 16. Some items were reverse-coded; for example, for ‘mathematics is boring’, ‘disagree a lot’ would receive a score of 4, whereas ‘agree a lot’ would receive a score of 1.

The face validity method was used to assess the validity of the tests and attitude measures. Eight arbitrators checked and gave their opinions on the adequacy, clarity, and relevance of the items’ content. The opinions of the arbitrators were considered and included in the preparation of the final image of the tests and attitudes. However, no changes were reported, and face validity confirmed the tests’ validity. In addition, test-retest reliability was used to assess the reliability of the tests and attitude measures. The levels of reliability were acceptable, with a score of 0.86 for the mathematics test and 0.88 for the attitude measure. For further reliability, Cronbach’s alpha was used for each scale of the test and attitudes and for the whole test and attitudes. The results show that all items correlated with a good degree of total scales (no items scored less than 0.3), and the reliability for the test was 0.747, whereas that for attitude was 0.808. Therefore, the measures became high valid for the purposes of this study.

In qualitative methods, filed observation and semi-structured interview were used to assess teachers’ performance in PBL implementation. After filed observations completed, post- semi-structured interviews were conducted for the teachers to confirm the results of author observations of how teachers implemented PBL as a supplement for the methodological triangulation of the filed observations. Methodological triangulation involves a researcher using more than one method, such as interviews and observations, for collecting data to understand a phenomenon deeply (Flick et al., 2004 ; Neuman, 2000 ). The teachers’ responses to the questions in the semi-structured interviews were analysed and compared with the analysed observation data to enhance the validity of the study and to gain a deeper understanding of social events. As Neuman ( 2000 ) commented, “Looking at something from several different points gives a more accurate view of it” (p. 521).

The data obtained from qualitative methods were deductively analysed. Prior to conducting data collection from filed work. A structured categorisation matrix was developed by the authors based on a literature review (see Barrows, 1998 ; English and Kitsantas, 2013 ; Hmelo-Silver and Barrows, 2006 , 2008 ). It aimed to assess PBL implementation conducted by teachers and consisted of two main categories: understanding the problem and using metacognitive strategies (see Appendix B ). Field observation notes were used to describe how the teachers implemented PBL. In this study, field observation notes consisted of two parts: descriptive and reflective information (Patton, 1990 ). The descriptive part involved documenting the factual data obtained from inside the classroom. The main author moved between groups to make sure everything was proceeding well; the intention was to monitor the implementation of the study, and the authors had a diary that was used to document any observations, particularly the observations that took place during lessons and were made inside mathematics classrooms. The main focus was on teachers’ performance, particularly with respect to teacher intervention, individual and collective student practices, student responses, group interaction and PBL processes. In the reflective section, the authors reflected on the meaning of the observations outside of the classroom (see Appendix C ). At the end of the experiment, ten lessons by each teacher were observed.

Semi-structured interview questions were developed according to analysed data of class observations which includes: The three main questions:

How was PBL implemented in your teaching strategies?

How did you assess your students in relation to understanding the problem?

How did you support your students to solve the problem?

In semi-structured interview, tape recordings were used for the interviews with each teacher, which ranged from 13 to 23 min in length. The interviews were conducted in Arabic, transcribed and subsequently translated into English by the authors.

The data were deductively coded (i.e., both the interview and observation) by the main author, and according to the identified categories mentioned above. When a deductive content analysis is used, a categorisation matrix is developed; following this, the data are coded according to the categories (Polit and Beck, 2004 ). In addition, if a structured matrix is chosen, only aspects that fit the matrix are selected from the data (Patton, 1990 ).

Professional development

The PBL programme used in this study aimed to train teachers by focusing on how to implement PBL in mathematics classrooms. The programme continued to provide feedback during the implementation after each session, taking advantage of the literature recommendations. Therefore, the trained teacher learned how to facilitate groups’ learning processes and guide students’ learning by adopting strategies such as posing meta-cognitive questions and focusing on the process of learning to model students’ learning strategies. The teacher was trained in intervention strategies, such as making decisions based on what, when and how intervention should occur to enhance cooperation. The programme included examples of PBL implementations. Teacher training lasted for one week (8–10 h), and daily meetings took place during the course of the training to provide an opportunity to present feedback and resolve unexpected problems. The programme for training the teacher to implement PBL in his class was developed by the author. It was expected that, following the teacher’s completion of the programme, the teacher would be able to do the following:

provide scaffolding and feedback as needed

prompt independent thinking

facilitate collaborative knowledge construction for students

monitor learning processes

model desired behaviours

concentrate students’ efforts on critical thinking.

use intervention strategies, such as making decisions on what, when and how to intervene

The programme included three real-life sessions, each lasting 45 min. The teacher was asked to implement the PBL strategy using an ill-structured problem, which was taken from a mathematics textbook and related to the topics that the students had been studying. A group of students from outside the study sample was selected to assess the teacher’s performance and establish whether he was able to implement PBL effectively. This was followed by providing the teacher with extensive feedback, which lasted more than an hour for each session.

The students were trained in two sessions in how to deal with the PBL teaching strategy.

Problem-based learning implementation

Problems were presented to the students. Students worked in small groups of four to six members. They discussed their understanding of the problems, and then the teacher discussed the understanding of the problem with the whole class. This was followed by students solving the problems. Finally, the teacher discussed the solution with all the students.

In this study, the six core characteristics of PBL mentioned by Barrows ( 1996 ) were adopted. These are as follows:

The student is the centre of the learning.

Learning occurs in small groups of students.

At the beginning of the learning, the students are presented with authentic problems.

The problems are used as a means of developing problem-solving skills.

New knowledge is gained through SDL. (Barrows, 1996 )

From the literature review (see Barrows, 1986 ; Gallagher and Stepien, 1996 ; Hung et al., 2008 ), six characteristics were adopted in the problems after reviewing the literature related to the problem of PBL. These were as follows:

the role of students as stakeholders

ill-structured problems

real-life problems

age-appropriate problems

clear and short problems

not too difficult problems

Statistical analysis (quantitative analysis)

The study used mixed-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) models (Field, 2013 ; Howell, 2012 ) within one factor (time: pre- and post-tests and between). Tukey’s post hoc test (Field, 2013 ; Howell, 2012 ) was applied when appropriate and where significant results were observed—that is, an effect size (partial eta squared [η p 2 ]). The effect size, classified as Cohen suggested, could be small 0.01; medium, 0.06; or large, 0.14. All analyses were performed on IBM SPSS v22 and at a 5% (0.05) level of significance.

A quasi-experimental design was adopted in this study as the main quantitative approach, while a qualitative approach was used during the intervention using class observation notes and interviews, as a secondary approach. In total, 127 pupils participated in the study. They were in the last semester of the third grade. Ethical approval was obtained, and all participants signed consent forms to participate. Three teachers were randomly selected from one large primary school to take part in this study. The first teacher was randomly selected to receive training courses in using the PBL teaching strategy. The second teacher was not trained and asked to conduct SDL to implement PBL in his classrooms. The third teacher was not trained in PBL and was asked to teach students using TTM. The topic covered in the classes was ‘data display’. The content was new to the students. The instruction took place during 10 class sessions. Instruments of the study include mathematics test and attitudes towards mathematics were prepared and verified. Applying a pre-test (a measure of attitudes towards mathematics and an exam to measure mathematics application). Conducting the study took about 2 and a half weeks. Applying for a post-test (a measure of attitudes towards mathematics and an exam to measure mathematics application). During the intervention, class observations were carried out for each lesson.

Problem-based learning implementation of trained and untrained teachers

Unlike the untrained teacher, the trained teacher properly implemented PBL. The differences between their performances lay in differences in ‘giving students sufficient time to understand the problem’ and ‘using more metacognitive strategies to coach students in relation to their thinking skills’.

Table 2 and Fig. 2 summarise the difference between trained and untrained teachers after analysing both the teachers’ interviews and the author’s observations. The two following themes were extracted from the data analyses: ‘understanding the problem’ and ‘using meta-cognitive teaching skills’. These themes are detailed below.

This figure illustrates the difference between trained and untrained teachers' performances in PBL implementation.

Understanding the problem

The trained teacher did not allow students to solve the problem until they demonstrated their understanding of it. The author frequently noted that the trained teacher prevented the students from solving the problem until they demonstrated their understanding of it. When the trained teacher was asked how he knew that the students understood the problem, he replied, ‘I frequently asked random students… : ‘could you please explain to us the problem in your own words?’ If they did not do very well, I asked them how they could understand the problem more deeply? I waited longer … for them to solve the problem and gave them more time to reflect on their understanding and discuss with their group to deeply understand the problem’. The author observed that the teacher frequently and asked ransom students the following question: ‘Could [you] explain the problem [to us in] your own words’. Some students could, while others could not. Then, he encouraged them to understand the problem by asking them the following questions: ‘How can you understand the problem deeply? and Could you identify the obstacles and discuss [them] with your [respective] groups?’ Later, he again asked them whether they could explain the problem. However, the untrained teacher’s students had been given a shorter amount of time to understand the problem than those who were with the trained teacher (author’s observation).

In all lessons, the untrained teacher asked students whether they understood the problem; he often proceeded after hearing anyone shout ‘yes’ (author’s observation). The untrained teacher confirmed this when he was asked how he knew that his students had understood the problem before carrying on: ‘I always ask my students, if they do not understand the problem, to stop me any time and feel free to ask’. He did not ask his students to explain the problem in their own words (author’s observation). It was noted that the trained teacher gave more time for understanding the problem and questioned his students’ understanding more than the untrained teacher did.

Using meta-cognitive teaching skills

The trained teacher used more metacognitive strategies than the untrained teacher. Throughout all the lessons, the author observed that the trained teacher facilitated his students’ learning processes via PBL by using meta-cognitive strategies. He confirmed this in stating:

They [the students] work within groups to solve the problem, and I monitor them and coach their thinking with meta-cognitive questions …. For example, I ask students: what they did so far, and what next, did they consider this or that … and so on…. Sometimes, I think aloud and model right behaviours to let them engage in learning processes.

It was observed that students gradually began to depend on their own selves to solve the problems when they found their teacher pushed them to be independent. The trained teacher confirmed the following:

I did not want my students to depend on me. I never give them the solution, but encouraged them to depend on their own effort … And I found coaching their thinking improved their independence.

In contrast, the untrained teacher showed less ability to use meta-cognitive strategies through implementing PBL (author’s observation). The untrained teacher said: ‘They [the students] worked with their groups to solve the problem, and I helped them to solve the problem by indirectly explaining any difficulties, for example, by giving them some examples’. He explained the difficulties and led his students to solve the problem. He did not explain the solution directly, but he gave similar examples, which led them to the correct answer (author’s observation). In some ways, this strategy may be considered a metacognitive activation strategy.

The author observed that students frequently asked their teachers to give them more examples to understand how to solve the problems. The untrained teacher confirmed this: ‘My students are allowed to ask me to give examples to solve the problems, and I always meet their needs’.

Knowledge application in mathematics

From Table 3 , it can be seen that the improvement in the ‘applying achievement’ mean scores increased in all groups. From the mixed-measures ANOVA, as shown in Table 4 , it was found that a statistically significant improvement occurred for the average of students’ scores in knowledge application, F (2, 121) = 76.795, p = 0.000, with a large effect size at 0.388 (see row 1). However, when time was interacted with the groups (PBL with trained teacher, PBL with untrained teacher and TTM) the result showed a statistically significant effect, F (3, 121) = 4.333, p = 0.015. The partial eta squared effect size for this statistically significant result was medium, at 0.067 (see row 2). This effect shows that there was an effect on at least one group, but further analysis was needed to identify which group(s) might be affected. Tukey’s post hoc test was applied to determine which of the groups was statistically significantly different from the others. This test found that the mean scores of the group of students taught using the PBL teaching strategy by the trained teacher were statistically significantly different only from the scores of the students taught using TTM, p = 0.009 (see row 3). This indicates that the average of the PBL group’s scores with the trained teacher significantly improved more than the average of the traditional group’s scores did in ‘applying mathematics’.

Attitudes towards mathematics

From Table 5 , it can be seen that the mean score for ‘attitudes towards mathematics’ increased in groups A and C, while the scores of group B, the traditional group, decreased.

From the mixed-measures ANOVA analysis, as shown in Table 6 , there was no statistically significant improvement occurring for the average of students’ scores in attitudes towards mathematics, F (2, 121) = 0.480, p = 0.490 (see row 1). However, when time was interacted with groups (PBL with trained teacher, PBL with untrained teacher, and TTM), the result showed a statistically significant effect, F (3, 121) = 12.486, p = 0.000. The partial eta squared effect size for this statistically significant result was large, at 0.171 (see row 2). Tukey’s post hoc test was applied to determine which of the groups was significantly different from the others in attitudes towards mathematics. This test showed that using PBL with the trained teacher group was significantly different from using TTM, p = 0.000; using PBL with the untrained teacher group was also significantly different from using TTM, p = 0.008. However, there was no statistically significant difference between using PBL with the trained and untrained teachers (see row 3). This means that there was a statistically significant difference between the groups attributed to the types of treatment (PBL and TTM) in ‘attitudes towards mathematics’ and in favour of the PBL group, regardless of the different abilities of teachers in PBL implementation.

The study aimed to assess the effect of teacher training on students’ knowledge application and attitudes towards mathematics. The trained teacher demonstrated his ability to facilitate his students’ learning processes by using more metacognitive strategies than the untrained teacher. This result was expected, as many scholars think that training teachers on PBL implementation is critical for success (Barrows, 1996 ; Hmelo-Silver and Barrows, 2006 ; Leary et al., 2009 ; Wosinski et al., 2018 ). The results of the analyses of the interview data and the class observations were convergent. No noticeable difference was identified between the data analyses of class observation and the teachers’ interviews. Below, we consider how the teacher training affected student outcomes. Below, we consider how the teacher training affected student outcomes.

The current study’s quantitative results suggest that when PBL is taught by a teacher who can facilitate the students’ learning processes by using more meta-cognitive strategies, this could improve the application of mathematical knowledge of third-grade students’ significantly more than when they are taught using TTM (see Table 4 ). PBL theorists claim that, when compared with TTM, PBL is more successful in improving knowledge application (Hmelo-Silver, 2004 ; Hmelo-Silver and Barrows, 2008 ). This is because, with PBL, students engage in SDL by using their meta-cognitive learning strategies to solve real-life and ill-structured problems as a way of learning (Chin and Chia, 2006 ). This should reflect some improvement in the students’ ‘application’ ability over TTM (Fogarty, 1994 ). However, for such a method to be effective, skilled teachers who are also able to effectively use meta-cognitive strategies must be present to activate students’ meta-cognitive learning strategies. The trained teacher in PBL is better able to do so.

The role of the teacher in PBL is to facilitate learning processes (Hmelo-Silver and Barrows, 2006 , 2008 ). The shift to PBL requires new teaching roles and skills (Wilkerson and Hundert, 1997 ). Teachers can facilitate PBL processes if they are using meta-cognitive strategies, such as ‘thinking aloud with students’ and ‘modelling behaviours’ (Delisle, 1997 ). In the current study, these skills were shown effectively by the trained teacher; consequently, such strategies were reflected in the improvements to the students’ ‘application’ achievements. However, when students were taught by an untrained teacher, their learning processes were less facilitated. He only responded to difficulties they were experiencing by explaining similar situations (i.e., an example). Even though this approach is considered a metacognitive activation strategy, the students’ solutions were led by these examples. Thus, the teacher’s performance is an important factor that will affect the application of mathematical knowledge among third-grade students.

In terms of teacher training, the findings of the present study are supported by the results of the meta-analysis conducted by Leary et al. ( 2013 ), which showed a statistically significant positive relationship between teacher training and student achievement. The study also suggested that untrained teachers resulted in student outcomes similar to those attained by teachers who use TTM. This is also supported by the results of the current study. Moreover, this study’s findings are in line with those of Maxwell et al. ( 2005 ); these researchers’ conclusion suggests that PBL instruction can improve learning more than TTM can when teachers are well trained in using the PBL strategy. However, the results of the current study support the conclusions of several studies that found students taught via PBL outperformed students taught via TTM in terms of application knowledge (see Tong et al., 2021 ; Wirkala and Kuhn, 2011 ; Wong and Day, 2009 ).

The current study’s results suggested that PBL could significantly improve third-grade students’ attitudes towards mathematics compared with TTM (see Table 6 ). This is supported by the findings of (Lou et al., ( 2011 ) and Tong et al. ( 2021 ). For example, Tong et al. ( 2021 ) suggested that students taught via PBL improved their attitudes towards mathematics more significantly than those taught via TTM. The reason for this is that the students liked active learning and working in groups. This idea was supported by Goodnough and Cashion ( 2006 ), who suggested that young students like this strategy because it encourages active learning, supports working in groups and provides students with a variety of learning approaches and methods. In addition, real-life problems that interest students can be used to motivate students to engage deeply in learning processes when students fully understand them. These kinds of problems are expected to drive students’ curiosity and capture their interest, resulting in more effective student engagement in SDL in order to solve the problems (Schmidt et al., 2009 ).

In this study, the role of the problem was to motivate the students in all lessons taught by teachers trained in implementing PBL. Students became intrinsically motivated when they worked on tasks that stimulated their interests and sense of satisfaction or that challenged them (Hmelo-Silver, 2004 ). The possible reason for this is that the untrained teachers did not give students sufficient time to understand the problem, in contrast with the trained teacher (teachers’ interview and author’s observations).

In sum, PBL could be an effective teaching strategy for improving students’ attitudes towards learning mathematics; this effect is probably due to PBL content (i.e., real-life problems) and the nature of the PBL environment (i.e., eliciting active learning). In addition, PBL could be an effective teaching strategy for improving students’ mathematics application when students’ processes are effectively facilitated; without such facilitation, the effect of PBL instruction will not differ from that of TTM.

Limitations of the study

This study had several limitations. Because of the study design, results could be generated only for young students and for learning mathematics. The sample selection was not completely random, which could also decrease the opportunity to generalise the results of this study. Because of the gender segregation system that is currently operational in Saudi Arabia, the study participants were all male students. Therefore, the results of this study should be generalised with caution, taking these contextualising factors into account.

This study attempted to assess how training teachers in PBL implementation affects student outcomes, including knowledge application and students’ attitudes towards learning mathematics compared with TTM. Overall, the third-grade students who were taught using PBL showed more positive attitudes towards learning mathematics, regardless of whether they were taught by trained or untrained teachers. The study provides evidence that supports the necessity of training teachers to implement PBL effectively, as this will improve students’ mathematics application.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Alreshidi, N.A.K., Lally, V. The effectiveness of training teachers in problem-based learning implementation on students’ outcomes: a mixed-method study. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 1137 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03638-6

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5 Problem-Solving Activities for the Classroom

Problem-solving skills are necessary in all areas of life, and classroom problem solving activities can be a great way to get students prepped and ready to solve real problems in real life scenarios. Whether in school, work or in their social relationships, the ability to critically analyze a problem, map out all its elements and then prepare a workable solution is one of the most valuable skills one can acquire in life.

Educating your students about problem solving skills from an early age in school can be facilitated through classroom problem solving activities. Such endeavors encourage cognitive as well as social development, and can equip students with the tools they’ll need to address and solve problems throughout the rest of their lives. Here are five classroom problem solving activities your students are sure to benefit from as well as enjoy doing:

1. Brainstorm bonanza

Having your students create lists related to whatever you are currently studying can be a great way to help them to enrich their understanding of a topic while learning to problem-solve. For example, if you are studying a historical, current or fictional event that did not turn out favorably, have your students brainstorm ways that the protagonist or participants could have created a different, more positive outcome. They can brainstorm on paper individually or on a chalkboard or white board in front of the class.

2. Problem-solving as a group

Have your students create and decorate a medium-sized box with a slot in the top. Label the box “The Problem-Solving Box.” Invite students to anonymously write down and submit any problem or issue they might be having at school or at home, ones that they can’t seem to figure out on their own. Once or twice a week, have a student draw one of the items from the box and read it aloud. Then have the class as a group figure out the ideal way the student can address the issue and hopefully solve it.

3. Clue me in

This fun detective game encourages problem-solving, critical thinking and cognitive development. Collect a number of items that are associated with a specific profession, social trend, place, public figure, historical event, animal, etc. Assemble actual items (or pictures of items) that are commonly associated with the target answer. Place them all in a bag (five-10 clues should be sufficient.) Then have a student reach into the bag and one by one pull out clues. Choose a minimum number of clues they must draw out before making their first guess (two- three). After this, the student must venture a guess after each clue pulled until they guess correctly. See how quickly the student is able to solve the riddle.

4. Survivor scenarios

Create a pretend scenario for students that requires them to think creatively to make it through. An example might be getting stranded on an island, knowing that help will not arrive for three days. The group has a limited amount of food and water and must create shelter from items around the island. Encourage working together as a group and hearing out every child that has an idea about how to make it through the three days as safely and comfortably as possible.

5. Moral dilemma

Create a number of possible moral dilemmas your students might encounter in life, write them down, and place each item folded up in a bowl or bag. Some of the items might include things like, “I saw a good friend of mine shoplifting. What should I do?” or “The cashier gave me an extra $1.50 in change after I bought candy at the store. What should I do?” Have each student draw an item from the bag one by one, read it aloud, then tell the class their answer on the spot as to how they would handle the situation.

Classroom problem solving activities need not be dull and routine. Ideally, the problem solving activities you give your students will engage their senses and be genuinely fun to do. The activities and lessons learned will leave an impression on each child, increasing the likelihood that they will take the lesson forward into their everyday lives.

Problem-Solving in Elementary School

Elementary students practice problem-solving and self-questioning techniques to improve reading and social and emotional learning skills.

Three elementary students reading together in a library

In a school district in New Jersey, beginning in kindergarten each child is seen as a future problem solver with creative ideas that can help the world. Vince Caputo, superintendent of the Metuchen School District, explained that what drew him to the position was “a shared value for whole child education.”

Caputo’s first hire as superintendent was Rick Cohen, who works as both the district’s K–12 director of curriculum and principal of Moss Elementary School . Cohen is committed to integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) into academic curriculum and instruction by linking cognitive processes and guided self-talk.

Cohen’s first focus was kindergarten students. “I recommended Moss teachers teach just one problem-solving process to our 6-year-olds across all academic content areas and challenge students to use the same process for social problem-solving,” he explained.

Reading and Social Problem-Solving

Moss Elementary classrooms use a specific process to develop problem-solving skills focused on tending to social and interpersonal relationships. The process also concentrates on building reading skills—specifically, decoding and comprehension.

Stop, Look, and Think. Students define the problem. As they read, they look at the pictures and text for clues, searching for information and asking, “What is important and what is not?” Social problem-solving aspect: Students look for signs of feelings in others’ faces, postures, and tone of voice.

Gather Information . Next, students explore what feelings they’re having and what feelings others may be having. As they read, they look at the beginning sound of a word and ask, “What else sounds like this?” Social problem-solving aspect: Students reflect on questions such as, “What word or words describe the feeling you see or hear in others? What word describes your feeling? How do you know, and how sure are you?”

Brainstorming . Then students seek different solutions. As they read, they wonder, “Does it sound right? Does it make sense? How else could it sound to make more sense? What other sounds do those letters make?” Social problem-solving aspect: Students reflect on questions such as, “How can you solve the problem or make the situation better? What else can you think of? What else can you try? What other ideas do you have?”

Pick the Best One. Next, students evaluate the solution. While reading, they scan for smaller words they know within larger, more difficult words. They read the difficult words the way they think they sound while asking, “Will it make sense to other people?” Social problem-solving aspect: Students reflect on prompts such as, “Pick the solution that you think will be best to solve the problem. Ask yourself, ‘What will happen if I do this—for me, and for others involved?’”

Go . In the next step, students make a plan and act. They do this by rereading the text. Social problem-solving aspect: Students are asked to try out what they will say and how they will say it. They’re asked to pick a good time to do this, when they’re willing to try it.

Check . Finally, students reflect and revise. After they have read, they ponder what exactly was challenging about what they read and, based on this, decide what to do next. Social problem-solving aspect: Students reflect on questions such as, “How did it work out? Did you solve the problem? How did others feel about what happened? What did you learn? What would you do if the same thing happened again?”

You can watch the Moss Elementary Problem Solvers video and see aspects of this process in action.

The Process of Self-Questioning

Moss Elementary students and other students in the district are also taught structured self-questioning. Cohen notes, “We realized that many of our elementary students would struggle to generalize the same steps and thinking skills they previously used to figure out an unknown word in a text or resolve social conflicts to think through complex inquiries and research projects.” The solution? Teach students how to self-question, knowing they can also apply this effective strategy across contexts. The self-questioning process students use looks like this:

Stop and Think. “What’s the question?”

Gather Information. “How do I gather information? What are different sides of the issue?”

Brainstorm and Choose. “How do I select, organize, and choose the information? What are some ways to solve the problem? What’s the best choice?”

Plan and Try. “What does the plan look like? When and how can it happen? Who needs to be involved?”

Check & Revise. “How can I present the information? What did I do well? How can I improve?”

The Benefits

Since using the problem-solving and self-questioning processes, the students at Moss Elementary have had growth in their scores for the last two years on the fifth-grade English language arts PARCC tests . However, as Cohen shares, “More important than preparing our students for the tests on state standards, there is evidence that we are also preparing them for the tests of life.”

National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

Challenges and Solutions for Teaching Problem-Solving Skills

This resource provides common challenges children experience when learning the problem solving process along with implementation strategies for improving the problem solving process and supporting children through the problem solving challenges.

This website was made possible by Cooperative Agreement #H326B220002 which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. This website is maintained by the University of South Florida . Contact webmaster .

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Why Every Educator Needs to Teach Problem-Solving Skills
Teaching students problem-solving skills and providing practice opportunities in real-life scenarios; Supporting educators with quality professional development; Get started with our problem-solving assessment tools to measure and build students' problem-solving skills today! These skills will be invaluable to students now and in the future.
Teaching Problem Solving
Teaching Problem Solving | Vanderbilt University
Teaching Problem-Solving Skills
Teaching Problem-Solving Skills
Teachers'professional development on problem solving: Theory and
Teachers' role within the multifaceted process of developing problem-solving skills cannot be ignored. Especially, primary school teachers hold a significant role in shaping the learning ...
Teaching problem solving
Teaching problem solving
Teaching problem solving: Let students get 'stuck' and 'unstuck'
Teaching problem solving: Let students get 'stuck' and 'unstuck'. This is the second in a six-part blog series on teaching 21st century skills, including problem solving, metacognition ...
6 Tips for Teaching Math Problem-Solving Skills
6 Tips for Teaching Math Problem-Solving Skills
How to Teach Problem-Solving Skills to Elementary Students
Teaching problem-solving skills to elementary students. It may feel hard to teach problem-solving skills to young students, but when you break the skills down into individual actions and take the time to explicitly teach them, model them, use them in guided practice, give feedback on your students' use of them, and integrate them into other ...
How to Teach Problem Solving Skills Like a Pro
When I am teaching my students problem-solving skills, I am typically referencing one of two things 1) my problem-solving posters and scenarios or 2) materials from Kelso's choices. Kelso's choices is a FANTASTIC, concrete way to give students action steps to take when they are trying to problem-solve.
The Role of the Teacher Changes in a Problem-Solving Classroom
A problem-solving classroom is different. A problem-solving classroom requires extraordinary planning on the part of the teacher. For problems to have relevance, students are engaged in the ...
Building Students' Problem-Solving Skills
Our approach includes cooperative games and design challenges as well as good-to-know and problem jars. Each part is designed to allow our students to encounter consistent developmentally appropriate and varying types of conflict in order to build problem-solving skills. Throughout each activity, students are put in a variety of mixed groupings ...
The process of implementing problem-based learning in a teacher
The teacher acts as a facilitator to guide the students in developing the cognitive skills required for problem solving and collaboration (Hmelo-Silver, Citation 2004). Many studies have confirmed that PBL improves the performance of students, not only in medical education but also in science, engineering, social sciences, business studies, and ...
Don't Just Tell Students to Solve Problems. Teach Them How
The UC San Diego problem-solving curriculum, Mjahed noted, is an opportunity for students to build the skills and the confidence to learn from their failures and to work outside their comfort zone. "And from there, they see pathways to real careers," he said. Jennifer Ogo, a teacher from Kearny High School, taught the problem-solving course ...
10 ways to teach problem solving (with FREE curriculum!)
10. Connect students with change makers. Entrepreneurs all over the world are using the processes students use in GPS: The Series. Put your students in touch with them to bring concepts to life. GPS: The Series offers six videos called "The Putri Files", where GPS team leader Putri interviews these entrepreneurs.
The effectiveness of training teachers in problem-based learning
Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching strategy in which a facilitator assists students to solve real-world problems as they work in small groups; the facilitator's aim is to help the ...
Improve Education As a Teacher Leader With Problem-Solving Skills
A post from the Opportunity Culture education initiative shows that new teacher leader roles are being developed all the time, designed by schools to suit their individual needs. What Problem-Solving Skills Look Like. A 2020 post from the job board website Indeed lists eight abilities that are generally considered professional problem-solving ...
5 Problem-Solving Activities for the Classroom
2. Problem-solving as a group. Have your students create and decorate a medium-sized box with a slot in the top. Label the box "The Problem-Solving Box.". Invite students to anonymously write down and submit any problem or issue they might be having at school or at home, ones that they can't seem to figure out on their own.
Problem-Solving in Elementary School
Reading and Social Problem-Solving. Moss Elementary classrooms use a specific process to develop problem-solving skills focused on tending to social and interpersonal relationships. The process also concentrates on building reading skills—specifically, decoding and comprehension. Stop, Look, and Think. Students define the problem.
PDF Problem Based Learning: A Student-Centered Approach
Problem based learning is a student-centered educational method which aims to develop problem - solving skills through a self- directed learning as a life time habit and team work skills. ... Students can begin their research with an "easy" problem and teacher can introduce the expectations. Teacher can organize some sessions regarding the ...
Challenges and Solutions for Teaching Problem-Solving Skills
Challenges and Solutions for Teaching Problem-Solving Skills. This resource provides common challenges children experience when learning the problem solving process along with implementation strategies for improving the problem solving process and supporting children through the problem solving challenges.
Creative problem solving tools and skills for students and teachers
So, in this case, it may be beneficial to teach the individual parts of the process in isolation first. 1. Clarify: Before beginning to seek creative solutions to a problem, it is important to clarify the exact nature of that problem. To do this, students should do the following three things: i. Identify the Problem.
PDF ROLE OF TEACHER IN TEACHING PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS Mamta Mandal
o not teach problem solving as an independent, abstract skill.Help students understand the problem: I. order to solve problems, students need to define the end goal. This s. is crucial to suc. essful learning of problem-solving skills. Take enough time. When planning a lecture enough time for understanding the problem and defi.
Full article: Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills for Word Problems
The importance of cognitive load and levels of expertise. There are different theories or theoretical premises in education (e.g., behaviorism, constructivism) that we may use to explain quality teaching and/or to facilitate effective learning experiences (Kolb et al., Citation 2001; Schunk, Citation 2008; Wiest, Citation 1967).One notable learning theory that has received considerable ...
Problem solving resources
Scavenger hunt powerpoint