I looked at different replies and got some ideas, but I think I’ll ask the students and we will work with the popular choice.
In Robotics, real world problem solving is a way of life. Frequently, a student’s program won’t work…so we discuss problem solving as troubleshooting. Start with the hardware, is it all connected properly? Is there a building design flaw that prevents your robot from working? Then look at the program, etc. At least once a week, I present a problem that I frequently see real world students struggling with and we trouble shoot the problem together as a class.
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How to increase recycling efforts in their community.
Great way to apply the problem solving process and model it for students.
One problem my students may have is what to do after high school.
They can think of a problem that exists at the school or in their home or community that is relevant to them and then come up with a plan together to solve this problem. Students can research what others have done in similar situations and look at the solutions that were proposed. They can either adapt these solutions to fit their problem / unique situation or come up with a unique solution
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Problem solving is the best. I have my students think about issues dealing with finding a job. I think as long as you use a problem-solving process, students will be engaged. I like the idea of having students deal with community issues also! We take our students to a challenge course and they have a lot of problem solving to do there.
@robyn_hilton Great idea of applying it to finding a job as many students taking the course are of the age to get their first job or start thinking about getting a job.
I also think the challenge course is a fun way to get kinesthetic students engaged in problem solving.
I think we don’t give kids enough credit for being able to solve problems. If you give them something engaging to play with and provide support, students are amazing. Can they actually build a device? Maybe not, but can they come up with the ideas–sure. In science, I like the new science core (NGSS) that has students engage with some phenomena and then go through learning why that phenomena happens (For example, instead of “living things are made of cells that have specific structure and function to make the body run” ask “How does my body get the energy it needs to play a soccer match?” Even though the content will essentially be the same, there is now a context and reason for needing to know the answers).
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I like to create an error in a business math or accounting problem. Let them see that the accounting problem doesn’t balance or tell them that the business math problem is wrong. They must then figure out what is wrong, why, and fix it. Then focus isn’t on the answer as much as it is the problem solving process.
Lots of my students are looking for employment and are having trouble finding jobs without a plan/process. We work out steps to solve the problem.
That is a really good idea relating this to a real world experience!