E-tivity 7.2

E-tivity 7.2

Reflect on your own use of problem-solving learning and do you learn best when presented with a problem.

My own use of problem-solving learning… Working out how to use the mind map software and getting into Second life were both examples of this kind of learning. Sometimes following instructions can be problematic in itself. There can be language difficulties, ambiguities, and outdated links or screen shots just to mention a few problems. Creators of instructions often make assumptions about the knowledge of the users that mean some explanations are left out.  So problem solving is a part of daily life.

Do you learn best when presented with a problem?

My first response was that often when I have to work out how to do something, I can try so many alternatives that when I come back to it, I have forgotten which approach finally worked! When I considered then how I learn by having someone show me something, I believe I do learn better by actually having a go myself, perhaps with some guidance on where to start.

How can you redesign your teaching to include problem-solving?

I implement this in the classroom. Our course is more about people learning how to do things, rather than learning facts. I don’t even expect them to remember the rules of copyright – rather where they should go to look them up and to interpret them. Jonassen (2012) lists many styles of problem solving which we use in our various subjects. We call them nearly all case studies, but when posing problems for copyright, it is really decision making. When asking what should be done when there is equipment failure, we are presenting troubleshooting problems. We have a simulated workplace and a lot of practical work.

 As Jonassen (2012, p.65 ) says there are different problems for different situations. I believe we do “embed learning in an authentic context” (Jonassen, 2012, p68) because we require the students to research, evaluate and analyse their findings before presenting a solution. Using the tools to solve problems (such as WebDewey to assign classification numbers) engages the students with authentic situations that they would use in the workplace, and using it repeatedly reinforces their learning. Even when following the traditional model of teaching content before applying it to solve a problem, we often have the students find the answers rather than just supply the information. Not all subjects are composed of problem based learning, and some have much more complex problems to address than others. It could be a series of problems to answer, or one complex case to complete depending on the topics and required outcomes.

I’m not sure how I could redesign my teaching to include more problem-solving. My lessons on research already begin with – “go to the help button and find out what type of searches a database supports, and what symbols you can use for truncation”. I then get them to so some research. It’s all about learning to learn, and a lot of implicit problem solving already..

Reference

Jonassen, D. (2012) Designing for problem solving, in R. Reiser & J Dempsey (eds) Trends and issues in instructional design and technology, 3^rd edn. Merril, New Jersey.