helping students understand the importance of a problem solving framework

HELPING STUDENTS UNDERSTANDTHE IMPORTANCE OF A PROBLEM

SOLVING FRAMEWORK

Scott Newman (Electronics)

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Motivation

What is so important about a framework?

What is your process? How did you learn

yours?

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Ice Breaker

Symptoms Blank solutions

Midterm / quiz solutions that have no solution of any kind.

No scribbles, sketches, or explanations Unreasonable solutions

No evaluation of resultsAcceptance of values that are not physically

possible Inappropriate assumptions

“Students today are dumber than we are!!”

Forest for the treesDetails are overwhelmingStare at the problem and wait for an

epiphany Pattern recognition

Compare current problem to past problem.Look through the text book for worked

examples.

Forest for the trees

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Pattern recognition Is it a duck?

Looks like a duckIt walks like a duckQuacks like a duck

These are ducks

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This isn’t a duck??

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Physics (Electromagnetism)

Two infinite wires, one along the x-axis and the other along the y-axis, intersect at the origin. If 2A flows in the +x direction and 1A flows in the –y direction what is the magnetic field at point P(2,4)

Physics (Electromagnetism)

4 Infinite wires cross forming a 10cm sided square. If the currents are as indicated what does Q have to be to ensure the magnetic field at the origin is zero.

General steps to problem solving

Understand the problem Develop a plan Execute the plan Evaluate the results

Steps discussion?

How do the 4 steps take shape within your department / faculty?UnderstandPlanExecuteEvaluate

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Why do students not see the importance?

Have you seen this phenomenon? What happened to the problem solving process?

How do we as educators put the emphasis back onto the methodical approach to problem solving?

Conclusion

We all believe in some form of problem solving framework.

Not everyone’s method will be the same. By presenting the steps to students and

reinforcing them through discussion and question design they will begin to see the significance.