helping students understand the importance of a problem solving framework
DESCRIPTION
Scott Newman (Electronics). Helping Students Understand the Importance of a Problem Solving Framework. Source: Public domain, acquired through wikipedia. Source: Public domain, acquired through wikipedia. Motivation. What is so important about a framework? What is your process? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
HELPING STUDENTS UNDERSTANDTHE IMPORTANCE OF A PROBLEM
SOLVING FRAMEWORK
Scott Newman (Electronics)
Source: Public domain, acquired through wikipediaSource: Public domain, acquired through wikipedia
Motivation
What is so important about a framework?
What is your process? How did you learn
yours?
Source: Bob, Public domain, via mikimedia
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
Source: Public domain, acquired through wikipedia
Pattern recognition Is it a duck?
Looks like a duckIt walks like a duckQuacks like a duck
These are ducks
Source: DickDaniels, cc3.0, via mikimedia Source: David Ooms, cc2.0, via flikr
This isn’t a duck??
Source: Trevira1, cc2.0, via flikr
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
Source: creducation.org, cc2.5
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.