Problem
Solving
DescriptionProblem solving strategies can be general or specific to a certain domain. They can also address well defined or complex problems
Polya (1957) suggested four steps to teaching problem solving to students.
1. Understand the problem
- Represent the problem - students must understand the problem before they can tackle it.
- Ask, what is given? What is known?
2. Devise the plan
- Does the problem have subgoals?
- Does the student know of a similar problem?
3. Carry out the plan
4. Look back
- Evaluate the solution.
- Solve in another way.
When teaching problem solving strategies, like the one above, teachers should use material that isn't too taxing, so that students can focus on problem solving rather than the content itself. As the students learn the problem solving strategies, the difficulty level can increase.
