If you demonstrate solving problems when you teach, here are some helpful hints:
- Take a problem that is challenging for you and write down your thought process as you solve it. Now reflect on how you teach problem-solving in the course you teach. Are you verbalizing all the steps?
- Students learn by doing. Help them trouble-shoot in class before they have to “do it alone” on the homework. Put students in small groups of about four individuals with similar competency levels. Hand out a problem to each group. Walk around and coach the groups. Bring the class together for a discussion of how they solved the problem. Give credit for groupwork so that the students take it seriously.
- Try not to solve problems for students. You can distribute or post solutions to problems. Involve the students in solving problems in the quiz section with you.
- Put a problem on the board and have the students come up with the steps, which you then write on the board. Ask them analytical questions to find out if those who are not participating also understand the concepts. Point out errors without correcting them to let the students find the mistakes.
- When teaching abstract concepts, make analogies to concrete things in everyday life. Encourage students to come up with analogies as well.
- Focus on teaching problem-solving as a skill to be learned.
- Help students become aware of their own process of problem-solving. Pair students up according to competency and give each pair a problem to work on. One student listens, the other solves the problem while verbalizing his or her steps. The listener may ask questions such as,” What are you thinking now? Are these equivalent?” to encourage the problem-solver to rethink his or her approach.
- Demonstrate problems in class that are just as difficult as the ones in the homework.
