When attempting to solve educational problems in school, George Polya designed an approach. First, students need to understand the problem. Students need to identify the type of question they are being asked, what the question is asking them to do, and what they already know that can help them solve the problem (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 159). Second, students need to use problem-solving strategies. Since Polya’s approach was specific to math this included computational approaches, breaking a problem down into sequenced steps, connecting given information with what they know, making further deductions, and deciding whether a chosen strategy will lead to a solution to the problem (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 159). Lastly, students need to check their results. Students need to determine whether they have solved a problem correctly, or if they should try to solve the problem a second time by reassessing what is being asked for in the question, eliminating now-obvious wrong answers, or rechecking their computations and procedures. I have personally used this process to successfully attempt and solve math problems as well as problems in many other subjects. A trick that one of my teachers taught me is to practice the really difficult problems with a guide. Go through the motions and steps of doing the problem following the correct way, then take a break come back and attempt the problem again-this time on your own. My teacher always said yes practice makes perfect, but only if you’re practicing the correct way.
Jonassen notes that students need to encounter problems that are not easily solved, even when using Polya’s problem solving methodologies (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 160). In school students are typically asked to solve only structured problems that include all the information needed to solve them. Such problems are “organized in a predictive and prescriptive way”, have a single correct answer, and follow a “preferred, prescribed solution process” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 160). In order to prepare students for real-world problems, teachers need to incorporate “ill-structured problems” that have no simple, single formula to solve (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 160). Teachers need to implement problems that represent real world problems which are complicated, and usually require costs and benefits and compromises to be resolved.
Teachers need to incorporate these, maybe in areas other than math, to prepare students for the real world. Diverse problems that involve multiple scenarios, creative thinking, and differentiating results are problems that offer greater learning opportunities for students. Facing such problems, students learn to define the problem more precisely, consider a number of possible solutions, evaluate the pros and cons of each approach, decide on the most viable course of action, and reassess their strategy in light of its results (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 160). Essentially, teachers are one of the main influences in preparing students for the real world; accurate and beneficial preparation can only occur and be successful if teachers provide insight into real world problems as well as teach students how to approach real world problems.
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| Photo Credit to Ken Whytock on Flickr |
There have been many studies showing the increased educational outcomes from incorporating educational games into class time. I have played educational games in class in a competition, educational games online in single player, and even created personalized educational games and virtual flashcards for test practice.
Computer and web-based games of the twenty-first century have been designed with educational rather than entertainment goals in mind. A survey done in 2012 showed that the use of education based games by teachers, with one-third of elementary school educators using these games two-four times a week, increased motivation and engagement of students and conveyed academic material in a more relatable way. Games are active, challenging, and demanding of focus and concentration to solve problems in innovative ways, whereas school is most often passive and un-inspiring as students take in information and repeat it back on tests and papers (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 171).
Researchers from MIT concluded that when students play games, they experience five essential freedoms of learning: the freedom to fail, the freedom to experiment, the freedom to fashion identities, the freedom of effort, and the freedom of interpretation (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 171). Through the experience of playing educational games, young students “build new cognitive structures and ideas of substance” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p.171).
As a student I have had the opportunity to play educational games as well as passively sit in class and listen to a lecture. When class time consisted of educational games involving competition, I have walked away from the class- having taken no notes- and retained and remembered most of the information presented because it was presented in a interactive, engaging manner. Research has proven the importance of educational games, and experience has proven the value of educational games.
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| Photo Credit to Intel Free Press on Flickr |
Electronic communication is vital to student success. Electronic communication is beneficial because technology is literally at students and teachers, of the twenty-first century, fingertips. There are several types of electronic communication that make communication easier and faster, and make education more interactive.
One type of online communication is email or text messages. Email or text messages are “online communications that feature electronic exchanges between friends, teachers, family, etc” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 187). Text messages are usually brief communications, whereas emails can be significantly longer. An extension of this type of communication is a teacher or classroom website that consists of internet sites “developed by teachers to communicate information about themselves and classes to students, family, and educational personal” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 187). A more interactive version of this are blogs which are “publicly accessible online journals written by individuals for wider audiences to read and comment on” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 187). Online discussions are “electronic forums in which teachers and students discuss educational topics” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 187). Another form of online communication is Wikis which are “websites that teachers and students create and edit together by reading and revising each others ideas and comments” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 187). Teachers can also use these sites to post links and resources that they want students to explore.
As a student of the twenty-first century, I use online communication each and everyday. I use email to communicate with my teachers, I use Canvas to attend virtual office hours, and I’ve used class websites to access the curriculum and virtual lectures. Extending this communication into blogs and wikis allows students to be interactive and engaged in class discussions. Online communication is not only beneficial, but it is critical for student success.
Resources:
Intel Free Press (2012, October 3) Smartphone as Child Toy. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/intelfreepress/8047838494/in/photolist-dgah17-69gAyG-6bB8S4-bH9Tg2-7RTpT4-fXm1by-maeBpG-5UePgp-fXm9NW-cVpfry-ceYWmA-7FWaZK-hESWES-crtVDj-7RWPki-2oWLB4-6xENLw-haWqQq-6fTwPn-4wyKcY-b8yNiP-dyinb2-7RHGZT-7Dtw1S-6xNSHd-pHyNER-ceYW
Korbel, K. (2015, May 25). Padlet Board 1. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://padlet.com/kck0222/h29tvyjmmscd
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Whytock, K. (2012, September 14). Powerpoint slide: "Problem Solving" Retrieved May 26, 2015, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/7815007@N07/7985592878/in/photolist-daEfxQ-99Md4J-n6ERgp-71oTwW-58v3vN-4m6viF-7zgy6x-qVFAmN-qVEwMy-rdfxui-qVPC3V-qgewN9-rdfwNZ-qgrNDx-qgew7j-qVPAZH-qVPALM-rd6J4P-rd9Nc3-bBnb9-bBmT1-5zwVVv-934CA8-rd9MWd-rd9ME1-qgrLUk-rd6GVB-qg
A very thorough summary and reflection on your selected topics...and I like your Padlet! :) Your thoughts re: problem solving are so relevant to today's classrooms. You were lucky to have a teacher provide you with that strategy for learning...and, as you point out, it works well for structured problems. However, the world is full of relevant complex problems that may not offer a single (or any) solution and we need to think about how to address those issues. It is interesting to note that many educational games actually revolve around a simulated problem to solve, as well - creating 'real life' work in an engaging manner absolutely leads to the development of skill and knowledge.
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