How to Help a Student Learn Problem-Solving Skills

By Society & Culture & Entertainment Last updated Thursday, June/06/2024

1). Define the issue at hand. If there are no problems at the moment, consider asking a question about how something can be done better. In the kitchen, use food as a starting point. Ask a question like, "How can we make mac-and-cheese more attractive and tastier, too?" Using a real-world problem, like mac-and-cheese or getting a research paper written, reinforces the necessity of finding solutions.
2). Brainstorm to find possible solutions to the identified problem. If the child's problem is writing a research paper, you and he should think of various resources and the places you can obtain those resources. If reinventing mac-and-cheese is the problem, think of different things you could try adding to the dish for variety.
3). Try a few of the brainstormed ideas. If one doesn't work, go on to the next one until you find a few that do work well. Ask the child why those ideas worked compared with the others. For example, if you're adding peas to mac-and-cheese for variety, but your child decides that addition didn't work, ask why.

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