Children as Problem Solvers

BRECKNOCK BULLETINNovember 2010

Brecknock Elementary School * 361 School Road, Denver, PA 17517 * (717) 445-8600

How often do our children ask us, “Why?” As educators we encounter this question multiple times per day, and surely countless times more as parents. What can we do to encourage students to consider answers to questions and solutions to problems?

Problem solving and critical thinking are two essential skills our students need to succeed in their adult lives. How can we help children develop questioning minds that are always eager to learn more?

If your child asks you to explain why something is, engage in a discussion about the topic. FIrst identify the question/issue. What are the feelings or ideas surrounding it? What are some possible solutions to the problem or answers to the question? What resources could we use to locate solutions or answers? Evaluate the legitimacy of the resources and the appropriateness of the solutions. These problem solving steps can be used for both personal and academic “problems.”

We’re also working to promote collaborative problem solving in our classrooms. Students

are often asked to work as members of a team to answer a question or complete a task or project. The ability to collaborate effectively is not inherent. Students must work to be skillful communicators: careful readers, active listeners and respectful speakers; courageous contributors: asserting themselves to share their ideas and thoughts in the group; and resourceful risk-takers: using background knowledge while simultaneously thinking outside the box to devise creative, yet authentic, solutions to problems.

In our next conversations with our children, perhaps we should be the ones asking, “Why?”

Save the date! * Dads & DonutsDecember 10, 2010 * 8:15 AM