problem Solving Approach Reflection

I showed up to class with all of my materials and well reared.  I printed out the worksheets and exit ticket that I planned on handing out.  I ran an interest approach activity which mentioned different agricultural skills and students had to determine whether the skill or bit of knowledge was important or applicable to know.  After running the interest approach, I handed my students who are really my classmates two different problem solving worksheets.  Each had a different problem on it that the students might run into in their lives.  They had to devise possible solutions, and information, skills, and resources they would need to provide that solution.  Once they were done, they drew their solution on the back of their worksheets with markers and colored pencils. Both groups came up with really great solutions and participated readily in the activity.

What I taught had a lot of variability, but it needed more direction.  What information and resources did they need?  Without having taught a lesson and giving that information, they did not have the resources to adequately solve the problem. 

After having taught the problem solving approach, I learned that instead of just handing the students a problem and expecting them to solve it, we should build up content before and after the students solve the problem.  That way, they have the knowledge and skills in order to devise a solution.  Leading up to assigning or addressing the problem, content and context should be given.  Additionally, I also learned that when devising the problem, the problem itself should be something that the students can relate to and understand.  It should be a real world problem that they could see in the real world around them.

In the agriculture industry, there are hundreds of problems that agriculture professionals run into daily.  It is the agriculture teachers role to prepare students to solve those problems and have the problem solving skills and knowledge to do so.  Additionally, it is the teachers job to teach content, facts, and technology in that agricultural area that would be used to solve the problem that is being faced.  Thus, in the classroom, using problem solving teaching techniques can develop those problem solving skills and also develop content knowledge needed to solve the problem.