By Way of Introduction

1982 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 2
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
Good Problem

“Children can demonstrate some good problem solving if given a chance,” according to Moser and Carpenter. In “Young Children Are Good Problem Solvers” (p. 24). they report on a study of problem solving done by young children. One of the authors' concluding statements is, “lf you want good performance, you have to work at it and include a strong dose of problem solving in your teaching.”

Young Children Are Good Problem Solvers

1982 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-26
Author(s):  
James M. Moser ◽  
Thomas P. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Word Problems ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Educational Progress ◽  
National Assessment ◽  
Comparison Problem ◽  
Addition And Subtraction ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
Good Problem

Do you think many first-grade children could solve this comparison problem? Joe won 6 prizes at the fair. His sister Connie won 9 prizes. How many more prizes did Connie win than Joe? Most curricular programs apparently assume that word problems are difficult for children of all ages, and that children must master symbolic addition and subtraction operations before they will be able to solve even simple word problems. Recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results (Carpenter et al. 1980) also give some credence to the belief that children are poor at problem solving. We believe. however, that young children are good problem solvers.

Good problem solvers? Leveraging knowledge sharing mechanisms and management support

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1017-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambra Galeazzo ◽  
Andrea Furlan
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
Good Problem

Purpose Organizational learning relies on problem-solving as a way to generate new knowledge. Good problem solvers should adopt a problem-solving orientation (PSO) that analyzes the causes of problems to arrive at an effective solution. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this relevant, though underexplored, topic by examining two important antecedents of PSO: knowledge sharing mechanisms and transformational leaders’ support. Design/methodology/approach Hierarchical linear modeling analyses were performed on a sample of 131 workers in 12 plants. A questionnaire was designed to collect data from shop-floor employees. Knowledge sharing was measured using the mechanisms of participative practices and standardized practices. Management support was assessed based on the extent to which supervisors engaged in transformational leadership. Findings Knowledge sharing mechanisms are an antecedent of PSO behavior, but management support measured in terms of transformational leadership is not. However, transformational leadership affects the use of knowledge sharing mechanisms that, in turn, is positively related to PSO behavior. Practical implications The research provides practical guidance for practitioners to understand how to manage knowledge in the workplace to promote employees’ PSO behaviors. Originality/value Though problem-solving activities are intrinsic in any working context, PSO is still very much underrepresented and scarcely understood in knowledge management studies. This study fills this gap by investigating the antecedents of PSO behavior.

scholarly journals Understanding adults’ strong problem-solving skills based on PIAAC

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 537-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raija Hämäläinen ◽  
Bram De Wever ◽  
Kari Nissinen ◽  
Sebastiano Cincinnato
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Good Problem

Purpose Research has shown that the problem-solving skills of adults with a vocational education and training (VET) background in technology-rich environments (TREs) are often inadequate. However, some adults with a VET background do have sound problem-solving skills. The present study aims to provide insight into the socio-demographic, work-related and everyday life factors that are associated with a strong problem-solving performance. Design/methodology/approach The study builds on large-scale data of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and gives insight into VET adults (N = 12,929) with strong problem-solving skills in 11 European countries. Findings This study introduces new knowledge with respect to the socio-demographic, work-related and everyday life background factors that contribute to successful VET adults’ problem-solving skills. The findings of the authors illustrate that a continuous process of development including non-formal and informal activity, as well as learning taking place at work, is associated with strong performance in problem-solving skills in TRE. Research limitations/implications An important implication of this study is that this paper introduces novel knowledge for VET adults’ competences and can be used to support the development of VET adults’ problem-solving skills in TREs. Originality/value The study was conducted to explore new understanding about good problem-solvers in TREs with a VET background. The originality of the study derives from its focus on good problem-solvers in TREs related to a VET background. The findings can be used to create novel ways to enhance the development of VET adults’ problem-solving skills in TREs.

Problem Solving for the Primary Grades

1982 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 10-15
Author(s):  
James V. Bruni
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Mathematics Instruction ◽  
Primary Grades ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Primary Mathematics ◽  
Problem Solvers

“How can my children possibly be expected to do problem solving when they are only beginning to learn to read and to do basic arithmetic computation?” This is often the lament of primary-school teachers when urged to include problem solving in their mathematics programs. Developing problem-solving skills is often equated with training children to solve arithmetic word problems, but problem olving has a much broader meaning. It is not only possible for young children to become problem solvers but also, primary mathematics instruction can be organized to help develop problem-solving skills.

Systems thinking, a consilience of values and logic

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-274
Author(s):  
Sameer Kumar ◽  
Thomas Ressler ◽  
Mark Ahrens
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Qualitative Reasoning ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Problem Solving Process ◽  
Problem Solvers

This article is an appeal to incorporate qualitative reasoning into quantitative topics and courses, especially those devoted to decision-making offered in colleges and universities. Students, many of whom join professional workforce, must become more systems thinkers and decision-makers than merely problem-solvers. This will entail discussion of systems thinking, not just reaching “the answer”. Managers will need to formally and forcefully discuss objectives and values at each stage of the problem-solving process – at the start, during the problem-solving stage, and at the interpretation of the results stage – in order to move from problem solving to decision-making. The authors suggest some methods for doing this, and provide examples of why doing so is so important for decision-makers in the modern world.

scholarly journals Thinking Process of Naive Problem Solvers to Solve Mathematical Problems

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackson Pasini Mairing
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Procedural Knowledge ◽  
Mental Image ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Maximum Score ◽  
Mathematical Problems ◽  
Problem Solving Strategies ◽  
Thinking Process ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
Holistic Rubric

Solving problem is not only a goal of mathematical learning. Students acquire ways of thinking, habits of persistence and curiosity, and confidence in unfamiliar situations by learning to solve problems. In fact, there were students who had difficulty in solving problems. The students were naive problem solvers. This research aimed to describe the thinking process of naive problem solvers based on heuristic of Polya. The researcher gave two problems to students at grade XI from one of high schools in Palangka Raya, Indonesia. The research subjects were two students with problem solving scores of 0 or 1 for both problems (naive problem solvers). The score was determined by using a holistic rubric with maximum score of 4. Each subject was interviewed by the researcher separately based on the subject’s solution. The results showed that the naive problem solvers read the problems for several times in order to understand them. The naive problem solvers could determine the known and the unknown if they were written in the problems. However, they faced difficulties when the information in the problems should be processed in their mindsto construct a mental image. The naive problem solvers were also failed to make an appropriate plan because they did not have a problem solving schema. The schema was constructed by the understanding of the problems, conceptual and procedural knowledge of the relevant concepts, knowledge of problem solving strategies, and previous experiences in solving isomorphic problems.

Effectiveness of a Problem-Solving Training Program

1995 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 507-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan W. Wege ◽  
André T. Möller
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
External Control ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Control Orientation ◽  
Problem Solvers

The relationship between problem-solving efficiency, defined in terms of the quality of alternative soludons selected, and measures of behavioral competence (self-efficacy and locus of control) was investigated as well as the effectiveness of a problem-solving training program. Subjects were 29 undergraduate students assigned to an effective ( n = 16) and an ineffective ( n = 13) problem-solving group. Analysis indicated that the ineffective problem-solvers appraised their problem-solving skills more negatively and reported low self-efficacy expectations and an external control orientation. Problem-solving training led to improved general self-efficacy expectancies, greater confidence in problem-solving, a more internal control orientation, and improved problem-solving skills. These improvements were maintained at follow-up after two months.

scholarly journals Mathematics teachers’ knowledge for teaching problem solving

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olive Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Mathematical Problem ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Mathematical Problem Solving ◽  
Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
General Ability ◽  
Mathematics Knowledge ◽  
Teaching Problem ◽  
Problem Solvers

In recent years, considerable attention has been given to the knowledge teachers ought to hold for teaching mathematics. Teachers need to hold knowledge of mathematical problem solving for themselves as problem solvers and to help students to become better problem solvers. Thus, a teacher’s knowledge of and for teaching problem solving must be broader than general ability in problem solving. In this article a category-based perspective is used to discuss the types of knowledge that should be included in mathematical problem-solving knowledge for teaching. In particular, what do teachers need to know to teach for problem-solving proficiency? This question is addressed based on a review of the research literature on problem solving in mathematics education. The article discusses the perspective of problem-solving proficiency that framed the review and the findings regarding six categories of knowledge that teachers ought to hold to support students’ development of problem-solving proficiency. It concludes that mathematics problem-solving knowledge for teaching is a complex network of interdependent knowledge. Understanding this interdependence is important to help teachers to hold mathematical problem-solving knowledge for teaching so that it is usable in a meaningful and effective way in supporting problem-solving proficiency in their teaching. The perspective of mathematical problem-solving knowledge for teaching presented in this article can be built on to provide a framework of key knowledge mathematics teachers ought to hold to inform practice-based investigation of it and the design and investigation of learning experiences to help teachers to understand and develop the mathematics knowledge they need to teach for problem-solving proficiency.

scholarly journals The Effect of Problem Solving Course on Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs about Problem Solving in School Mathematics and Themselves as Problem Solvers

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-159
Author(s):  
Ljerka Jukić Matić
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Heuristic Strategies ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
Positive Effect

Problem solving in schools begins with mathematics teachers. The degree to which mathematics teachers are prepared to teach for, about and through problem solving influences on their implementation of problem solving in school. We conducted a small scale study where we examined the effect of implementation of heuristic strategies and Polya’s steps in mathematics method course. We assessed pre-service teachers’ knowledge and attitudes about them as problem solvers before and after the course. Moreover we assessed their beliefs of problem solving in school mathematics. Those beliefs were assessed in two occasions: right after the course and after finished teaching practice. Although students’ knowledge on problem solving was improved, the results of students’ beliefs show that it is important that pre-service teachers, and consequently in-service teachers, are constantly reminded on the positive effect of constructivist and inquiry-based approach on teaching mathematics.

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