Builtin Problem Solving

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Built-in Problem Solving

• Teaching through Problem Solving

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Problem Solving

• How is problem solving taught at your school?
• How could you improve this?
• Discuss in pairs/groups.

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Problem Solving

• Teaching how to find a solution to an
  investigation and record systematically
• Using mental/oral starters and plenaries
• Questioning throughout the lesson to encourage
  children to challenge their thinking
• Teaching how to answer word problems

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Effective Questioning

• Recalling facts
• Applying facts
• Hypothesising or predicting
• Designing and comparing procedures
• Interpreting results
• Applying reasoning

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Blooms Taxonomy of Thinking
CLOSED QUESTIONS -LITERAL QUESTIONS

• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Application
• Analysis (relationships)
• Synthesis (create)
• Evaluation (judge)

OPEN QUESTIONS -HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONS
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Extending Thinking

• What do you know already?
• Can you explain to me what you have done so far?
• Can you see a pattern?
• Have you shared your problem with anyone else?
• Can you tell me the problem in your own words?
• Can you explain why it works?
• What could you do next?

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Opening up questioning

• Count these cubes
• A sweet costs 3p. A lolly costs 7p. What do
  they cost altogether?
• How many centimetres are there in a metre?
• What is this shape called?

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Activity

• In your groups write some probing questions that
  will open up learning

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Examples

• What does the shaded/ unshaded part of the
  diagram represent?
• Can you find other diagrams or images which would
  represent the same information?
• Your questions will be developed according to the
  responses of the children and provide an
  effective assessment opportunity.

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Give me (draw me, tell me) and another, and
another

• Probe thinking by asking for another, and
  another
• A factor of 60 and another, and another
• A multiple of 7
• A capital letter with a line of symmetry

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Odd one out. And why? Anyone got a different
decision and why?

• Present the children with sets of numbers or
• shapes. Decide on odd one out and explain
• reasoning.
• eg 64, 49, 36, 24
• 24 only non square
• 49 only odd

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Other examples

• The answer is, what was the question?
• How many ways can you make 10, 100, 1000? How
  many different number operations have you used?
• Proving or disproving mathematical statements eg
  The product of any 3 consecutive numbers is
  always divisible by 3. Discuss in pairs/groups.
• P.O.G. Ask for a peculiar example then an obvious
  one then a general rule about the thing eg
  numbers with a product of 60 P240x0.25,
  O10x6, Gtwo numbers that make 60 when
  multiplied together
• Fact families

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Discussion and Next Steps

• Share and feedback two changes that you could
  make which would improve built-in problem solving
  in your school.