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Problem Trees
Cooperative learning
Maria Navarro
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The problem tree
Effects
Solutions
Solutions
Problem
http//www.comminit.com/planningmodels/pmodels/pla
nningmodels-126.html
Causes
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The problem tree

• A tool to analyze complex issues
• Helps to specify and investigate the causes and
  effects of a problem and the relationships
  between them (1)
• It also helps to formulate, analyze, evaluate the
  different solutions to the problem

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The problem tree

• Problem trees are a good tool for student group
  work because all students can give different and
  especial contributions to the work of the group
  depending on their expertise and knowledge

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The problem tree

• Asking the students to first work individually on
  the trees and then work with the rest of team
  members can be very valuable for individual
  students because the exercise can help them
  identify areas of weakness (2)

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Cooperative learning

• Invaluable to foster interdisciplinarity, higher
  order thinking, and holistic knowledge
• Nothing new that is really interesting comes
  without collaboration (Watson, as cited by
  Johnson, Johnson, Smith, 1998)

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Critical elements to cooperation
Figure 1. Elements presented by Johnson, Johnson,
and Smith (1998) as critical to cooperation