Social Constructivism: Problem Solving

Problem solving activities help students develop the ability to think critically, analyze problems, and find and use appropriate learning resources. Problems also situate or provide a context for learning basic skills. It is one thing to memorize the steps in solving a particular type of math problem. It is quite another to learn to solve that type because you are the teller in the classroom bank and being a banker requires you to do that type of math.

The examples below illustrate some of the types of problem solving programs available today. You can read the explanation of how these programs work or click on the links to take a closer look at the projects.

Examples

Puzzle Now!

In this parallel problem solving activity, middle school students on the statewide educational telecommunications network in Virginia (VaPEN) participated in an interdisciplinary project called "Puzzle Now!" Using this activity structure, a similar problem is presented to students in several locations. They solve the problem separately at each site, then share their problem-solving methods electronically. Students from 25 sites within the state solved a common puzzle each week for 8 weeks, comparing not only solutions, but, more importantly, multiple methods for working the problem.

URL: http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/Activity-structures/Collaborative-Problem-Solving/index.html#parallel-problem-solving

Jasper Woodbury Problem Solving Series

The Jasper Woodbury series of adventures, which were created by a group at Vanderbilt University, tell interesting stories in which there are problems to be solved.

The series is designed for middle grades, and the problems require and understanding of math concepts that are generally taught in the middle grades. Currently The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury series consists of 12 different videodisc-based adventures (plus video based analogs, extensions and teaching tips).

Jasper series represents an example of anchored instruction (and also of problem-based learning). The Jasper adventures go well beyond the "word problems" typically found in math textbooks for the middle grades. Jasper adventures use a visual story format to present problems. Students watch video segments from a videodisc to understand the situation and the problem. The materials available to the students also have "embedded data" and "embedded teaching" to seed the environment with ideas relevant to problem solving.

The General is Missing is one of the episodes. In this episode, Larry, Emily and Jasper find a note saying Grandpa has been called away on business, but Grandpa doesn't have a business.

They rush to solve the algebra equations Grandpa enclosed with his note. They graph the equations and place the resulting shape over Grandpa's letter. The kids finally find out that the letter says that Grandpa has been kidnapped. Grandpa asks the teenagers to prepare SMART Tools created using algebra so they can easily interpret the data and use it to find his location on the map. The challenge for the students in the classroom is to design the SMART Tools to decipher the directions that Grandpa sent to Larry, Jasper and Emily. In creating the SMART Tools, students learn how to measure the speed of sound, compare various rates of travel, show the relationship between a circle's circumference and its diameter, and determine the height of a hill by the horizontal distance traveled and the rate of the hill's incline.

URL: http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/projects/funded/jasper/Jasperhome.html

The Voyage of the Mimi

The Voyage of the Mimi, which was developed by Bank Street College of Education, involves students as the crew on an ocean voyage of the 72-foot ketch, Mimi, a converted French tuna trawler outfitted as a modern ocean-going vessel.

The purpose of the voyage is to study whales. It is also intended to help students develop science and mathematics skills. To successfully complete the first voyage, students must learn and use navigation principles, map reading, and many other skills.

The First Voyage of the Mimi series consists of twenty-six 15-minute programs. In the adventure story, two scientists and their teenage research assistants embark on a seagoing expedition to study humpback whales. Each drama (episode) is paired with a 15-minute documentary (expedition) that develops a scientific or mathematical concept presented in the drama. Seven videodisks support this program with video clips that illustrate different phases of the voyage as well as simulated trips to museums, aquariums, and other places where scholars study the marine life.

The Second Voyage of the Mimi, which involves a voyage to Mexico. It continues the adventure with Mimi wintering off Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, chartered by archeologists intent on studying Maya civilization. It combines dramatic episodes and documentary expeditions to develop mathematical and scientific concepts in grades 4-8. This series consists of twenty-four 15-minute programs. The Second Voyage of Mimi also uses laser disks.

Many types of support materials are available from the distributor, Sunburst. They include language arts activity guides for the voyages as well as theme guides, a whales database, student books, a social studies resource kit, wall charts, posters, and much more. The following screen capture is Sunburst's we page (http://www.sunburstonline.com:80/mimi.html)  for The Voyage of the Mimi.

URL: http://www.sunburstonline.com:80/ports_call.html

 Click here to view detailed The Voyage of the Mimi Program Descriptions (http://www.ket.org/Education/Videos/Science/VoyageoftheMimi.html).
 

Additional Information

Using Videotape Vignettes to Teach Problem-Solving Skills

This on-line article discusses the development and use of videotape vignettes, portraying real-life problem scenarios, to teach concepts and problem-solving skills in environmental education. Videotaped vignettes offer an unique interdisciplinary advantage for teaching environmental problem solving by combining different areas. Such problem-solving macrocontexts offer a richer and more complex environment than text by itself. They are also more representative of actual real-world problem solving experiences.

The author also argues that the cognitive-networking process can be achieved by combining teaching strategies based on cooperative learning, and anchored instruction. Cooperative learning offers strategies for students to interact with their peers such as structured peer-group discussion, problem-solving team pairs, peer coaching, and role-based laboratory activities, while anchored instruction provides a motivational focus that "anchors" students to the learning task. Videotape anchors can be used as a learning environment within which students seek out and apply relevant knowledge, establish new connections, and build cognitive structures that result in more efficient problem-solving and better conceptual understanding.

URL: http://www.edu.uleth.ca/ciccte/naceer.pgs/pubpro.pgs/Pathways/pubfiles/IV.ConfPres/StrandII/DerrickL.htm


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