Lesson Personal.020

GENERAL PROBLEM SOLVING: CHOOSING TO MAKE THE BEST CHOICE
TYPE - THINK AHEAD (30 minute duration)

UNIT - PERSONAL

LESSON TITLE - GENERAL PROBLEM SOLVING: CHOOSING TO MAKE THE BEST CHOICE
SEQUENCE - N/A
OBJECTIVES -  Upon completion of this lesson the user will be able to:
     
      1   List and define the steps of problem solving.

      2    Apply the steps to a real world problem.
  

REFERENCES -
  Morrison, E.K. (9994). Leadership skills. Developing volunteers for organizational success. Tucson, AZ: Fisher Books.

Reardon, M., & Derner, S. (2004). Strategies for great teaching. Chicago: Zephyr Press.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT -
 
  • Copies of handouts
  • Flip chart
  • Blank paper
  • Markers
KEY TERMS -
 
  • Problem solving
  • Decision making
     
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
 

"Fix the problem, not the blame." Problems are a fact of life. It's hard to avoid facing decisions regarding a problem in your personal life. Problems are not necessarily a bad thing--Someone once said "if we didn't have problems, we won't have choices."

Some problems are easy to resolve, while others require more effort and seem to be more difficult. What is important to remember about problems are that they can be solved, and that solving problems effectively can be done if you understand and apply the problem solving process to issues and situations that affect you.

Problem solving is about making a selection from a choice of alternatives. It can be thought of as a process that includes the following five steps.

  1. Define the problem. Few problems are clear-cut. More often than not, the symptoms of a problem can be more apparent than the causes. For example, some people have difficulty making decisions-what major should I be in? Where should I go on spring break? Not being able to come to a decision may be a symptom of another problem-such as not knowing the alternatives, not having good alternatives to begin with, or not being able to prioritize. Recognizing the underlying problem is the first step to solving it.
  2. Gather facts and data. Decision-making means that you should try to gather all the facts and information that might be somehow related to your problem. You need to make sure that you get all the facts and data that you need-if you don't know all the options, you can't make the best decision. Sometimes this means waiting to solve the problem until you do have all the facts.
  3. Organize information. Once you get all the information you need to solve your problem, you need to organize it in some way. One of the most important things to do is to separate the important from the unimportant. Picking your major is an important decision-but not all the facts that go into this decision are equally important. It's helpful to organize the information you have collected so it can be easily compared and analyzed. Look for relationships, such as pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, and costs and benefits of all the options available to you. You want to try to come up with more than option or alternative to solve your problem. This helps you make sure you make the best possible decision. Most problems have more than one possible solution. It's important at this stage to be open to possible solutions, and to record them as they occur to you.
  4. Decide and take action. The next step is to compare alternatives and determine the best solution. This part of the process involves analyzing your alternatives to determine which will lead to the best outcome. You can make a decision by prioritizing what's most important, what has the least risk involved, which is the most practical and will lead to the best outcome.
  5. Evaluate, adjust, and celebrate! The best decision now may not be as good later on. Situations and events can change how we feel about things. You might have a problem with a relationship, for example, that causes you to break up with someone. Later on, you might connect with that person again and find the problem has gone away or is easier to resolve. In a case like this, something has changed that affects the nature of the original problem and leads to a different outcome. Evaluating the solution means being open minded to other alternatives as situations change, and being willing to work toward "win/win solutions." Ask yourself, what would I keep, improve, or get rid of if circumstances surrounding a problem were to change? Above all, feel good about the decision you made-don't second guess yourself and celebrate-you've made your decision!

INTEREST APPROACH (12 minutes)

Start with this attention getter to capture the attention of your members and lead them into objectives and activities.

Spring Break Scenario:

  • Divide group into teams of four or five and present each group with the following scenario:
    • Your team is deciding where to go for Spring break. Your options are: skiing, the beach, an international service trip, and staying home to work.
  • You have five minutes to come to a consensus for what your team will do.
  • After five minutes, bring group back together and discuss what happened.

Teacher questions (capture student responses on a flip chart):

  1. What was the problem?
  2. What factors did your team consider in making its decision?
  3. What did you consider to be important and unimportant
  4. How did you compare and prioritize the alternatives that lead up to making your team's decision?
  5. How do you feel about your decision?
  6. What process or steps did you take in making your decision?
      
TEACHING PLAN / STRATEGY
 

OBJECTIVE 1 -List and define the steps of problem solving (7 minutes)

Problem solving requires a process-whether it's choosing a major, buying a car, or choosing where to go on vacation, problem solving is easier when you follow the steps. Let's take a look at a quick five-step plan. Pass out the handout on the problem solving process.

  • Define
  • Gather
  • Organize
  • Decide/Action
  • Evaluate/Adjust/Celebrate

APPLICATION ACTIVITY - (3 minutes)

Use the Hieroglyphic Moment to illustrate the progression of the steps and the relationship between them.

Option: Combine Hieroglyphic and Cartographer Moment to facilitate in-depth practice.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why did you choose the icon you chose for each step?
  2. How do the individual steps relate to each other?

OBJECTIVE 2 - Apply the steps to a real world problem (7 minutes)

Provide members guided practice by using the example of the problem solving process of buying a car.

Members should work together in groups to answer the following questions:

  • Who has ever bought a car or major purchase before?
  • How can we apply the problem solving steps to buying a car?

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the problem? I need a new or different vehicle.
  2. Gathering facts and data. Research available makes and models, prices, features, etc. Test drive.
  3. Organize information. Compare vehicle types, prices, features and options.
  4. Decide and take action. Prioritize what is most important, risks, costs, benefits, etc. and make a decision.
  5. Evaluate, adjust, and celebrate. Does vehicle continue to suit your needs over time? Are options and features what you needed. Feel good about decision you made.

APPLICATION ACTIVITY - (5 minutes)

Pose the following question:
What clubs/organizations should I be involved in? Allow students to individually work through the problem solving process to come to a personal decision.
    

 

SELF-ASSESSMENT -

How does this lesson apply to other situations in our daily lives? And what other types of problems have you faced that you can apply this to (i.e., relationships, career, time management, budget)?
 

 

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS -

  • General problem solving steps (HO-1)
     
 

HO-1

General Problem Solving Steps

  1. Define the problem. Few problems are clear-cut. More often than not, the symptoms of a problem can be more apparent than the causes. For example, some people have difficulty making decisions-what major should I be in? Where should I go on spring break? Not being able to come to a decision may be a symptom of another problem-such as not knowing the alternatives, not having good alternatives to begin with, or not being able to prioritize. Recognizing the underlying problem is the first step to solving it.
  2. Gather facts and data. Decision-making means that you should try to gather all the facts and information that might be somehow related to your problem. You need to make sure that you get all the facts and data that you need-if you don't know all the options, you can't make the best decision. Sometimes this means waiting to solve the problem until you do have all the facts.
  3. Organize information. Once you get all the information you need to solve your problem, you need to organize it in some way. One of the most important things to do is to separate the important from the unimportant. Picking your major is an important decision-but not all the facts that go into this decision are equally important. It's helpful to organize the information you have collected so it can be easily compared and analyzed. Look for relationships, such as pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, and costs and benefits of all the options available to you. You want to try to come up with more than option or alternative to solve your problem. This helps you make sure you make the best possible decision. Most problems have more than one possible solution. It's important at this stage to be open to possible solutions, and to record them as they occur to you.
  4. Decide and take action. The next step is to compare alternatives and determine the best solution. This part of the process involves analyzing your alternatives to determine which will lead to the best outcome. You can make a decision by prioritizing what's most important, what has the least risk involved, which is the most practical and will lead to the best outcome.
  5. Evaluate, adjust, and celebrate! The best decision now may not be as good later on. Situations and events can change how we feel about things. You might have a problem with a relationship, for example, that causes you to break up with someone. Later on, you might connect with that person again and find the problem has gone away or is easier to resolve. In a case like this, something has changed that affects the nature of the original problem and leads to a different outcome. Evaluating the solution means being open minded to other alternatives as situations change, and being willing to work toward "win/win solutions." Ask yourself, what would I keep, improve, or get rid of if circumstances surrounding a problem were to change? Above all, feel good about the decision you made-don't second guess yourself and celebrate-you've made your decision!