Problem Solving Instruction

1
Problem Solving Instruction

• AEE 535
• Teaching Agriculture in
• Secondary Schools

2
Gladiators vs. Spectators

• Problem Solving Traditional
• Key element - learning Key element - teaching
• Responsibility-student Responsibility-teacher
• Student input Teacher decisions
• Focus - real ag problems Focus - Ag knowledge

3
Gladiators vs. Spectators

• Fundamental Changes (if problem solving approach
  is used)
• Balance of power from teacher to student
• Focus of attention learning process vs. content
• Teaching skills more interactive
• Overall Emphasis Lifelong learning and learning
  
• how to learn

4
Critical Points in Problem Solving

• Philosophical Considerations
• Ability to analyze or memorize?
• Information should be discovered or
  assigned/presented?
• Information is learned to be used, or stored in
  students minds?
• Students have the right to have input into their
  own development.

5
Critical Points in Problem Solving

• Planning
• Teachable segments (problem areas)
• Consider situation factors

6
Critical Points in Problem Solving

• Technique
• Skill (preparation) is essential.
• Use students words and ideas.
• Teacher directs the learning activities.
• Teacher flexibility and
• awareness.

7
Myths About Problem Solving

• Reduces the opportunity to use different teaching
  techniques.
• Students dont know enough about the subject to
  use the problem solving approach.
• Instructional materials in the department are
  inadequate or out-of-date.
• Students dont read well enough to use the
  problem solving approach.
• Problem solving is too difficult to use

8
Genius of Agricultural Education

• Curriculum Community-based, project-oriented
• Focus on real life situations demands higher
  order thinking skills
• Memorization is de-emphasized--application is
  emphasized

9
Genius of Agricultural Education

• Youth Organization Activities
• Emphasis is on problem solving activities and
  higher order thinking
• Preparation for activities involves higher order
  thinking processes.

10
Increasing Thinking Skills

• Myths
• 1. Thinking cannot be taught.
• 2. Some students are naturally and irremediably
  dull.
• 3. Decline in student quality
• 4. Others teach thinking--no need for everyone
  to do this.
• 5. Thinking skills is an additional teaching
  responsibility.

11
Research in Problem Solving

• Curbelo (1985) --meta-analysis of 68 studies
  involving problem solving instruction
• average effect size of .54 standard deviations

12
Problem Solving in Ag Ed

• Thompson and Tom (1957)
• New York 22 agriculture programs
• 10th grade students 219
• Problem solving superior in student achievement
  for low level cognitive skills, but not for
  higher level skills

13
Problem Solving Research

• Dawson (1956)
• Collegiate soils course
• N/S for recall of specific information
• improved on problem solving measurement
• Sanders (1978)
• Ag Teachers in an inservice course
• No significant difference

14
Problem Solving Research

• Flowers (1986)
• 126 high school ag students in Illinois
• N/S for achievement of students
• Resulted in higher retention of information
• N/S for student attitude
• Roegge (1988) found similar results in teaching
  applied biological concepts

15
Problem Solving Research

• Boone (1990)
• 121 9th grade students in Ohio
• N/S for achievement, retention or attitude
• Positive relationship between the degree to which
  the teacher used the problem solving approach and
  student achievement

16
Problem Solving Research

• Hamzah (1989) found that Illinois agriculture
  teachers used only parts of problem solving
  approach. Often did not carry through to the
  problem solving stage

17
Problem Solving Research

• Dyer (1996)
• 258 Illinois high school agriculture students
• More effective in increasing problem solving
  ability of students