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Our STEM activities have created the space and structure for these amazing explorations and discoveries. We, along with the district, have committed to a regular schedule of STEM activities, both led by our media specialist and across our grade level, led by teachers.

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At first students struggle with the idea that there is no "correct or wrong" way to solve the problem, there are varying degrees of success and there is always a way to make improvements.

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Problem solving teaching is a student driven, collaborative process.

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We need to get kids to think and be creative, focusing on real world problems. Not artsy fartsy creative, but thinking new thoughts and generating new ideas that could help solve the multitude of problems our students generation will face.

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Monica Weninger- we do a hot air balloon project. even if the balloon does not fly, students can succeed on the project if they reflect and explain why it didn't work.

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Monica Weninger- we do a hot air balloon project. even if the balloon does not fly, students can succeed on the project if they reflect and explain why it didn't work.

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Monica Weninger-when assessing students, look at growth instead of how correctly they filled out a worksheet. this will be an adjustment for everyone- students, teachers, parents and administrators

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Monica Weninger-when assessing students, look at growth instead of how correctly they filled out a worksheet. this will be an adjustment for everyone- students, teachers, parents and administrators

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A key take-away from this is that the process of problem-solving needs to be embedded into what we are already doing and should not be seen as just one more thing to do. Problem-solving is a process not an event.

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Biggest key is to give students real world problems. They haven't been solved yet. 

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Biggest key is to give students real world problems. They haven't been solved yet. 

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We always have the ability to spoon-feed information to our students, but they will learn better, deeper and longer if we create ways for them to discover information for themselves.  They will appreciate having this skill in all aspects of their future lives.

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We always have the ability to spoon-feed information to our students, but they will learn better, deeper and longer if we create ways for them to discover information for themselves.  They will appreciate having this skill in all aspects of their future lives.

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Honestly, while all of the information was relevant and useful, the biggest AHA moment for me was the realization of how lacking in diversity this group of educators were.  That's disappointing.

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Honestly, while all of the information was relevant and useful, the biggest AHA moment for me was the realization of how lacking in diversity this group of educators were.  That's disappointing.

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The bottom line is to get students engaged. This mindset does that automatically whether they are focused on the results, the ideas, the creativity piece or the problem - it is universal.

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The word 'creative' in this lessons concept is "not about being artistic - it is creative in terms of thinking what has not been thought of yet!" This can often get lost when creating a concept map.

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It is important to teach students to work as a team to build solutions and get out of that hierarchical thinking that there is only one person with one right answer.

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Find like minded colleagues to collaborate with
and jump in and do it.

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In computer science, writing code can be very frustrating when it doesn't work. The technique I teach is to identify the point to where everything behaves as expected, and then when it does not. Tracing back to where the issues go through the code is essential to logical problem solving.

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Reinventing all lesson plans is unnecessary. Restructuring can work to teacher and student benefit.

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It's important and difficult to watch students struggle, but necessary when allowing them to find their own path. Providing support without answers can be tricky sometimes.

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We use problem solving instruction a lot in PE. The game Shipwrecked would be a great example. Explaining what that is would be a waste of time, but it's pretty great game that can be modified for all students k-5.

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Becki Wendler Create a problem that is engaging to the students that helps to drive their interest and motivation. Our Cooperative games unit allows for students to be challenged and engage with other students as they work through the given situation.

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Becki Wendler Create a problem that is engaging to the students that helps to drive their interest and motivation. Our Cooperative games unit allows for students to be challenged and engage with other students as they work through the given situation.

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I thought it was neat we (Becki Wendler) use a lot of these strategies in our cooperative games unit. Specifically, where we allow students to create their own problem solving/cooperative games. It's cool to see what they come up with.

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Increase student engagement, collaboration, focus on the soft skills - they way in which they interact with one another and offer each other help, their choice, their voice, their personal growth - how they move individually across the continuum

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Front load the materials and equipment students can use and then have them get to the answer or solution of the presented problem

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They need to learn from their mistakes, we (both students and teachers) need to FAIL FORWARD.  Take the risk, try something new and it's OK to fail - learn from it and move on by using what was learned in the next attempt.  Sandie Swanger

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They need to learn from their mistakes, we (both students and teachers) need to FAIL FORWARD.  Take the risk, try something new and it's OK to fail - learn from it and move on by using what was learned in the next attempt.  Sandie Swanger

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Working backward so students know answer, but how to get there.

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Assessment of students should focus on their personal growth rather than the outcome.

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A teacher's role in a problem solving classroom changes from the sage on stage to the guide on the side.

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It's important for students to have opportunities in the classroom where it is ok to make mistakes. Problem solving teaching is based on teams working together to build solutions as opposed to simply repeating what the teacher tells them to do.

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"Do something wild that you have never done before". The students need to see teachers taking risks in order for them to feel comfortable to take risks.

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There are many times in the PE setting that we are presenting problem-solving activities. This allows an opportunity to take risks. We also don't realize how many students do take risks in the PE setting when presented with learning opportunities outside of their comfort zone. If we ensure success in the PE realm, this may open up opportunities for success in other aspects of school.

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Connect with other teachers who are taking creative risks in their classrooms.

Creativity looks different for all students. Students need a safe place to be creative.

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Finding authentic problems for students to solve that matches instructional goals seems to be key. For example, if working with decimals, find challenges that use real life decimal calculation (baseball batting averages vs. math journal work book pages). Student engagement will drive student success!

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Encouraging students to take risks is key. 

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Encouraging students to take risks is key. 

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Allowing students to take risks, but also taking risks as a teacher is huge. making connection with other teachers who are willing to create and take risks

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-Include my students within their own creative process to heighten their engagement.          -For my problem solving teaching and instruction, it is going to start with my collaboration with my colleagues about how to take chances in our instruction. i need to be comfortable with this concept before instructing my students.                                    -Students should understand all parts of the problem and understand all of the elements of the problem before solving. Then, they can collaborate with others to solve the problem as they put all their brains together. (Taylor Beck)

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-Include my students within their own creative process to heighten their engagement.          -For my problem solving teaching and instruction, it is going to start with my collaboration with my colleagues about how to take chances in our instruction. i need to be comfortable with this concept before instructing my students.                                    -Students should understand all parts of the problem and understand all of the elements of the problem before solving. Then, they can collaborate with others to solve the problem as they put all their brains together. (Taylor Beck)

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Giving students opportunities to take risks and be creative.

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- Take control of your own learning independently
-Connect with other teachers who are taking risks in their classrooms

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Creative Thinking and Learning is really about the growth of the students thinking and not the result.

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Making a collaborative environment for students and teachers

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Making a collaborative environment for students and teachers

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Rob Illuminati at 8:55 am
"If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the question, for once I know the proper question to ask, I can solve the problem in five minutes.” -Albert Einstein

If Einstein is correct, we need to teach our students to slow down and think before taking action .  That means we need to provide wait time, substantial amounts of it.  We can organize it into think, pair share, walk and talk, etc.

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Dan Joyce:   Things I Took From the Videos

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Dan Joyce:   Things I Took From the Videos

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Some things that jumped out to me.   Idea #1:  From Hadley Ferguson video- It is not about the assessment.  It is OK to make mistakes. We learn from them.   Idea #2: From Kerry Gallagher video - If it works, do it.  Don't be restricted by an inflexible curriculum.  Your students are more important than the paperwork.  (As long as it meets the standards).     The videos remind me of a quote I heard some years ago, 'Be the guide on the side not the sage on the stage."    (Some of you will remember that one.  )