Project-Based Learning and Problem Solving

In my mind, utilizing project-based learning and problem solving techniques to teach are 2 very powerful tools that we, as future agriculture educators, can incorporate in our lessons to pique student interest, and initiate learning and understanding by creating a need to learn and by providing real-world application!

The article on problem solving very nicely explains the 2 types of knowledge - Declarative and Procedural knowledge, which is also something we have briefly covered in my EDPSY class. To create good problem solving skills in our students we need to make sure we include the facts, concepts, principles in our lessons and make sure that are problems are well structured to minimize confusion for our students - not that they need to be simple - just not confusing.

These problem-solving skills are essential to teach to our students because they have so many real-world applications. For instance, veterinarians and farmers use these skills everyday to make management decisions and diagnose sick animals. We also need to make sure that students make the connection to these real-life situations while we are teaching. Another factor that we should consider is that we need to make sure that students actually learn to problem solve for themselves, not just find the answers, although, don't get me wrong, that part is essential as well.

Here is another great resource on problem solving...
https://www.teachervision.com/problem-solving/teaching-methods/48451.html

Here is a quick overview...

Problem-solving involves three basic functions:

1. Seeking information
2. Generating new knowledge
3. Making decisions