LIFE SKILLS

Module II (03)
PROBLEM SOLVING

Bridging the gap

between where
you are…

…and
where you
want to
be.

2
PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL
 higher-order cognitive process that requires the
modulation and control of more routine or
fundamental skills - Goldstein & Levin, 1987.
 how to proceed from a given state to a desired goal
state???
IDEAL MODEL
 Problem solving
model proposed by
Bransford & Stein,
1993
IDEAL MODEL…
 I - Identify the problem
 Actively look for problems

 Anticipate problems

 D - Define the problem

 Ask questions

 Gather data

 Constraints, interests…

 E – Explore possible strategies

 Use of formal and informal methods

 Frequently re-visit goals, constraints and interests

 Consider available resources

IDEAL MODEL…
 A - Act on a plan
 Anticipate outcomes - Pilot ventures, prototype testing
 May have to modify or discard plan
 Identity and correct any inappropriate assumptions made earlier
 L - Look back and Learn
 monitor outcomes
 Take corrective actions
POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING CYCLE
How To Solve It – Understand
George Polya, 1945 the Problem

How to
Look Back
Approach Devise a Plan
Problem
Solving

Carry Out the

Plan
UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
 The obvious first step, but often not done. Understand
the Problem

 Do you understand all the words used in the problem? How to

Approach Devise a
Look Back
Problem Plan
Solving
 What are you being asked to do/show/find out?

Can you put the problem into your own words?

Carry Out the
 Plan

 Can you draw a diagram/picture that would explain what you

have to do?

 Is there enough information to enable you to find a solution?

 What do we know already, and what do we need to find out?

DEVISING A PLAN
Understand
the Problem

 There are many ways to approach solving a

problem Look Back
How to
Approach
Problem
Solving
Devise a
Plan

 Below is a list of just some of them

Carry Out the
Plan

 Look for patterns  Consider special cases

 Draw a diagram  Work backwards
 Make an orderly list  Eliminate possibilities
 Break into small problems  Use symmetry
 Solve a similar, simpler problem  Use a model
 Guess an answer and check  Use direct reasoning
 Write down an equation  Be ingenious (clever)
 Use a formula
CARRYING OUT THE PLAN
Understand

 Act according the strategy planned in the Problem

How to

the previous stage Look Back

Approach
Problem
Solving
Devise a
Plan

 Keep a record of the work done Carry Out the

Plan

 If the plan does not seem to be

working, then start over and try
another approach

 keep trying until something works

LOOK BACK
Understand
the Problem

 Key questions to ask here include: How to

 Is the plan working? Look Back

Approach
Problem
Solving
Devise a
Plan

 Ifnot, go back round the cycle and develop a

new plan Carry Out the
Plan

 Does the solution make sense?

 What worked and what didn’t?

 Have I solved the problem successfully?
 What have I learnt?
 Is there another method of solving this?
BARRIERS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

6 Types of Conceptual Blocks

1. Perceptual Blocks
2. Emotional blocks
3. Intellectual blocks
4. Expressive blocks
5. Environmental blocks
6. Cultural blocks

11/20/
2019
…BARRIERS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

1. Perceptual Blocks
 Arise from the manner in which we
interpret information
 Seeing What You Expect to See –
Stereotype
 Inability to See the Problem from Various
Viewpoints
 Tendency to Delimit the Problem Area Too
Closely
…BARRIERS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

2. Emotional Blocks
 Occurs when our emotional needs
conflict with the proposed solution
of favor a less effective solution
 Fear to make a mistake, to fail, to risk
 overriding desires for security, order
 over motivation to succeed quickly
 Avoiding conflict at all cost
…BARRIERS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

3. Intellectual Blocks
 Solving the problem using an incorrect
language (verbal, mathematical, visual)
 Lack of required knowledge/skill
 Lack of creativity
…BARRIERS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

4. Expressive Blocks
 Inability to express/communicate
 Inadequate communication among team
members
 Lack of trust
…BARRIERS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

5. Environmental Blocks
 Distractions and stress
 Lack of cooperation and trust
among colleagues
 Autocratic boss who values only his
ideas
 Lack of support to bring ideas into
action
 Uncomfortable interior
environment
…BARRIERS TO PROBLEM SOLVING

6. Cultural Blocks
 Sense of right and wrong
 Resistance to change
 Taboos (prohibited or restricted by
social custom)
COMMON CAUSES OF MENTAL BLOCKS

 Defining the problem

too narrowly.

 Assuming there is only

one right answer.
COMMON CAUSES OF MENTAL BLOCKS
 Getting “hooked” on
the first solution that
comes to mind.

 Getting “hooked” on a
solution that almost
works (but really
doesn’t).
COMMON CAUSES OF MENTAL BLOCKS
 Being distracted by
irrelevant information, called
“mental dazzle”.

 Getting frustrated by lack of

success.

 Being too anxious to finish.

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

 OF – Objective finding

 FF - Fact Finding

 PF – Problem Finding

 IF – Idea Finding

 SF – Solution Finding

 AF – Acceptance Finding
 …CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS
 OF - Objective Finding
 Identify Goal, Wish or Challenge.
 Combination of divergent-convergent thoughts
 FF -Fact Finding
 Gather Data from documents and people
 PF - Problem Finding
 Define the Problem
 Specify simplifying assumptions
 find all the problems and challenges inherent in the situation, and all the
opportunities they represent
 IF - Idea Finding
 Almost divergent thought
 try new combinations to find potentially innovative solutions
 SF - Solution Finding
 strengthen and improve the best ideas generated
 Evaluate ideas – sustainability , feasibility, relative merits with respect to other ideas
 AF - Acceptance Finding
 Stress on communication, creating a climate for change and reducing resistance to
change
COMMON PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES
 Abstraction: solving the problem in a model of the system before
applying it to the real system
 Analogy: using a solution that solved an analogous problem
 Brainstorming: a group of people suggesting a large number of
solutions or ideas and combining and developing them until an
optimum solution is found
 Divide and conquer: breaking down a large, complex problem into
smaller, solvable problems
 Hypothesis testing: assuming a possible solution and trying to prove
or disprove the assumption
 Lateral thinking: approaching solutions indirectly and creatively
 Means-ends analysis: choosing an action at each step to move closer
to the goal
COMMON PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES

 Method of focal points – combining seemingly non-matching

characteristics of different objects into something new
 Morphological analysis: assessing the output and inter relationships
of an entire system
 Reduction: transforming the problem into another problem for
which solutions exist
 Research: collecting existing ideas or adapting existing solutions to
similar problems
 Root cause analysis: identifying the basic cause of the problem
 Trial-and-error: testing possible solutions until the right one is
found
PROBLEM SOLVING METHODS

 Brainstorming
 The Six Thinking Hats

 Mind Mapping

 Forced Connections
BRAINSTORMING

As many ideas as possible, no

matter how crazy they are

 Group activity based on principle of Suspending

Judgement
PHASES IN BRAISTORMING

1. PREPARATION PHASE

3. EVALUATION

2. CONDUCT THE SESSION

 1. PREPARATION PHASE

Specify the problem

What do we really want?
Select the right people
Invite people
up to 10 – 12 people
make sure they
Leader, person in charge of
have time
noting down proceedings,
regular or guest members
Decide when and where
place and time matters
U layout is preferred
 2. CONDUCT THE SESSION

1. Specify the objectives – make sure that everybody is

happy with the central question.
2. Decide the roles: - leader, recorder, panel.
3. Explain the rules (or make sure that everybody knows
them. Eventually – a warm-up exercise for fun). You can
let people to jot down a few ideas before starting.
4. Begin by going around, after some rounds, open the floor.
5. Record the ideas exactly, clarify only in the end.
6. Suspend judgements !
7. Encourage the ideas, even the most radical and far-
fetched. Allow the late coming ideas, do not hurry.
8. At the end – eliminate duplicates, clarify, thank the
participants.
 3. EVALUATION PHASE

Put the evaluation off / next day

Add newly born ideas to the list

Group similar ideas together

Select the best or most interesting

suggestions
Create teams which will work on them
further
Inform people about the results
KEY RULES OF BRAINSTORMING

1. relaxed atmosphere - completely free

2. no criticism or judgements
3. allow and encourage wild ideas
4. quantity matters
5. all ideas put on a sheet of paper
6. evaluation only after the session
BENEFITS OF BRAINSTORMING
 BRAINSTORMING CONSTRAINTS

 does not rank the ideas

 cannot help you select the important ones

 does not suggest the best solutions

 must be amended by other

methods
 Edward de Bono
“The six thinking hats is a method
for doing one sort of thinking at a time.”
THE SIX THINKING HATS
 A Lateral Thinking Strategy by Edward De Bono
 used to look at decisions from a number of
important perspectives.
 Role-playing (Put the hat on, take the hat off,
switch hats, and signal your thinking)
 Encourage creative, parallel and lateral thinking
 forces you to move outside your habitual thinking
style
 Avoid debate
6 THINKING HATS

Process

Negative Objective

Feelings Positive

Creative
WHITE HAT - OBJECTIVE
 Facts, Figures, Data and Information
 Gaps in knowledge
 analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical
data

The cost per unit of this product is 300 rupees.

There are three varieties of hornbills in this forest
RED HAT – FEELINGS
• look at problems using intuition, spontaneous
reaction, and emotion
•

Examples:
 My gut-feeling is that this will not work.

 I don't like the way this is being done.

 This proposal is terrible.

 My intuition tells me that prices will fall soon.

BLACK HAT - NEGATIVE
• look at all the negatives
• Look at it cautiously and defensively
• Try to see why it might not work

• Questions:
 Is this true?
 Will it work? Critical
 What are the weaknesses? Thinking
Hat
 What is wrong with it?
 Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more
resilient.

 It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you
embark on a course of action.

 Many successful people get so used to thinking positively that

often they cannot see problems in advance.

 This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties.

 Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique.

YELLOW HAT - POSITIVE

• optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all

the benefits of the decision and the value in it
• helps you to keep going when everything looks
gloomy and difficult

 Such low cost products will raise profit

 When this place becomes more accessible, it

will spur more research on conservation issues

GREEN HAT - CREATIVE
• develop creative solutions to a problem
• little criticism of ideas.

If we can package this product as new ‘budget option’,

we can attract more customers.
I have a green hat idea!! Why don’t we build a Hornbill
Safari park instead of this techno-plaza?

Creative
Thinking
Hat
BLUE HAT - PROCESS
• stands for process control
• worn by people chairing meetings

Examples:
 Set the agenda.

 Suggest the next steps.

 Ask for other hats.

 Ask for summaries, conclusions,

and decisions.
Meta-Cognition Hat
SEQUENCE USE – SEEKING AN IDEA
White Gather available information.

Green Explore and generate alternatives.

Yellow Assess the benefits and feasibility of each alternative.

Black Assess the weaknesses of each alternative.

Green Further develop the most promising alternatives and make a

choice.

Blue Summarize and assess what has been achieved so far.

Black Make the final judgment on the chosen alternative.

Red Find out the feelings on the outcome.

SEQUENCE USE – REACTING TO A PRESENTED IDEA

Red Find out the existing feelings about the idea.

Yellow Find out the benefits in the idea.

Black Point out the weaknesses, problems and dangers in the idea.

Green See if the idea can be modified to strengthen the yellow-hat

benefits and to overcome the black-hat problems.

White See if available information can help in modifying the idea to

make it more acceptable.

Green Develop the final suggestion.

Black Judge the final suggestion.

Red Find out the feeling on the outcome.

 CASE STUDY EXAMPLE:
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT - SIX THINKING HATS

Students Talking While

Dr. Cool is Teaching

Adapted from: Dyck, B. Case Study: Classroom Management - Six Thinking Hats
URL: http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/manage/sixhats120800.html
WHITE HAT - FACTS AND INFORMATION

 Students are talking (or on their phones)

when Dr. Cool is talking.
 There is noise so that others are distracted or
can't hear.
 Students don't know what to do after Dr. Cool
has given instructions.
 Many students get silly or off task.

Adapted from: Dyck, B. Case Study: Classroom Management - Six Thinking Hats
URL: http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/manage/sixhats120800.html
RED HAT – EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS

 Dr. Cool feels offended.

 Students are frustrated because they can't
hear his instructions.
 Those talking enjoy joking around and being
heard.

Adapted from: Dyck, B. Case Study: Classroom Management - Six Thinking Hats
URL: http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/manage/sixhats120800.html
BLACK HAT - NEGATIVE ASPECTS

 Time is wasted.
 Learning is compromised.

 Those who legitimately have the floor feel that

listeners don't care about what they are saying.
 Chaos in the classroom.

Adapted from: Dyck, B. Case Study: Classroom Management - Six Thinking Hats
URL: http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/manage/sixhats120800.html
YELLOW HAT - BENEFITS AND FEASIBILITY

 Everyone gets to say what is on their mind.

 It can be fun.

 You don't have to wait until you speak and

therefore don't forget what you want to say.
 Not just the "smart" students get to speak.

Adapted from: Dyck, B. Case Study: Classroom Management - Six Thinking Hats
URL: http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/manage/sixhats120800.html
GREEN HAT - CREATIVE IDEAS
 Dr. Cool will be more aware of the amount of time that he "talks“.
 He will try to include interaction from many different students, not just the "smart"
ones.
 Students will work on resisting the need to say everything that comes into their mind.
 There needs to be further discussion on "how" students would work on this problem.
 Students will think about whether their comments will interfere with other people's
learning.
 We will keep these charts up so that we can refer back to the learning of this
moment and reassess how we are doing.

Adapted from: Dyck, B. Case Study: Classroom Management - Six Thinking Hats
URL: http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/manage/sixhats120800.html
BLUE HAT - SUM UP WHAT IS LEARNED
 Dr. Cool learned that he needs to limit the amount of time he uses "Talking" as a
form of teaching.
 He needs to involve all students in discussion. He needs to look for the one who
rarely offers comments or is quietly waiting to be picked to answer.
 He needs to realize that some students need "think time" before they are ready to
contribute to a discussion. Allowing time for these students to think is important
part of class discussion so they don't tune out.
 Students now realize that when they talk when others are talking it makes the
person talking feel like a fool or unappreciated.
 Students realize that just to "get the laugh" of the moment, they are jeopardizing
other people's learning.
 Students learned that speaking whenever you want show a lack of self-discipline
and that not everything that goes through our minds is worth sharing.
 Teacher/student needs to revisit this topic and check how we are doing.

Adapted from: Dyck, B. Case Study: Classroom Management - Six Thinking Hats
URL: http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/manage/sixhats120800.html
MIND MAP

 a diagram used to visually organize information

 highly effective way of getting information in
and out of your brain
 creative and logical means of note-taking and
note-making
7 STEPS

1. Start in the center of a blank page turned

sideways.
 Give your brain freedom to spread out in all
directions
7 STEPS

2. Use an image or picture for your main idea.

 An image helps your imagination. It is more
interesting and keeps your focused helping you to
concentrate.
7 STEPS

3. Use colors throughout.

 Colors are as exciting to your Brain as are images.
Color will add energy to your creative thinking.
7 STEPS

4. Connect your main branches to the central

image etc.
 Your brain works by association. It likes to link two
(or three, or four) things together.
7 STEPS

5. Make your branches curved instead of

straight lined.
 Having nothing but straight lines is boring to your
brain.
7 STEPS

6. Use one key word per line

 Single words give your Mind Map more power
and flexibility.

Tree
Nest

Bird
7 STEPS

7. Use images throughout

 Each image, like the central image, is worth a
thousand words!
 GUIDELINES FOR MIND MAP
1. Start in the center with an image of the topic.

2. Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your mind map.

3. Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.

4. Keep only one key word per line.

5. Make the branches curved and flowing rather than straight lines

6. The curves should be connected, starting from the central image. The curves become thinner as

they radiate out from the center.

7. Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.

8. Use multiple colors throughout the mind map, for visual stimulation and also for encoding or

grouping.

9. Develop your own personal style of mind mapping.

10. Emphasize important points, associations and interconnections.

MIND MAPPING

Shopping
Spring Friends
MIND MAP OF SIX THINKING HATS
DISADVANTAGES OF MINDMAP

 Only limited amount of text can be

accommodated
 Often quite personalized

 Preparation is time consuming

 Difficulty in allocating space

 FORCED CONNECTIONS

 A radical way of generating new ideas.

 To overcome the disadvantage of brainstorming

 ‘force’ a connection between the problem and

a random object.
 ACTIVITY – FORCED CONNECTIONS
 Improvements on:
 One person aircraft
 A computer fan
 Drones to carry medicine
 A new search engine
 Speak-out of the box (5 mts)
 Speak on clothes hanger
 Speak about fork