Technology-Lab Station #5:
Problem-Solving (Teams)
Description: The problem-solving station helps students to practice problem solving and to apply basic (mathematics, scientific, etc.) skills to meaningful real-world situations. It builds on the appreciation, synthesis, and evaluation part of their learning. A goal of this station is to equip students with some creative problem-solving skills that will help them to confidently handle change and new situations. Students will participate in:
- Productive thinking or brainstorming activities,
- Hypothesis formulation
- Decision-making
- Planning
- Experimentation, and
- Evaluation
Student Materials: Students will bring journals/notebooks for recording ideas and insights about what they are learning and doing.
Station Equipment and Materials: A variety of equipment and materials are used at the problem-solving station. Students and teachers can exercise creativity in selecting equipment to be used at this station. Basic equipment could be a computer (or two) and a VCR.
- Low-tech - large drawing pad, chalkboard, or white board for brainstorming, planning, and decision-making activities.
- Mid-tech - overhead with blank transparencies & pens for the same activities listed under low-tech.
- High-tech - Computer with a word processing program such as WORD and data processing such as EXCEL.
Activities: Activities will vary according to topic/subject matter. The activities will be designed for hands-on, experiential learning.
State Standards: Listed here should be any state standards your state may require you to address at a particular grade level such as the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) document.
National Standards and Benchmarks: Listed here should be standards suggested by the aforementioned documents.
Assessment: Notes and summaries of team activities such as completion of a flowchart, brainstorming, decision-making, planning, etc. can serve as assessment.