Designing Problem-Solving for Meaningful Learning: A Discussion of Asia-Pacific Research
Chwee Beng Lee, Maree Skillen, and Caitlin Williams Abstract The centrality of problem-solving in our daily encounters has brought increased recognition for it to play a pivotal role in education. Designing problem-solving activities is much more easily advocated than accomplished, given the complexities involved in designing powerful instructions. Nevertheless, it is far more pertinent than […]
Team Effectiveness Coaching
Teams are groups of people who work together to achieve common goals. Each member of the team has a specific role and is selected for the team based on the skills and knowledge required to perform his or her roles effectively – so the team can achieve its goals. In addition, the members depend on […]
Training in Complex Problem Solving
Surveys conducted between 2012 and 2020 have established conclusively that there is a substantial need internationally for generic skills and one of the most important of these skills is problem-solving, especially complex aproblem-solving (CPS.) However, two recent surveys conducted by this author of numerous problem-solving training courses advertised online show that there is almost no focus on CPS in these courses. Also, there is a lack of a common understanding of what mental processes constitute effective problem-solving. There appear to be two main schools of thought; those who understand problem solving to be a mental process that stands on its own and those who understand it to be made up of various modes or ways of thinking.
Considering the complexity of the problems facing the world and that complex problem-solving is usually a collaborative and team effort, it is clear that there is a need for a common conceptualisation and understanding of CPS. Consequently, the CPS framework proposed by Hunter (2019) is reviewed in this article and the application of the elements of this framework to the training of CPS is discussed in some detail.