The Future Belongs to the Problem Solvers

Mr Tony HANLON

National Deputy Principal

 

Any discussion of education will involve the importance of the key areas of literacy and numeracy. As a society, we place a high value on the ability to read, write and understand mathematical concepts. Success across schooling from Kindergarten to Year 12 revolves around these key areas.

 

Literacy & Numeracy are not Enough:

It would seem that mastery of the important concepts in Maths and English in each school year will guarantee success. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. Having a wide vocabulary, knowing the timetables and being able to spell a variety of words just isn’t enough for success in the modern world.

The Key to Success is Application:

Knowledge and skills need to be applied if students are to meet with true and lasting success. They have to know how to use the knowledge if it is to be of any value in the short, medium and long term. This is where the skills of problem-solving will play a critical role.

Knowing how and when to use knowledge is the key to problem-solving.

On the surface, problem-solving skills seem self-explanatory. Skills that allow you to solve problems. Or as it is defined by Oxford: the process of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues. But what does this mean?

The Importance of Problem Solving:

In your parent-teacher interviews, the topic of problem-solving may have been raised. It is often spoke about as though it is one idea or concept:

“Nathan has very good problem-solving skills.”

“Tao’s problem-solving skills have shown significant improvement this term.”

How do we tell a student has good problem-solving skills?

How do we go about remediating these skills if they are lacking?

Problem-solving needs to be Taught like any other Skill Set:

We do not come into this world being able to naturally solve problems any more than we can read, write or undertake mathematical operations. We need to learn the skills.

 

The Problem-solving Process:

Here is one successful method by which we can go about solving our problems in our day-to-day and professional lives. The steps in this process include the following:

• Define the problem.
• Generate alternate solutions.
• Evaluate and select a singular solution.
• Implement the said solution.

Let’s apply this process to an example:

Tao doesn’t know the quickest way to the soccer grounds. He begins by acknowledging his lack of knowledge and makes the decision to rectify this situation.

Tao will now generate alternate solutions by entering the address of the soccer grounds into his GPS. He is now able to see four different routes he could take. By using a quick analysis of how long each route will take him, Tao decides to take route C as it will be the quickest.

Finally, Tao hops on his skateboard and is on his journey.

This process, whilst simple, is critical to our day-to-day lives. We use the problem-solving approach so much, that often we do not even realise that it is happening.

Superior Problem-solving Skills:

Not all problem-solving is as simple as the above example. The teaching of effective problem-solving involves exposing students to challenges of increasing complexity. Those who master the more challenging problem-solving skills will be well-placed for a demanding and unpredictable future.

Career Success is About Problem Solving Skills not Qualifications:

Careers stall not because we are not qualified but because we are not mentally agile. Mental agility is reliant on our problem-solving skills. We are rewarded in the workplace for our ability to solve problems. Often a less qualified person is promoted due to their ability to rise to the challenge in the face of a problem. It becomes quickly apparent who are the problem solvers in the organisation. Qualifications may put you in the job – results secure your tenure.

We often refer to these successful problem solvers as “the people who can get the job done” without actually acknowledging their superior problem-solving skills.

So problem-solving is not just something we need for our everyday lives. It can be the key to a successful career and it will be the key to all our futures.

 

Raise a Hero for Challenging Times:

All parents dream that their children will grow up to do something special; that they leave their mark on the world and be met with success. We are living in challenging times. The environment is facing pressures we have not seen in human history. There are looming water and food shortages due to the changing climate. The continued habitation of certain regions of the planet may become questionable in as little as a decade. We are in need of solutions to problems we have never faced before. This is where our most gifted problem solvers will find their niche.

Geo-politically we are also facing significant challenges. The problem solvers who can effectively employ soft skills such as diplomacy and find positions of compromise between combatants will assist us in avoiding further conflicts and potential disasters. In short, we need to find amongst us some everyday ‘heroes’ who can step forward to face these challenges.

Your child can be one of these ‘heroes’ through an effective education in problem-solving skills.