Troubleshooting the Problem Solving Approach

A fun and interesting technique that can be used to engage students in a lesson is through problem solving. The key to the problem solving approach is using a real world problem to have the students find the solution. This week I got to troubleshoot this technique in lab and I think it went really well.

What Happened

My lesson was troubleshooting the fuel system in a small gasoline engine. The problem solving approach is the perfect way to teach this content. To start out the class, I had students watch a video of a guy that was having engine trouble. I had stopped the video half way to ask the students what could be going wrong with his engine. After a little discuss we finished watching the video. I led this activity into the conversation of troubleshooting a carburetor using the Briggs and Stratton troubleshooting guide. After reviewing how to use the guide, I had giving them a scenario of a customer that was having trouble with his engine. They had to figure out what the problem was and how to fix it.

What I Learned

Through this experience I had learned that facilitating the problem solving approach can be difficult if you are not asking great intriguing questions. I know that through practice I will get better at this. It was fun to try this technique before utilizing it in student teaching. 

Application

I will be applying this teaching method in student teaching as well as the future to reach the high order of blooms taxonomy with my students. I know as I move on I will only get better at utilizing this method.

Questions

How could you utilize the problem solving approach in an Ag Business class?

What are some strategies in utilizing the approach?