1 PROBLEM SOLVING CHART – Dewey’s 6 Steps to Reflective Thinking Elect a Group Leader and a Recorder Step 1: Define the problem 1.What is the origin of the problem? 2.Why does it need to be solved? 3.What are the disadvantages of the problem? 4. Limit your objective.
2 How do you identify a problem? Disadvantages in Life/Hurt People 1.Family Life 2.Social group 3.Employment – work 4.Finances = wallet 5.Safety 6.Quality of Goods 7.Physical/Mental Health 8.Quality of Life 9.Education 10.Death
3 Step 2: Establish Criteria (standards by which the solution will be judged) 1.What must the solution do to be able to solve the problem? 2.What are the advantages of the solution? 3.What will the possible solution look like? 4. A specific criteria cuts down on unnecessary arguing.
4 Step 3: Analyze the Problem: fact- finding time & closer inspection 1.Get as much information as possible on the problem. 2.Discover the background of the problem. a. Inherency – where did it start and when? b. Disadvantages – what harms does it cause, and how bad are they? 3. Research the experts in the field – another’s point of view
5 Step 4: Suggest possible solutions (brainstorm time) 1.All ideas are welcome – fresh approach. 2.At first, offer ideas as quickly as possible – don’t think practical. 3.Theory: the more ideas a group can produce, the more likely it will be to find one that works. 4.Remember: the obvious solution may not be the best. 5.Don’t play lotto! – no solution should be accepted until several have been proposed, examined, and compared.
6 Step 5: Evaluate each solution & select the Best One 1.MAKE A CAREFUL COMPARISON USING THE CRITERIA! 2.Does each solution meet the standards set by the criteria? 3.The “best” solution is the one that most clearly fits the criteria – SOLVES THE PROBLEM WITH ADVANTAGES.
7 Step 6: Suggest ways for testing or carry out the solution 1.Make sure the solution is practical. 2.Give it a real world test, if possible. Check on: a. Cost - funding b. Efficiency c. Time – means of change from the old system d. Agency – personnel, governing body e. Enforcement 3. Fiat – this change should happen, but not that you must make it happen to show it’s worth.
8 Managing Conflict CAUSES 1.Differences of opinion, ideas, emotions, backgrounds…diversity 2.Disagreements over information a. Don’t believe the information b. Wrong interpretations of the solutions offered.
9 CONSTRUCTIVE CONFLICT IS OK! 1.We’ve got to entertain conflicting ideas to understand how complex most problems really are. 2. We want to reach the best solutions by actually thinking about them.
10 DISRUPTIVE CONFLICT is caused by disruptive people=nuisances=noise 1.Nitpickers 2.Eager Beavers 3.Blockers/Fence sitters 4.Wise crackers 5.Dominators 6.Harmonizers 7.Peacekeepers
11 Duties of the Leader – Know the people in your group 1.Start the meeting a. Act as the moderator b. Ask interpretative questions 2.Keep the discussion going – balanced participation 3.Set an example – recognize & praise group member’s positive contribution 4.Close the discussion a. Avoid Group Think (abandon personal point of view to keep the peace) b. Reach a consensus (nearly unanimous agreement) c. “Keep the Peace”
12 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MEMBER 1. THINK – remember your objective to solve the problem a. Blend knowledge b. Research new information c. Use reasoning 2. Speaker a. Clear & simple b. Ask for feedback to your ideas c. Be interesting with your delivery d. Give reasoning with your ideas/opinions e. Think before speaking 3. Listener a. Examine ideas b. Question the validity of information c. Practice Mutual Respect d. Be respectful
Working in groups requires making decisions together. For many people, this is a frustrating experience. However, there are strategies available that can help guide a group through the decision-making experience.
One method that may help small groups to make decisions is the reflective-thinking approach. This approach was developed by John Dewey and has been in use almost 100 years.
This post will explain the reflective-thinking approach. This approach has five steps…
- Define the problem
- Analyze the problem
- Develop criteria for solving the problem
- Develop potential solutions
- Select the most appropriate solution
Define the Problem
A group needs to know what problem they are trying to solve. One of the best ways to define the problem is to phrase it as a question. For example, if the problem is students struggling in English class, one way to word this problem as a question would be…
What should we do to help students with their English class?
There are several traits of a clearly worded problem. One, it is clear and specific. In the example above it is clear the English performance is a problem. Two, the phrasing of the question should be open-ended which allows for many different answers. Three, the question should only ask one question. This increase the answer-ability of the question and allows the group to focus.
Analyze the Problem
Before developing solutions, it is imperative that the group analyze the problem. This involves assessing the severity of the problem and the causes of the problem. Determining severity helps to understand who is affected and how any while determining causes can naturally lead to solutions in the next step of this process.
Returning to our English example, it may be that only 5th graders are struggling with English and that most of the 5th graders are ESL students. Therefore, the severity of the problem is 5th graders and the cause is their non-native background. This step also contributes to a deeper focus on the problem.
Develop Criteria for Solving the Problem
Before actually solving the problem, it is important to determine what characteristics and traits the solution should have. This is called criteria development. A criteria is a standard for what the solution to the problem should achieve.
Returning to the English problem, below is a criteria for solving this problem
- The solution should be minimal
- The solution should be implemented immediately
- The solution should specifically target improving reading comprehension
- The solution should involve minimal training of the 5th grade teachers
The criteria helps with focus. It prevents people from generating ideas that are way off track.
Develop Solutions
In this step, the group develops as many solutions as widely and creative as possible. The ideas are recorded. Even though a criteria has been developed, it is not consulted at this stage but is used in the final step.
Select the Solution
All solutions that were developed are now judged by the criteria that was developed previously. Each idea is compared to the group criteria. Each solution that meets the criteria is set aside to discuss further.
Once all acceptable solutions have been chosen it is now necessary to pick the one most acceptable to the group. The first desire should be for consensus, which means everyone accepts the solution. If consensus is not possible, the next option is to vote. Voting benefits the majority while often irritating the minority. This is one reason why voting is the second option.
Conclusion
The reflective-thinking method is an excellent way to efficiently solve problems in a group. This method provides a group with an ability to focus and not get lost when making decisions.