Problem-Solving Activities
The following activities will help you work through the problem-solving process in your own life.
Pick a Problem and Analyze It
Think about the “pain points” you experience at school, at home, on the job, or in the community. What problems do you face? Which would you most like to solve?
To solve a problem, you need to thoroughly understand its causes and effects.
Your Turn List problems you face in the four locations indicated above. Select one problem that you would like to solve. Create a cause-effect chart about the problem you identified. Write the problem in the center circle, causes to the left, and effects to the right.
Brainstorm Solutions
Once you fully understand the causes and effects of a problem, you can brainstorm ways to eliminate the causes, the effects, or both.
Your Turn Use a list or cluster to brainstorm solutions to the problem that you analyzed above.
Evaluate Solutions
After you have listed many possible solutions, you must decide which solution will work best and why.
Your Turn Choose one of the solutions you have thought of and would like to pursue. Fill in a trait-evaluation chart for your solution (see page 51). In the first column, list traits that your solution should have—ways it should fix the problem. In the center column, evaluate each trait. And in the final column, write possible improvements. 