In this project my group was asked to choose a problem in our community and make a poster presentaton about it utilizing our ability to recognize various forms of communication as data exchange, explain the difference between data used for making a case and data that informs discovery, and name and explain the steps in the problem solving process. In 1945 George Polya published the book How To Solve It which quickly became his most prized publication. It sold over one million copies and has been translated into 17 languages. In this book he identifies four basic principles of problem solving. We used his process in our project.
From completing this project I learned Polya’s principles of solving a problem. Polya’s First Principle was to understand the problem. This seems so obvious that it is often not even mentioned, yet students are often stymied in their efforts to solve problems simply because they don’t understand it fully, or even in part. Polya taught teachers to ask students questions. Polya’s Second Principle was to Devise a plan. Polya mentions that there are many reasonable ways to solve problems. The skill at choosing an appropriate strategy is best learned by solving many problems. You will find choosing a strategy increasingly easy. Polya’s Third Principle is to carry out the plan. This step is usually easier than devising the plan. In general, all you need is care and patience, given that you have the necessary skills. Persist with the plan that you have chosen. If it continues not to work discard it and choose another. Don’t be misled, this is how mathematics is done, even by professionals. Polya’s Fourth Principle is finally to look back. Polya mentions that much can be gained by taking the time to reflect and look back at what you have done, what worked, and what didn’t. Doing this will enable you to predict what strategy to use to solve future problems.
During the continuum of this project me and my group faced challenges over work distribution. These we found easy to solve by using a problem solving method of picking a group leader, Jack Burns, who was then able to divy up the roles.
If I had the opportunity to redo this project I would definitely choose a different topic as I found that trying to “put an end” to the drug problem in America’s schools might be a tad too complex to tackle in one group project.
From completing this project I learned Polya’s principles of solving a problem. Polya’s First Principle was to understand the problem. This seems so obvious that it is often not even mentioned, yet students are often stymied in their efforts to solve problems simply because they don’t understand it fully, or even in part. Polya taught teachers to ask students questions. Polya’s Second Principle was to Devise a plan. Polya mentions that there are many reasonable ways to solve problems. The skill at choosing an appropriate strategy is best learned by solving many problems. You will find choosing a strategy increasingly easy. Polya’s Third Principle is to carry out the plan. This step is usually easier than devising the plan. In general, all you need is care and patience, given that you have the necessary skills. Persist with the plan that you have chosen. If it continues not to work discard it and choose another. Don’t be misled, this is how mathematics is done, even by professionals. Polya’s Fourth Principle is finally to look back. Polya mentions that much can be gained by taking the time to reflect and look back at what you have done, what worked, and what didn’t. Doing this will enable you to predict what strategy to use to solve future problems.
During the continuum of this project me and my group faced challenges over work distribution. These we found easy to solve by using a problem solving method of picking a group leader, Jack Burns, who was then able to divy up the roles.
If I had the opportunity to redo this project I would definitely choose a different topic as I found that trying to “put an end” to the drug problem in America’s schools might be a tad too complex to tackle in one group project.