ABSTRACT
We make decisions when the pathway ahead is not clear. Depending on the level of emotional investment and the degree of personal and social consequence, sometimes these moments of unclarity are considered “problems.” Problem solving refers to putting the situation into words, examining feelings, perspectives, goals, options, consequences, making a decision about the best option to achieve one’s goal, planning and anticipating obstacles, refining the decision as needed, taking appropriate action and learning from what happened to inform future problem solving. When our students are faced with problems, we are often tempted to suggest (or mandate!) a solution. While sometimes expediency will keep us from stepping back from being a solver of our students’ problems, doing this regularly will do them a disservice. It is far better for a teacher to become a facilitator of a problem-solving and decision-making process, a process that the students will take increasing ownership of. After all, we want our students to be able to solve problems without us.
