Problem Solving Software: learn to learn...
Description: Problem-solving software claims to teach students specific or general problem-solving skills. The software may be content specific or content-free. The general idea is that “Problem Solving” is a set of behaviors or skills that can be learned. This type of instructional software focuses on helping students to exercise each of these identified behaviors either in isolation of or conjunction with others. For example, sequencing may be considered a problem solving skill. A software product could focus on leading a student through different types of sequencing activities. The idea is that the student will improve their ability to sequence events.
Teacher perspective: Problem-solving software can be used to teach skills. Students can engage with this software independently or with groups. This type of software is generally not a stand-alone product. Teachers would make a decision about when to use it and in what context based on the specific skill they were trying to reinforce.
Student perspective: These types of software are often similar to games. They generally have to be more engaging than a game in order to get students to persist.
Reality: It is not clear that learning a skill in isolation will transfer. An analogy might be deciding that part of knowing how to build a shed would be understanding how to use a hammer and part of knowing how to use a hammer is knowing how to swing the hammer. So then you could spend an hour or so learning to swing a hammer. It is unlikely that this will improve your ability to build a shed. Though… it worked for the Karate Kid.
Examples for physics: Physics is a systems-thinking process. Understanding how systems work and determining how to mathematically represent systems are very important pieces of understanding physics.
Stella: Systems- thinking software. Instructional units and interactive, open-ended activities and the ability to create new systems using learned concepts and understandings.
From the Stella website. http://www.iseesystems.com/softwares/Education/StellaSoftware.aspx
Use STELLA to:
- Simulate a system over time
- Jump the gap between theory and the real world
- Enable students to creatively change systems
- Teach students to look for relationships – see the Big Picture
- Clearly communicate system inputs and outputs and demonstrate outcomes
Vensim: Technically a simulation software and listed as such on the website. The simulations are set up as systems-thinking problems and reinforce systems-thinking. The description from the Vensim website reinforces its value as a “problem-solving” software application.
“Vensim's rich feature set emphasizes model quality, connections to data, flexible distribution, and advanced algorithms.” http://vensim.com/
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