Problem–Solving Skills

In a sense, incarcerated youth who learn to appreciate the value of education are conceding that education as a process works. This can be regarded as a watershed for the student and the educator because such insight can be applied to other needed skills. For effective problem solving, in particular, it is vital that the problem solver recognize that the process of problem solving is as important as the product of problem solving.

The process of problem solving consists of several steps. The first step is to identify the problem. This may be difficult if the real problem is made convoluted by related issues. For example, consider Eddie, an incarcerated youth who declares, “My problem is that the corrections officers hate me and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Whether the corrections officers hate Eddie or not, the real problem is that Eddie’s attitude prevents him from cooperatively interacting with the corrections officers.

Eddie’s teacher should help him identify the real problem by asking him to explain why he feels that the corrections officers hate him. Eddie offers several reasons:

"	Because I speak my own mind."
"	Because I’m Hispanic and they’re not."
"	Because I hang out with certain people."
"	Because they think I started that trouble in the cafeteria last week, even though I had nothing to do with it."

Eddie’s teacher writes down each of the reasons so that they can be analyzed separately. During the ensuing discussion, Eddie comes to realize that he can address some of the reasons, but he has no control over others.

The next step for Eddie is to consider the options he has for dealing with his problem. A key step in problem solving is to list as many options as possible and then to weigh the merits against the disadvantages of each option. This step in the problem–solving process is an excellent time for educators to encourage students to use brainstorming as a technique for generating ideas. Remember to review the rules of brain–storming with students before starting a session. Probably the two most important rules are:

• Any and all ideas, regardless of how “off–the–wall” or fanciful they may be, are acknowledged.
• No comments or judgments are made during the session.