Problem-solving for North American
students is a problem!
PROBLEM-SOLVING FOR NORTH AMERICAN STUDENTS IS A REAL PROBLEM!
CANADIAN students came in sixth and U.S. students 18th (out of 44 countries) in a recent problem-solving test for 15 year-old students from around the world.
About 85,000 students in 44 countries and economies participated in the computer-based assessment.
ASIAN COUNTRIES LEAD
ASIAN countries, led by Singapore, Korea and Japan scored higher than the North American countries.
No surprise. Their educational focus is well known.
WHAT IS PROBLEM-SOLVING?
Problem-solving involves trying to determine the solution to a complex problem that lacks an obvious solution or types of solutions.
The assessment tested students’ cognitive skills in “creative problem solving” in subject areas such as math, science and reading.
The tasks the students were given could be something simple such as determining which price on a pair of jeans is the best given other factors (such as how long would it take to get to the store (and what is the transportation cost to do so) vs paying a little more at a closer store.
Or they could be more complex such as how to fix project that is behind.
NOTES TO HELP INTERPRET THE FINDINGS
- Different countries were better at one in one area than others, and that might skew the results somewhat but North Americans don’t come out great either way.
- The results are based on a limited number of examples and subject to a large margin of error.
- There are some caveats re the way science and math are taught in some Asian (and other countries) and some people feel that they rely too much on rote but that’s a whole other area for discussion.
And, anyway as a American educator says in an excerpt from the NY Times in this piece, U.S. students often fall behind other countries in what they have once thought to be excellent at: improvisation, imagination, intuition, fearlessness, etc.
They also are an indication that western countries’ problem-solving abilities are in need of improvement for jobs now and increasingly in the future.
- The scores were first recorded by the OCED (organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s program for International Student Assessment (PISA). They began these Problem-solving tests in 2012.
SAMPLE NORTH AMERICAN PRESS REPORTS
U.S.A. Press report. This excerpt is from the New York Times.
Writer: Motoko Rich
‘“The American students who took the problem-solving tests in 2012, the first time they were administered, did better on these exams than on reading, math and science tests, suggesting that students in the United States are better able to apply knowledge to real-life situations than perform straightforward academic tasks.
“Still, students who took the problem-solving tests in countries including Singapore, South Korea, Japan, several provinces of China, Canada, Australia, Finland and Britain all outperformed American students.
Bob Wise, governor of West Virginia said:
“…where we used to… dominate in what we called the deeper learning skills — creative thinking, critical thinking and the ability to solve problems — other nations are … surpassing us.”’
…
American students were “open to novelty, tolerate doubt and uncertainty, and dare to use intuition to initiate a solution,” the O.E.C.D. said in a statement.
“But the problem-solving results showed that students in the highest-performing nations were also able to think flexibly.
“Even on interactive tasks, the American students’ strength, all the Asian countries that participated in this round of exams outperformed the United States: it was reported.
“To understand how to navigate a complex problem and exercise abstract reasoning is actually a very strong point for the Asian countries,” said Francesco Avvisati, an analyst on the PISA team at the O.E.C.D.’
Yes, and we need it too but we aren’t handling it it well enough.
Here’s Ms Rich’s full report
CANADIAN PRESS REPORT
The results show that Canadian 15-year-olds ranked sixth (some reports say seventh because the ratings are somewhat complex) in problem-solving, behind Asian countries, but ahead of Finland, Australia and the United Kingdom and the U.S.
This excerpt is from The Globe and Mail. Writer: Caroline Alphonso.
In part, Ms Alphonso writes:
“The OECD report found that top-performing students can explore a complex scenario, devise multiple-step solutions and adjust plans after receiving feedback.
“The organization suggests that there is a correlation between a student’s ability to solve problems and doing well in math, reading and science.
The 2012 problem-solving test was new and optional for countries.
It tested how students use their analytical skills and it involved real-life scenarios, such as setting a thermostat or finding the quickest and cheapest train route to multiple destinations.
‘Today’s 15-year-olds with poor problem-solving skills will become tomorrow’s adults struggling to find or keep a good job,’ said Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s deputy director for education and skills. ‘Policy makers and educators should reshape their school systems and curricula to help students develop their problem-solving skills which are increasingly needed in today’s economies.’
Here is her full report
WHAT MATTERS
What matters is, were the tests fair, helpful, useful and indicative of students’ ability to solve problems.
And if not, what can we fix that? And, even more important, how can we help students improve their problem-solving skills?
Because we know that the ability to solve problems is critical.
My new book on Kindle can help with this problem. It’s called:
What’s Your Problem?
No really, what IS your problem?
The Sherlock Holmes Guide to problem Identification.
WHAT IF YOUR “PROBLEM” IS NOT THE REAL PROBLEM?
What if you are mistaken about the nature of the actual problem?
You could go insane trying to solve some problems…if they are not the real problems.
Chances are they are NOT.
You will learn—fast–how to eliminate the three psychological barriers that prevent you from solving your day-today problems.
This book can help eliminate all the worry, fear, negative thinking and emotional upset that comes when you can’t solve what you think or feel are the problems.
Stop trying to do the impossible—solve the wrong problems…the ones you haven’t correctly identified.
You’ll learn how to “see” your real problems and be able to find solutions.
This book will help you do it.
Contact me if you need help!
Frank Daley
daleyfrank0@gmail.com
647-205-5059
356 Westridge Drive , Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
