OPEN-ENDED, PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITIES: A DESCRIPTION

Science is not a matter of belief; rather, it is a matter of conclusive evidence that can be subjected to the tests of observation and objective reasoning. Open-ended, problem-solving tasks ask students to design and carry out their own experiments to solve problems and then write about their results.

        A question often asked at workshops about open-ended problem solving is, "How do I include these activities in a curriculum that is already overstuffed?" The answer involves neither pulling activities from a "bag of tricks" nor throwing out the current curriculum. Rather, it involves a redesign of the way science is taught. By rethinking and redesigning present labs and activities, students can begin to understand science content and become independent problem solvers.

Analysis Of An Open-Ended, Problem-Solving Activity

There is no one correct model for designing an open-ended, problem-solving activity. The following five components, however, are found in most successful open-ended activities:

1. Description of the problem. The problem description provides a context for investigation and establishes the relevance of the problem for the student.

2. Assessment of prior knowledge. Assessing prior knowledge is one of the most important components of any science activity. Students often come to science classes with ways of understanding the world that are very different from the scientifically accepted view (called misconceptions or alternative frameworks). Research has shown that students cannot make sense of science instruction if misconceptions block their understanding. Students and teachers often are unaware that these discrepancies exist. In order for a conceptual change to occur, teachers must become aware of students’ misconceptions and plan activities which are designed to correct them.

3. Group work. Most scientists do not work in isolation, they work in groups. It is important, therefore, to structure the classroom so that students work in groups. This should provide a more authentic experience in the K-12 classroom. Students are encouraged to work together to develop an experimental design. The following benefits can be derived from group planning:

• •Students are forced to clarify their conceptions and make them explicit to their peers and especially to themselves. This clarification is necessary because students must understand their personal views before they can recognize the contradiction with new concepts.
• •Students are encouraged to understand the viewpoints of others. This brings into question the validity of their personal views and provides new perspectives that can guide the reshaping of their conceptions.
• •Students can internalize and incorporate the processes of modeling, observing and thinking into their personal repertoire.

4. Individual work. Individual assignments may serve two purposes: individual accountability and group evaluation. By requiring individual lab write-ups, each student is held accountable for doing his or her own work. It allows each student to incorporate new ideas into his or her own understanding. Teachers who are employing strategies of having students work in groups to learn cooperatively, can use lab reports as the basis for group evaluation, thus encouraging positive interdependence among other members.

5. Extension activities. Application activities, or extensions, are an important part of problem-solving lessons because they allow students to practice using what they learned in the activity in new or related contexts.

 

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