TOOLKIT FOR
HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS
Problem solving:
Use a range of sources to gather, evaluate, organize and effectively use information to solve problems.
You can demonstrate your problem solving through:
- Understanding that problems may be simple or complex
- Determining the specific problem that you need to solve
- Exploring and integrating various sources of information (e.g., people, online, your past experience) to identify possible solutions, taking into consideration multiple perspectives
- Analyzing information to assess its credibility and accuracy
- Examining the pros, cons, ethics and impact on others of potential solutions
- Trying out solutions; reflecting on how they work and how your approach might be improved next time
- Applying learning from one situation to other situations
Selena volunteers with a community organization that’s working on the growing problem of homelessness in her community. Selena has spent time getting to know people who are homeless and has tried to really understand their realties. She has also spoken to business people, politicians and others in her community. She has gone online to research what people are doing in other places. She recognized quickly that some of the information on this topic is biased, so she is comparing her research with the stories she has heard and with what she has personally observed. She is looking forward to an upcoming community meeting where she can share what she has found and contribute to finding a fair and respectful solution to the problem.
