How do you learn to be a good problem solver?

In today's business world, you must be an efficient problem solver. You can count on your competitors always trying to find a more efficient way to do your job, so you must always be trying to improve your methods and procedures to stay in business. You can never rest on your laurels!

However, in order to make money, you cannot be continually re-inventing the wheel. Sometimes you have to use the same methods and procedures over and over in order to be efficient and generate the profits that the market place demands.

So as teachers we have to equip our students with excellent problem solving skills. Students need to leave school with the attitude that what ever problem is put in front of them, they can solve it. However, they have to be efficient also. They do not have the time to re-invent the wheel on every single assignment.

This blog is asking for input on what is the best way to do that? In a traditional math class we give students the same type of problems that we were given 40 years ago. Anyone remember the deductive proof that the sum of two even numbers is an even number? As you might guess, that is not too meaningful to many of today's students. Yet, we need to put problems in front of students that make no sense to them and teach them the skills so they can make sense of them. If every problem that we give them is something practical that they can relate, then will they develop the necessary skills to solve problems that initially make no sense. Unfortunately, many students have learned to just give up if they do not understand something or do not like something. Please offer your comments as to how we can help students become good problem solvers.