In my post last week, just in passing, I noted that I like to know how things work. What can I say? I’m an amateur techie. That said, I think there’s genuine pedagogical value in teaching students some technical skills, as I wrote back in September.
Though I’m convinced of the value of making sure my students learn some skills in using digital tools, I encounter two difficulties. First, students don’t always see the value. Second, they often lack confidence both in their skills, and in their ability to solve any technical problems they might encounter.
My own approach to solving problems using digital tools can best be illustrated by my experience with WordPress. Having had to do some upgrades that involved editing files and uploading them via FTP, I was thrilled when it became possible to upgrade a WordPress installation with just one click. That is, I was thrilled until I actually tried to do it. I gleefully clicked on the upgrade button … and nothing happened.
I was frustrated, of course, and I wanted to know why it didn’t work. So, Google to the rescue! As it turns out, the problem had to do with my host, and was easily fixed by editing the .htaccess file at the root of my site, as explained here. (Figuring out how to make .htaccess visible so I could edit it required another Google search.)
Too many students, too often, will stop as soon as they get stuck. Admittedly, as someone pointed out to me not long ago, part of my own approach may have something to do with personality (I’m stubborn and I take it as a personal affront when I’m outsmarted by machinery or software). That said, I still think it’s important for students to be able to think through the problems they encounter in trying to use digital tools for their work. Problem-solving skills are among the important transferable skills we should be trying to help them develop.
I’m not the only one who’s noticed the “I’m stuck! Now what?!?” phenomenon. Terry Huttlenlock’s session description for Great Lakes THATCamp, “Instructional Strategies for Teaching Technology that Go Beyond ‘Button Pushing,’” deals with similar concerns.
I’m still not 100% sure of the best way to encourage students to search for solutions to problems they encounter. But here’s one thing I plan to try in one of my classes this fall, to see if it helps get students a little more comfortable with trying to figure things out. I ask my writing students to use Google Documents. Rather than taking class time for initial instruction in the use of that tool, as I did last year, I’m going to ask them to do the following:
- Go to the Google Documents page , and watch the video that’s linked from there.
- Set up an account, using whatever email address they’d like me to use to communicate with them during the semester.
- Create a document, and share it with me.
- Having done that, come to class prepared to talk about how the process went for them. Saying that they crashed and burned will be fine, as long as they’re also prepared to talk about what problems they encountered and what they tried to resolve those problems (whether or not they were successful).
For that discussion, we’ll meet in one of our computer labs (or I’ll have them bring their laptops to class, if enough of them have them). We can then have a discussion about problem-solving and how to find helpful resources, and I can pair students who were successful with those who had some difficulties, to help them get set up. My hope is that doing things this way will help students become more comfortable with Google Documents than they would if I simply explained things for them, and the processes students go through to figure things out should be applicable beyond that one particular tool.
Have you encountered similar issues as you try to introduce students to digital tools? What strategies have you tried? Let’s hear from you in the comments.
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12 Responses to Encouraging Students’ Digital Problem-Solving Skills
dawnbali - May 28, 2010 at 5:36 pm
[Editorially removed a comment misfire (private message)]
kyraocity - May 30, 2010 at 10:40 am
I’d suggest creating a framework about moving past the “I’m stuck! Now what?!?” syndrome as part of the assignment. Make it a game of how far past that stage students can get. Sharing with students that how common it is to get stuck there and how that is only the first stage of growth and development makes it a game for students to realize that stage is PART of the evolution of growth. Stage 1 – getting the assignment (what do I need to do, what is the goal or outcome expected)Stage 2 – getting stuck, not knowing what’s next Stage 3 – exploring Google or BingStage 4 – discovering and analyzing credible web sourcesStage 5 – finding something new to add to conversationStage 6 – return to stage 1 and start over again.Challenge: who can go thru the stages more than once and what did you learn from moving thru getting stuck?Followup with groupthink. Post what you discovered on Google Docs shared excel sheet and write 250-500 word essay on the assignment and send in Google Docs. Kyra Gaunt, Ph.D.Assoc Prof at Baruch College-CUNY
acavender - May 30, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Thanks for the suggestion!
emmadw - June 1, 2010 at 7:10 am
Amy said: “(I’m stubborn and I take it as a personal affront when I’m outsmarted by machinery or software).”That tends to be my approach; however, I’m aware that sometimes the time that it takes me to work out how to do what I want to do means that I’ve got less time to do what I was intending to do in the first place … I wonder how we encourage students to try to problem solve, but not to do that to the detriment of whatever else they’re trying to do at the times. Kyraocity’s activities are great if the “I’m stuck” is related directly to the homework – can be more of a problem if they’re related to WordPress to update automatically etc. (It won’t for me, either, but that seems to be related to the way our Uni server is set up, as it works as it should in the same way. I think it’s more to do with effectively a 3rd party trying to download stuff & the network being wary of it. [Wonderful, though on the personal one to do it in one click!])
lexalexander - June 1, 2010 at 8:27 am
I’m also stubborn and take these kinds of problems personally. The good news is, I’ve learned a lot, and I actually enjoy working these problems out — running down interesting rabbit holes, I think of it as.The problem, of course, gets back to the old saying about trying to drain the swamp when you’re up to your hindquarters in alligators.I look forward to having more “learning opportunities” as my campus changes e-mail systems this year. And, being the one-eyed man in the land of the blind, technologically speaking, I expect I’ll have more teaching opportunities as well. I’ll try to take notes on what approach(es) work(s) best.
what4 - June 1, 2010 at 8:29 am
Require students to demonstrate that they tried to solve a problem before you will help them with it.And when you help them, don’t focus on the solution; focus on improving the problem-solving process they employed.Create the expectation that students will do what it takes to complete an assignment, even if they don’t know how at first. It’s a popular myth that today’s students are technology-savvy. Many of them are heavy users of a narrow selection of technologies who lack problem-solving skills and perhaps curiosity.
russhunt - June 1, 2010 at 8:36 am
It strikes me that the fundamental problem here is one of ownership of the problem. In this situation, it seems to me what many students say (with some justification) is, “you got me into this situation; it’s your responsbility to get me out. If you don’t, I have an ironclad excuse.” In other words, the problem is yours, not mine. Last term a student who had “a virus” so couldn’t get internet access for the first three weeks of the term told me that her mark should be adjusted because she should have been “excused from” the first three weeks’ assignments. From her perspective, it was MY problem that I’d required assignments that she couldn’t complete.How you get students to assume ownership of problems that they see as belonging to the system, to the one who assigned them, is the focal difficulty here — and it’s one that goes well beyond computer skills.
tribblek - June 1, 2010 at 9:25 am
You know, trying to figure out how to teach adaptability has bothered me for at least a decade. I grew up with various computer operating systems, various word processors, etc. From DOS to Snow Leopard, from WordStar to Office Vista. When I sit down at a computer and try to do some basic task (word process), even if I’ve never used the system before and/or never used that particular word processor before, I know that there are basic functions that are there, and I just need to ‘problem-solve’ a bit before I figure out how to get the job done. Now, I teach some really smart students, but they grew up with one system, one word processor. They learned a sequence of buttons to push (or click) which allows them to do what they need to do. But — upgrade their word processor (or move them to another OS) — and they are completely stumped.I liken it to being raised as a military brat: you come in contact with so many people and situations, that by the time you’re grown, you have classified functions and personality types to the point where you’re confident you can handle most anything. But if you grow up in the same small town, seeing the same people all your life, you’re going to be very awkward when asked to move to another, very different sort of town.
ianative - June 1, 2010 at 9:28 am
Excellent suggestions in the essay and the comments! One thing that I find interesting, however, is that a growing number of students don’t lack confidence — they’re over-confident. Some interesting studies suggest that many teens and college-age students consider themselves sophisticated users of technology, when what they really are is good at the button pushing stuff. They don’t realize just how “surface” their skills are.Instruction that focuses on problem-solving, critical thinking, metacognitive strategies, or other higher order thinking skills will help with this, and a little humility on the part of the learners wouldn’t hurt, either.
vsrake - June 1, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I think attitude and buy-in are both key to this situation. “This _is_ my problem, and I’m not going to outsmarted by some silly machine!”That said, I also think that whether the tech in question is university-supported or a “free web” solution also needs to be considered. Knowing when and how to work with an IT support desk and when to work toward your own solution can be an important step to consider.
jason_b_jones - June 2, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Perhaps distribute this flowchart in every class? http://xkcd.com/627/
jcmeloni - June 3, 2010 at 8:08 am
These are great comments, everyone. Amy is currently away from the computer for a chunk of time, but I will be when she gets back that she will take up some of these questions and comments in a follow-up comment of her own.