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Creative Problem-Solving 101: A Series of Quests to Learn Better Problem-Solving

Polya's Problem-Solving Techniques -- in which the great mathematician, George Polya, sends the students on a series of quests to develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
Ms. Elizabeth
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(14)
Class
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What's included

1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours
Assessment
Learner progress will be assessed by their completion of the quests.

Class Experience

US Grade 3 - 6
"It is better to solve one problem five different ways, than to solve five problems one way." - George Polya

In this class, students will be introduced to the great mathematician, George Polya's, step-by-step process for solving problems in the form of an engaging story, roleplaying, and problem-solving games. 

The first 5 minutes of class will be used for icebreakers so that the students may become familiar and friendly with each other.

After that, we will dive into the heart of the session: the students will be divided into two teams where they will then "meet" George Polya, who will invite them on a series of problem-solving quests. Each quest highlights a different step of Polya's problem-solving method. The first team to work together to complete all four of the quests wins. 

Level 1 Quest: Understanding the Problem
In which Polya provides a problem for the students to solve, but withholds critical information. The only way for the students to complete this quest is for them to ask good questions to obtain the information they need to find a solution. They will need to practice identifying critical information, rephrasing the problem in their own words, and diagramming the problem.

No prior knowledge or experience needed!
Learning Goals
Students will learn Polya's problem-solving method, a time-tested and well-renowned method originally intended for mathematics, but which is applicable to all problems in general.
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
We will be using Ableton: Learning Music for a puzzle the students have to solve using musical pitches. No sign-in is needed. There is also no ability to chat with others on the site. We will also be using Excalidraw as a virtual whiteboard so that the students can collaborate on the problems together. No sign-in is needed.
Supply List
Pen and paper.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
Source material: * George Polya's How to Solve it * A summary of Polya's Problem-Solving Techniques: https://math.berkeley.edu/~gmelvin/polya.pdf
Joined June, 2023
5.0
14reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in History from University of California, Santa Cruz
I specialize in teaching problem-solving and collaboration.

Reviews

Live One-Time Class
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$12

per class
Meets once
50 min

Completed by 23 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
3-8 learners per class

This class is no longer offered
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