Problems-First Learning

The educational pattern of lecture, listen, and forget is deeply ingrained in schools. In this user-friendly resource, author Ted McCain offers a compelling alternative that flips lessons on their heads: the problems-first instructional method. Using this method, you will fully engage students by first introducing a problem and then empowering learners to solve it using creativity, innovation, collaboration, and other essential skills.

Use this resource to help students achieve higher levels of thinking: Identify the need for instructional change in the current educational system. Consider the transferable skills students need for solving problems in the workplace and in life outside the classroom. Study the benefits of a problems-first teaching style. Learn to implement problems-first methods into existing classrooms. Understand how this method teaches seven essential 21st century skills highly desired in the modern workforce. Discover how to introduce role-play into the classroom and broaden lessons to encompass whole-mind learning and boost student engagement.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Table of Contents

About the Author

Introduction

Part One: Understanding New Needs and a New Approach for a Digital Generation

Chapter 1: The New Needs of a Changing Generation

Chapter 2: The Thinking and Processing Skills Students Need for the Future

Chapter 3: The Key to a New Approach

Part Two: Learning How to Create Problems-First Projects

Chapter 4: Envision a New Role for the Teacher

Chapter 5: Ensure That Problems Are First, Teaching Is Second

Chapter 6: Establish a Real-World Link Using Role-Play

Chapter 7: Expand Your View of the Curriculum

Chapter 8: Equip Students With the 4 Ds of Problem Solving

Chapter 9: Elevate the Students' Level of Thought

Chapter 10: Educate the Whole Mind

Chapter 11: Evaluate Holistically

Chapter 12: Ease Yourself Out of the Picture

Part Three: Making the Shift to Problems-First Teaching

Chapter 13: Pointers for Shifting to a Problems-First Approach

Chapter 14: Examples of Problems-First Lesson Plans

References and Resources

Index