Talk:Problem Solving





Comment 7/13/08
I've been thinking about creators vs. noncreators (my own terms). I've found that there are relatively few people that can actually create something new--in terms of ideas (not engineered widgets). I've met an awful lot of people that are capable of rearranging and regurgitating facts and tidbits. In the sciences it is apparent that they can use tools/instruments, they can listen and follow directions, they can read journals etc, but their output is either verbatim or rehash.

I'm beginning to think that these people just don't have it in them--the spark to create. From the problem solving viewpoint, it has to do with the quality of the solution. A low quality example, in my opinion, is brute force of a large complex problem when other (more better, more optimal) solutions exist. The problem gets solved; however, so they may be considered successful problem solvers. They can be considered experts too, given the 10k hour and a diploma rule of thumb.

To tie it back to education and learning, how much learned vs. innate talent? How much are motivation and circumstance factors, e.g. necessity being the mother of invention? I do recall some of my professors/teachers wanting students to create and synthesize--though this was just a command after having taught the different pieces, something like a magic wand step. Or is idea creation/synthesis a process that can be taught?

Comment by David Moursund 7/1/08
I have written several books about problem solving, and I have taught a number of courses and pieces of courses in this area. Through many years of thinking about, talking about, and writing abut problem solving, I finally almost think I know what I am talking about.

As of 7/1/08, this Problem Solving entry in the IAE-pedia is number 37 in the popular page list. I am somewhat surprised that it is not higher on the list.

Comment by David Moursund
I often wonder why precollege students are not being taught much about roles of computers in problem solving.One of my conjectures is that most precollege teachers don't know much about the possible roles computers play or can play in representing and solving the problems in the various disciplines they are teaching.

Perhaps the distinction is between the "liberal arts" and the "professional" areas of study. This tends to be the case in the University that I know best—the University of Oregon.