Assisted Problem Solving

Handout in RTF format

Learning Objectives

·         Gain practice in reformulating a problem and explaining it using several different modalities.

Class Activity

·         The class was divided into 4-5 person teams and given a problem and a solution.

·         Each team was then asked to present their solution in front of the class.

Learning Modalities used in Activity

·         Visual – Explain a problem using a diagram or similar visual example.

·         Kinesthetic – Explain a problem using a kinesthetic technique (having someone shift blocks around, sort people and so on).

·         Top-Down – Using the context, motivation, or goal of the problem, decompose it down to its basic building blocks.

·         Bottom-Up – Use the basic building blocks of this particular problem to build up a solution.  (i.e. if its an algorithm, explain each step and finish by explaining the entire context).

·         Analogy – Use an analogy with another domain of knowledge

·         Real World Example – Use a real world example to explain this particular problem.

Sample Problems Used in Activity

·         Explain the P=NP problem

·         Describe how recursion works

·         Explain how a relational database works

·         What is the role of middleware in operating systems?

·         How does object oriented programming work?

·         What is the Spiral Model of software development and what are its advantages?

·         Explain the difference between breath-first and depth-first search?