Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112.
Center for Teaching and Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203.
CBE Life Sci Educ. 2022 Jun 1;21(2):fe1. doi: 10.1187/cbe.22-02-0030.
Problem solving plays an essential role in all scientific disciplines, and solving problems can reveal essential concepts that underlie those disciplines. Thus, problem solving serves both as a common tool and desired outcome in many science classes. Research on teaching problem solving offers principles for instruction that are guided by learning theories. This essay describes an online, evidence-based teaching guide (https://lse.ascb.org/ evidence-based-teaching-guides/problem-solving) intended to guide instructors in the use of these principles. The guide describes the theoretical underpinnings of problem-solving research and instructional choices that can place instruction before problem solving (e.g., peer-led team learning and worked examples) or problem solving before instruction (e.g., process-oriented guided inquiry learning, contrasting cases, and productive failure). Finally, the guide describes assessment choices that help instructors consider alternative outcomes for problem-solving instruction. Each of these sections consists of key points that can be gleaned from the literature as well as summaries and links to articles that inform these points. The guide also includes an instructor checklist that offers a concise summary of key points with actionable steps to direct instructors as they develop and refine their problem-solving instruction.
解决问题在所有科学学科中都起着至关重要的作用，解决问题可以揭示这些学科背后的基本概念。因此，解决问题既是许多科学课程中的常用工具，也是理想的结果。关于教授解决问题的研究为教学提供了以学习理论为指导的原则。本文描述了一个在线的、基于证据的教学指南（https://lse.ascb.org/ evidence-based-teaching-guides/problem-solving），旨在指导教师使用这些原则。该指南描述了问题解决研究的理论基础和教学选择，这些选择可以将教学放在解决问题之前（例如，同伴主导的团队学习和示例练习）或问题解决放在教学之前（例如，面向过程的引导式探究学习、对比案例和生产性失败）。最后，该指南描述了评估选择，帮助教师考虑问题解决教学的替代结果。这些部分中的每一个都包含了可以从文献中收集到的要点，以及总结和链接到这些要点的文章。该指南还包括一个教师检查表，其中提供了要点的简明摘要以及可操作的步骤，以指导教师在制定和完善他们的问题解决教学时使用。
