Learning

Guide

Supporting Student Development of Competencies:

Identify and Solve Complex Problems
This learning guide shares several strategies and ideas related to
supporting student development of the competency Identify
and Solve Complex Problems. Some of the strategies and ideas
shared are ones you may have already used with your students.
The shift is to become intentional about highlighting/discussing
how these tried and true strategies support the development
of one or more competencies.

This learning guide is designed for use by

professional learning communities, leaders,
learning coaches and teachers, or as a self-paced
study to explore practical strategies to support student
development of Albertas competencies across the
curriculum and in every classroom.

Use this Learning Guide after viewing Identify and

Solve Complex Problems and Alberta Educations
competency indicators for Identify and
Solve Complex Problems.

Learner Profile: Successful development of the Identify and Solve Complex Problems competency results in a learner
who is able to solve a range of problems from simple to complex. This learner approaches problems with a hopeful
and optimistic attitude. He/she understands that demonstrating empathy, respect and compassion is necessary when
working with others to identify and solve problems.

Key Strategies/Ideas:

Create a culture where questioning and deep thinking are

valued, mistakes are seen as useful, all students contribute
and their suggestions are valued, being stuck is seen as
part of learning and students learn from shared discussion.

Ask open-ended questions (sometimes called divergent

questions) as a way to generate discussion, brainstorm
solutions to a problem, or create opportunities for thinking
outside the box. Use higher order open-ended questions
to engage students in dynamic thinking and learning,
where they must synthesize information, analyze ideas and
draw their own conclusions.

Involve students in inquiry (e.g., project-based, problembased, critical thinking) during which students are involved
in rigorous, extended processes of asking questions,
finding resources, conducting research, consulting
community experts, and developing original answers,
solutions and products. Consider participating in
professional learning workshops to enhance your expertise
in engaging students in effective inquiry.
Find real world problems for students to solve these
problems do not come with prescribed or memorized
methods or rules for solving the problem.

Acknowledgement:
This Professional Learning Guide was developed by the Edmonton
Regional Learning Consortium and funded through a grant from
Alberta Education to support implementation. It is provided for free
in support of improved teaching and learning under the following
Creative Commons license.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion:

When students believe that you have a correct answer in

mind, they are slow to respond. On the other hand, a true
open-ended question sincerely invites authentic reflection
and discussion. What kinds of questions are you asking in
your classroom? How do you create a culture in which
many different responses to the questions are expected?

Involving students in inquiry (e.g., project-based, problembased, critical thinking) means your role as the teacher
shifts from direct instruction to a facilitator of
learning. What excites you about this shift? What causes
you some apprehension? How might school staff support
each other in making this shift across the entire school?

What other strategies have you used to support student

development of the competency Identify and Solve
Complex Problems?

For more information:

Developing a Classroom Culture That Supports a Problem-solving
Approach to Mathematics, NRICH enriching mathematics
Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements, Buck
Institute for Education
Famous Failures video, Motivating Success, YouTube
The Power of Asking Good Questions: Creating a Culture of
Critical Thinking, ERLC
Focus on Inquiry, Alberta Education