Scholarly Journal Article Critique

1 Zackary Rice EDUC 526 Classroom Management March 20, 2013 Doug vonEhrenkrook Southwestern College

Kolb, Sharon M., and Stuart, Shannon K. (2005) Active Problem Solving: A Model for Empowerment. Teaching Exceptional Children, Nov/Dec 2005, 14-20

INTRODUCTION In working with students who are receiving Special Education services, teachers often encounter situations in which one or more of the students are faced with a problem that may be difficult for the student to solve. According to Kolb and Stuart, many of these students may not only be unsure of how to solve the problem or how to devise a solution to the problem, but they may also be unable to take any action at all due to feeling disempowered or stuck (Kolb and Stuart, 2005, p. 14). For the teacher to help the student combat this issue, Kolb and Stuart state the importance of the teacher working with the students to teach skills that will be beneficial in the students taking action to solve their problems in the future. The strategies introduced and explained in this article are known as APS, or Active Problem Solving, and they consist of five steps that will aid the student in solving the problem at hand. While the short-term goal in these situations is for the student to solve their problem, the goal that is perhaps more important is for the student to develop a sense of empowerment. With this sense of empowerment, the student will not only realize that they are capable of using what they have learned to solve problems in their daily lives and in their interactions with others, such as in the example of Shelby that is given at the beginning of the article.

Scholarly Journal Article Critique THESIS STATEMENT To begin the article, Kolb and Stuart have given a scenario of a class in which a student named Shelby raises her hand and informs her teacher, Ms. Johnson, about a problem of always being disturbed by her sister when she is trying to complete her homework. Ms. Johnsons response to this issue is that they will do some active

problem solving. One of the goals of the active problem solving model is for the teacher to transition away from the role of the all-knowing authority to the role of facilitator, in which the teacher will instead help the student arrive at their own conclusion through the use of the proper steps, similar to the way in which a math teacher would help a student work through the steps of an equation rather than merely telling the student what the answer was (p.14). As with any content instruction, Kolb and Stuart point out that in order to be used and understood by the students, it will first need to be modeled with realistic examples that will be meaningful to the students, allowing them to practice the application of active problem solving strategies. MAJOR POINTS According to Kolb and Stuart, the majority of problem-solving models have at least four steps of phases. A generic model given by the authors includes an input phase, processing phase, an output phase and a review phase (p. 14). In the active problem solving model, however, there are five phases that are based off of the Dewey Sequence of problem solving, which consists of identifying and analyzing the problem, suggesting solutions and then implementing the solution that was selected, except in the active problem solving model, the steps are (1) identify the problem; (2) list all possible

Scholarly Journal Article Critique solutions; (3) evaluate options and select the best choice; (4) take action; and (5) evaluate (p. 14-15). An important aspect of problem solving, according to the authors of the article is making sure the problem solving model is going to all the students to work toward the feeling of empowerment. In order to do this, however, it is important to recognize the effects that motivation, knowledge, and skills have on empowering a student (p. 15). The reason for this is that if a student does not possess the skills, motivation or knowledge that is necessary to actively pursue an effective solution to a problem, there will often be a higher rate of attrition due to the lack of motivation. And, in an effort to remedy this, Kolb and Stuart have based part of the active problem solving model on the Turnbull Empowerment Framework, which states that motivation consists of five resources: self-efficacy, perceived control, great expectations, energy, and persistence (p.15). Essentially, these resources are the students ability to believe in his or her own

abilities, also known as self-efficacy, the belief in ones ability to apply their abilities to a situation, or perceived control. The final two elements of energy and persistence are closely related in that they are essentially the ability light the fire and keep it burning, while maintain ones tenacity (p.15). One of the most important aspects of active problem solving that is discussed in the article is the method of teaching it to your students. While it is a great tool, it will require much trust on the part of the students, so it is not something that teacher should try with his or her class if he or she has not yet developed a strong rapport with the students, due to the high level of confidentiality and trust that the students will need to feel when sharing any problems they are facing (p.18). Also, when teaching active

Scholarly Journal Article Critique problem solving to your students, it is extremely important that you model the steps to

your students and give them an opportunity to role-play some scenarios, real or fictitious, to show whether or not they are grasping the steps, just as you would with any content you would be teaching them. It may also be important to inform each students parents what you are teaching them so they are aware and may also become involved to maintain a level of consistency in helping the child solve problems both at home and at school (p.16-17). In implementing the active problem-solving model, first you will need the student to identify what the problem is, such as the way Shelby did in the scenario given at the beginning of the article. From here, you are able to generate a list of possible solutions to the problem, which you will then evaluate with the assistance of the class. After evaluating each possible solution, the student who is having the problem will then need to decide for his or herself, which will be the most effective solution. It is extremely important that the solution is chosen by the student who will need to implement it in order to increase the level of buy in, while also leading to empowerment when the implementation of the solution is effective (p. 17-18). In the event that the solution that is chosen is not an effective solution, the student will need to go back to the list of possible solutions and decide on another solution, repeating the necessary steps until reaching a solution that achieves the desired result. It is then that the student finds the sense of empowerment that comes as a byproduct of solving ones own problems (p.1819).

Scholarly Journal Article Critique

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT According to their article regarding active problem solving, Kolb and Stuart show the link between a students sense of empowerment and their ability to self-advocate and work to solve their own problems, especially in students with special needs. And, when implemented successfully, this can have an amazing effect on the ways in which students perceive their own abilities. One thing that I believe to be extremely important about this model is that it helps the student to realize that not only is the teacher working to meet their needs, but the teacher is also working to teach the student to be self-sufficient when it comes to generating solutions for the problems they face in the academic and social lives, which will help to strengthen the relationship between the teacher and student, as well as improving the trust the student has in the teacher. One aspect that I believe to be very effective in active problem solving, is while it is teaching the student to rely on themselves for problem resolution, it is also teaching them to take a proactive approach toward resolving their issues with others in the fact that much of the problem resolution is preventative maintenance similar to the way that a proactive classroom management approach is also preventative maintenance, while also promoting achievement through effective instruction of the problem solving model (Darch and KAmeenui, 2004, p.47). Another rather strong aspect of this article comes from the fact that the authors start by basing the active problem solving model off of the Dewey Sequence, which is the basis for many other effective traditional problem solving methods, while combining this with the integration of the Turnbull Empowerment Framework which exhibits the

Scholarly Journal Article Critique contributing factors to a students sense of empowerment, or lack thereof (Kolb and

Stuart, 2005, p.14-15). Perhaps one of the most effective aspects, however is the fact that they have developed a system of problem solving that can be used by nearly any student, regardless of the level of their disability, due to the fact that they have developed a simple, yet effective worksheet by which the student will be prompted to respond to what the problem is, what possible solutions are, how action will be taken, and finally, the most important section, which involves the student answering whether or not the chosen solution was the right one, and how they know, which promotes the student reflecting on their decisions, which also leads to their analyzing the solution (p. 15-17). Finally, in order to validate the effectiveness of their active problem-solving model, Kolb and Stuart have also included a section with feedback from different participants, including teachers, student-teachers, students and parents. Of all the testimonies given, each teacher, student-teacher and parent states that they love the way their student or their child is able to take control of a situation with confidence due to their newly gained sense of empowerment from learning to incorporate active problem solving into their own problems (p. 17-18). Of the student testimonies, there is a certain level of concern that they may choose the wrong solution, but they also understand they are able to adapt the solution as they go to improve it, while also seeking guidance from their teachers, parents and peers, which shows that the model is not only promoting selfempowerment, but also the ability to communicate with others in order to work toward the solution that is best for them (p.18-19).

Scholarly Journal Article Critique PERSONAL REACTION In my current teaching position, I work with several students who do not come from families who have always been the most supportive or consistent, which in turn leads to a lack of the desired sense of empowerment and motivation that can be learned from the implementation of the active problem solving model. As I was reading this article, I kept thinking to myself, That is describing this particular student, or that particular student, I wonder if something like this would work for them. Now that I have read the article exhibiting the effectiveness of the model, I am fully confident that this model would be extremely helpful to one student in particular who has struggled in the past with being bullied by his peers. In these instances, he has also often struggled

with knowing how to react when forced into those types of situations. It is my belief that this particular student would be welcome the opportunity to prevent similar occurrences in the future and would also welcome extra support in this manner, especially due to the strong relationship and rapport I already have with this student, as he has often come to me for advice in other situations where he was unsure what to do. If this plan were to be effectively implemented, I believe this would help the student to feel much more motivated to succeed in school because it would finally give him the sense that he can control his own situation, instead of feeling like he is merely at the mercy of his peers, for better or for worse. Because of all this, I believe the active problem solving model is something that I should consider teaching to my students to help lead them toward that sense of empowerment, which will in turn help with lighting the fire and keeping it burning as the student discovers their motivation to succeed (p.15).

Scholarly Journal Article Critique References

Darch, C. B., & Kame, E. J. (2004). Instructional classroom management: A proactive a pproach to behavior management. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. Kolb, Sharon M., and Stuart, Shannon K. (2005) Active Problem Solving: A Model for Empowerment. Teaching Exceptional Children, Nov/Dec 2005, 14-20