Structured Problem solving skills part 2

Building and Sustaining Meaningful and Effective Relationships as a Supervisor and Mentor Chapter 7 Part 2

“The supervisor who focuses on teaching problem-solving skills is programming for the supervisee’s future independence and success by teaching them how to solve future problems, rather than simply providing a solution to the current problem.” 

Teaching Structure Problem Solving

Use backward chaining to teach the 5 steps of structured problem solving.

• Describe the process and decision points with an example problem
• Complete and describe steps 1-4 together and have the trainee attempt step 5 independently. Use prompts as needed to support success.
• Complete and describe steps 1-3 together and have the trainee attempt steps 4 and 5 independently. 
• Continue until they can complete all 5 steps independently for a variety of common problem types.