Oakwood Problem Solvers
​                           By:  Gwen Luban & Meredith Bauder

Project at a Glance :

Small groups of students will create a process for problem solving in our building, mostly during recess time.  This trained group would help other students work through a 'process' when they're struggling with each other - helping both parties come to a conflict resolution together with as little adult intervention as possible.  Ideally, this process carries into other areas of the building and their personal lives. 

Driving Question:

How can we help others to solve problems?  How can we, as student leaders, create a plan to ensure all students become better problem solvers?              

Standards:
    Skills4Success: 

• Problem Solving/Critical Thinking
• Personal Accountability

    Michigan Model:

• Identify Decision Making and Problem Solving Steps (4th and 5th grade)

Team / Culture Building:

• Self-application / Teacher & Admin Referral 
  • Mixed Grouping - 4th and 5th grade (class mix also)
• Building Culture:
  • Hopes/Fears/Norms protocol
  • Values Cards​

• Paper strip or Name Badge - record values, 1-2 Hopes - link paper slips together into a chain? 
• 4 Square - Record/share: 1. Makes them happy 2. A favorite hobby 3. One word to describe you 4. Why did you want to be part of this PBL (these can be changed up too)
• Create group names with Bracketology to narrow down name ideas​.

​Entry Event:

• PBIS Assembly - announce that we are          forming this team and introduce.​

Stakeholders:

• Students
• Teachers -  behavior team
• Dean of Students/Behavior Specialist/Counselor/Social Worker
• Parents/siblings
• Recess & lunch aides
• Danielle - Solace/Remembrance Ranch
• Tony Dolce - Allendale Township / EMT / Integrity / Safety
• School Board Members
• Police liaison - Dept. Ortman

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholder Map​

• Empathy Map with identified stakeholders from Stakeholder Map
• Love Letter / Break up Letter (with ‘old’ activity/process)

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Parent Survey - find out what parents do/passionate about?
• Analyze PBIS data - where are our problems at? 
• Glows / Grows - what do we feel good about in our Conflict Resolution process or as a building - what do we do really well, but where do we need help? 
• Interviews possible AEIOU format or $100 Test for questioning speakers? allow time for students to generate/prioritize questions
  • Bring in a panel of experts: Andrew J, Dept. Ortman, Solace Counseling, Meredith, Patrick Adams, lunch and recess aides
  • ​Online Research ​

Incubation:

• 5 Whys Protocol - Is this used as a strategy in the middle of the P/S process?​

• Analyze Character Traits Connection (struggle/revisited)? Conflict Manager Report?
•  Rule of Thirds - Emphasize no idea is a bad idea
• Use Talking Chips or Post-It Notes - to generate a certain number of ideas.
• Bug List - Use this strategy to generate ideas for a list of school ‘bugs’ that we may want to investigate at another time.
• Anti-Problem - What would make for the WORST problem solving process ever? 

• Idea Quota - If remote use Jamboard to collect ideas.
  • Follow up after 3 minutes - “How would _______ solve this?” Add in a stakeholder name or ‘a police officer’ or ‘a counselor’ or ‘your mom/dad’? 
• Sort ideas into categories Saturate and Group,  discussing which categories have the most ideas and what this means
  • Give each category a ‘title’
  • save sticky notes in envelope

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Solution Building:

• Affinity Mapping of Idea Quota ideas, then join ideas from different categories into a possible solution - each group comes up with 2-3 solutions
• Share solutions in posters with pictures (or Google slides if distance learning) during a Gallery Walk.
•  Followed by Dot Voting protocol and feedback.
• Invite stakeholders (teachers/admin/aides) to give feedback on the final possible solutions (possibly using Google Forms  or Flipgrid).

Critique and Revision: 

• Check in with group 1-2 times a week 
• Use Flipgrid remote video check in - I like and I wonder
• Pluses and Deltas about current recess problem solving process
• Analyze information gathered during the 3-12-3 and NUF test protocols.
• Use the Critical Friends protocol to share feedback.

Authentic Audience:

• Stakeholders will select parts of each initial presentation to combine into final solution.

Final Presentation:

• Use one of the following presentation tools to share final solution ideas. - Canva, Google Slides, Skit, etc

• Use the Canva program to create a training/marketing piece to share out with other students in the school
• Create visuals to be posted on the playground and around school. 

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• Afterward final presentations have students look at the ‘Application’ of the process - how can you use this new process in other ways at school, at home, in the community? 
• Google form for self reflection
• “If I could turn back time” reflection - group dynamics, project outcome, etc. 
• Fishbowl reflection circles​

• Allow students to see written feedback for pitches
• Group process reflection - participation, empathy for group members, cooperation, and compromise

Meet the Educator:

Gwen Luban is the Dean of Students at Oakwood Intermediate School, Allendale Public Schools.  Meredith Bauder is a School Counselor at Oakwood Intermediate School and Allendale Early Childhood Center, Allendale Public Schools.  

     "I love the idea of students working collaboratively to brainstorm ideas that lead to possible solutions for the challenge they are facing. When students have ownership in the work, the quality of the work is above and beyond our expectations! "~ Gwen Luban

     "PBL is a student centered approach to learning. I love how it connects students with stakeholders in the world of work within the community." ~ Meredith Bauder