Knotty Problems involves students sharing obstacles they are facing and helping each other find solutions. In small groups, each student shares something about the content or an assignment that they are facing difficulty with, and the other students suggest problem-solving methods and solutions.
Instructions
- Break students into small groups.
- Assign ~5 minutes for the first student to share an obstacle and ~5 minutes for other students in the group to suggest solutions.
- Repeat until each student has had a chance to share.
Resources
- N/A
Variations
- Make it a regular activity: Set some time aside each week for students to discuss anything that they have struggled to understand.
- Add a share-back: Ask if any students received advice that they think others in the class would benefit from and give them a chance to share it with the class.
- Address unanswered concerns: Ask if any groups had a problem that they were unable to find a solution for. Have them pose the problem to the class to crowd-source and answer and/or provide your own suggestion.
- Make it a resource: Get students to anonymously note down the problems and solutions they discussed. Compile any common problems and the solutions suggested and make them available to the class.