2. Step #1: Identify the Problem
• It sounds simple but is usually the toughest step in the
process
• You need to figure out what is really causing the
problem
• Once you know what the problem is you should write it
down
10. Write it down….
• Write down a four or five-sentence description of
the problem
• Start with "The following should be happening,
but isn't ..." or "The following is happening and
shouldn't be: ..."
• Be specific when you describe the problem,
including what is happening, where, how, with
whom and why.
11. Build Your Skills
• Identifying patterns, improving your organization
skills, classifying information, synthesizing
information and “narrowing things down” all build
your ability to identify problems.
• In the activities that follow, you will be building skills
that will help you identify problems.
14. Organize It!
• Putting objects or ideas into logical order is an
important aspect of problem solving.
• Something as simple as organizing a binder with tabs
can help you build critical thinking skills.
• Can you think of different ways you organize things
everyday?
18. Writing Newspaper Headlines
• Read the problem carefully before writing your
headline
• Use proper punctuation
• Use the present tense and avoid words ending in -ed
• Choose a limited number of words
20. Practice
John was told by his boss four weeks ago
that he had would have to do a big
presentation at work. The presentation
needed to be prepared in addition to a
number of regular daily tasks. He focused on
his daily tasks and did a good job completing
them but the presentation kept "slipping" his
mind. On the night before the due date of
the presentation, he realized that he had at
least 8-10 hours' worth of work left to do on
the presentation. This wasn't the first time he
had procrastinated on a major work
assignment and left it until the last minute.
Last year he received a note on his personal
file for a similar situation.
• What is the
problem?
21. Credits
This Power Point was created by Laubach Literacy Ontario.
The resources can be downloaded free of charge at www.laubach-on.ca.
This Employment Ontario project was funded by the Ontario Government. 2015
All website links were accurate at the time of original distribution-March 2015.
All of the images and clip art used in this Power Point are from Clipart.com and
Microsoft Office.com.
Editor's Notes
Use one or more of the suggested Patterns Activities found in the Practitioner Manual.
Use one or more of the suggested Organize It! Activities suggested here:
Organize paperwork in a particular order in a learner file
Organize a binder with tabs to keep the material from the module
Organize playing cards by suit or numerical order
Create a schedule to organize learning activities for the day, week or month
You can access this game on Facebook or as an App from the Apple store, Google Play or the Windows Phone Apps and Games Store. This is a great way to incorporate tablets into instruction.
See the Practitioner Manual for instructions.
See the Practitioner Manual for instructions.
As a group discuss the scenario and identify the problem. This practice scenario will be used in the other sessions.
