The document provides guidance on identifying problems by asking clarifying questions, writing down the problem clearly, and building related skills through activities. Key steps include determining what is happening, where, how, when, and why to fully understand the problem before attempting to solve it. Practice activities are suggested to develop skills in organizing information, classifying data, and identifying patterns that aid problem identification.

1. Identify the Problem
Problem Solving Module
Session 2

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

3. Ask Questions
• What?
• Where?
• How?
• When?
• With whom?
• Why?

4. Ask Questions
• What can you see that causes you to think there's a
problem?

5. Ask Questions
• Where is it happening?

6. Ask Questions
• How is it happening?

7. Ask Questions
• When is it happening?

8. Ask Questions
• With whom is it
happening?
• Don't jump to "Who is
causing the problem?"
• You need to address
issues more than people

9. Ask Questions
• Why is it happening?

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.

13. Activity: Organize It!

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?

15. Activity:
Classifying
Information

16. Activity:
Four Pictures One Word

17. Activity:
Newspaper
Headline

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

19. Activity: 40-20-10-5

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.