Engaging Students through the Use of Problems

Dr. Stefanie Chye & Mr. Stanley Goh
Centre for Educational Development
Republic Polytechnic , Singapore

Questions for Discussion:
 

• How do I construct useful problems?  What considerations do I need to account for?  How do I get started?
  
• How can problems be incorporated into my teaching? Is it appropriate to do so?
  
• To what extent do problems enhance student engagement in learning?
  
• Are problems suitable for all subject matter? Why?
  
• Are problems more appropriate for teaching certain types of students than others? Why?
  
• What happens if the students' learning do not match the learning objectives of the instructor?
  
• What benefits are to be gained from using problems as compared to more traditional forms of teaching?
  
• What concerns do you have with regards to using problems to drive learning? Or what are some obstacles you anticipate if and when structuring your curriculum around problems? How may you overcome them?