Problem-solving activities in ESL

A journal entry, once written, need not be dropped. The teacher could combine the benefits of the freedom of a journal and the thoughtfulness of formal writing by having students later take an entry, expand upon it, analyze it, etc., and turn it into finished formal essay.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I’d like to say that I feel it is important, relevant, and highly applicable to the EFL/ESL teaching context. I have tried to focus on techniques which I think help students to focus on the real world around them and which teachers may make use of even with limited resources.

Meaningful activities which use language as a means for students to express their ideas often lead to successful language teaching and learning. Intrinsic student motivation can serve as both a cause and effect of language learning.  Implementing tasks that require learners to solve problems is one venue instructors can take to increase student motivation and participation in the classroom. Such problem solving and critical thinking in the EFL classroom can also lead to enjoyable communicative language sharing for both teachers and learners.

Types of Problem Solving Activity are the best way to involve all the students to the lesson equally.

These activities can help them to improve not only their speaking skills, and it also involves their reading, reasoning skills they use in order to solve the given problem. Students will be able to recognize problematic situations and how to make better decisions in order not to hurt another, will be aware of cultural distinctions.

There is given some funny exercises, that will surely be interesting for  the students. One of the activities is debate. Debate forces students to think about the various sides of an issue and it also forces them to interact not just with the details of a given topic, but also with one another. Also debates are versatile in the range of topics possible and the format that the debate may follow.

Debates allow students to focus on developing discussion skills and fluency. In addition, activities are designed to help ensure that all students participate equally in activities. All students participate, for example, by each student possessing a piece of information that the group requires to successfully complete a story or solve a problem.

There is told about the use of media analysis. Analyzing various forms of media, either in an ESL or EFL environment, gives the opportunity for students to think about important issues like media bias and censorship. Students will be able to think critically of the articles, and speak out whether they agree with the author or do not.

APPENDIX

Problem Solving Hints and Wisdom

1. Take time to examine and explore the problem thoroughly before setting out in search of a solution. Often, to understand the problem is to solve it.
2. Breaking the problem into smaller parts will often make solving it much easier. Solve each part separately.
3. The resources for problem solving are immense and ubiquitous.
4. You can always do something.
5. A problem is not a punishment; it is an opportunity to increase the happiness of the world, an opportunity to show how powerful you really are.
6. The formulation of a problem determines the range of choices: the questions you ask determine the answers you receive.
7. Be careful not to look for a solution until you understand the problem, and be careful not to select a solution until you have a whole range of choices.
8. The initial statement of a problem often reflects a preconceived solution.
9. A wide range of choices (ideas, possible solutions) allows you to choose the best from among many. A choice of one is not a choice.
10. People work to implement their own ideas and solutions much more energetically than they work to implement others' ideas and solutions.
11. . Remember the critical importance of acceptance in solving problems. A solution that is technologically brilliant but sociologically stupid is not a good solution.
12. When the goal state is clear but the present state is ambiguous, try working backwards.
13. Procrastinators finish last.
14. . Denying a problem perpetuates it.
15. Solve the problem that really exists, not just the symptoms of a problem, not the problem you already have a solution for, not the problem you wish existed, and not the problem someone else thinks exists.
16. A maker follows a plan; a creator produces a plan.
17. Creativity is the construction of somethings new out of somethings old, through effort and imagination.

APPENDIX 2

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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