Teaching Problem Solving in Vocational Education

Rebecca Soden argues that thinking skills - which in turn improve problem-solving at work - are most effectively developed along with vocational competences, and not as separate add-on courses. She offers practical strategies on which training sessions can be based.

---

An important aim for vocational education and training in both the school and past-school sector is the development of thinking skills, which are necessary for the flexible and adaptable performance of work tasks. Problem-solving skills are among the key competences which make up the new vocational qualifications, and this book is designed to offer guidelines to teachers and lecturers involved in teaching those skills. Drawing on cognitive theories about learning and problem-solving, Rebecca Soden argues that thinking processes cannot be detached from the context in which they are being applied. Thinking skills, therefore, are most effectively developed along with vocational competences and not as the separate add-on courses which have been popular in schools and colleges. The book offers suggestions on how students can learn information in ways which will enhance its use in subsequent problem-solving, and looks at the problems many encounter in the transfer of learning. Sections of lesson plans show how the techniques work in practice, and there is also advice on how to assess problem-solving.