social problem solving for high school

71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Scenarios

Do you have kiddos who struggle with their social problem-solving skills? Teach your students the simple process of how to solve a problem along with having them review how well their solution worked or didn’t work.

Learning to problem solve is an essential skill that is used not only throughout childhood but also into adulthood. Social problem solving is the ability to change or adapt to undesirable situations that arise throughout our day. On a daily basis, a child will encounter social problems that they will need to solve. Anything from arguing with another student, to hurting a friend’s feelings, to having a difficult conversation, or working with others.

Start with Small Problems

Many of the “problems” children encounter are often small problems which the child may be over-reacting to, such as wanting a different coloring crayon or wanting to be first in line, however, these small problems are still very real to the child. Practicing problem-solving with these small problems can be a great learning opportunity. Children can practice problem-solving with a small problem which can help them learn how to handle bigger problems in the future.

Problem Solving Importance

Social problem-solving skills are critical to a child’s social interactions, personal and professional relationships. A child’s ability to handle change, cope with stress, and handle challenges improves with a child’s ability to successfully solve social problems.

The ultimate goal is that the child will be able to solve social problems all on their own, but until they can independently solve a problem they will need to learn how to communicate and self-advocate to positively solve their problems.  

Students with Autism Problem Solving

Students with autism and other social challenges need to learn to problem solve as well. These social problem-solving skills will help them throughout their childhood and into their adulthood. Children can be taught how to problem solve through a guided process of breaking down the problem and using simple steps to solve the problem. Learning specific steps to problem-solving can allow children to remember how to solve a problem when they become overwhelmed or stressed. Although learning to solve a problem independently can take some time and practice it is well worth the investment to have a child who can eventually solve most social situations in a positive manner on their own.

Make Problem Solving Easier with this Freebie!

Download yours today to get started.

Problem Solving Form

Teach your students the 4 steps to becoming a social problem-solver.

• Identify the problem. For instance, start by having your student identify the social problem.
• Create three solutions. Also, have your student come up with three different solutions that they could use to solve the problem that they identified.
• Identify the consequences. Then, identify the consequence for each individual solution.
• Pick the best solution.  Lastly, have your student identify which of their three solutions is the best choice Then have your student put into words why they think that solution is the best solution.

What we learnt about solving problems is don't freak out, if one thing doesn't work , try something else out. And work together as a team. #melthammathsweek #MELTHAMPUPILVOICE @problemsolveit pic.twitter.com/iVm1Im4Aue — yr6melthamce (@yr6melthamce) February 4, 2019

Problem Solving Review Form

After your students go through the social problem-solver have them use the social problem-solving review form.

• What happened.  For instance, after your student tried their solution have them explain what happened next.
• Review the results. Also, have your student identify whether or not their solution got them the results they wanted.
• Use this solution again. Furthermore, have your student identify whether or not they would use this solution again in the future to solve the same or similar problem.
• What would you do differently? Finally, have your student explain what they would do differently if they didn’t get the results they wanted or if they wouldn’t use that solution again in the future.

71+ Social Problem Scenarios + 6 Blank Scenarios

Use the 71 social problem-solving scenarios to have your students get great experience practicing how to solve a social problem. Also, included are 6 blank scenarios. Then laminate them so you can use them over and over again. Therefore, create social problems that the student experiences and needs help solving.

Wordless Video teaching Problem Solving

Watch this super cute wordless animation with your students and have them discuss the problem they see and how to best solve the problem.

Use this as a fun practice example to get your students started towards learning how to problem-solve.

Demonstrate Through Modeling

• Model and discuss empathy. First and foremost, children need to understand how another person might be feeling in a given situation in order to become a good social problem solver. The student needs to learn how to “stand in someone else’s shoes” for a little bit. One way you can work on this skill is during the reading time you can focus on how a particular character in the story might be feeling. Ask questions, such as, “How do they feel right now? How would you feel in that same situation? Why do you think they feel that way?”, etc.
• Model problem-solving skills as the teacher. When you are faced with a problem you can solve the problem by thinking aloud for the students to hear how you solve a problem. You can state the problem, then come up with possible solutions, then identify the possible consequences to each solution, then pick and explain why a solution is the best option. For example, you could say, “I was hoping to take the class outside for a stress walk around the track before the reading test, but the problem is that it is raining outside. I could still take you outside, but then you will get wet, or we could walk the halls, but then we’d have to be really quiet because there are other classes learning, or we could just skip the walk and take the reading test, but then you might not do as well on the test. I think based on all of those solutions the best solution will be to walk the hallway, but you guys will have to promise to be quiet so that we don’t disrupt other classes. Modeling the problem-solving process can be very helpful for the students to watch, observe, and later implement themselves.

Teach Communication

• Have students communicate how they are feeling . Teaching your students to share their emotions in a respectful way can improve their ability to problem-solve. Have students use an “I” sentence frame, such as, “I feel _____ (insert feeling word) when _____ (identify what made you feel that way).” For example, “I felt sad when Jackson broke my favorite pencil” or “I was mad when I wasn’t picked to be first in line. “This way students can communicate how they are feeling using honest and open communication. Teaching students to appropriately communicate their emotions can help solve some social problems from the beginning.

Encourage Independency

• Encourage your student to problem solve. If your student is struggling to problem solve independently encourage them to do so using open-ended questions, such as “How could you fix this problem?” “What would be a fair solution?” “What would happen if you used that solution?”, etc.
• Let the student try to problem solve independently. Give your students the space to try and solve their own problems using the guided strategies. Try not to come running to their rescue for every little problem. Some problems are small and a great opportunity for the student to learn and practice. If an adult does all of the problem solving for a student then what are they really learning. Give your students the time and space they need to practice solving small problems on their own. Of course, if it is a bigger or more serious problem then have an adult help guide the problem-solving process.
• Tell an adult. Remind your students that there are still some problems that are too big for them to solve on their own and that it is okay to get help from an adult to solve big problems. For example, if the student doesn’t feel safe, someone is being hurt physically or emotionally, or if they tried to solve a problem independently but it didn’t work and they need help. Let them know that it’s okay to tell an adult.

Teach How to Disagree and How to Make Up

• Discuss how to disagree respectfully. Remind your student that they won’t always agree with their teacher, friends, classmate, or parents and that’s okay. Even the people we like might have different opinions, interests, and likes than we do. However, even if we disagree with someone we should still treat them with respect. Treating someone with respect means to not call them names, ignore them, yell or hit them. It means that you do try to create solutions that both parties can agree with and to apologize when we hurt others’ feelings.
• Role-play how to make up. Practice in everyday life how to make up after a social problem .

Get your free social problem solver today!

I hope you and your students love this freebie!

Students are really having to stretch their brains today. It's @NSPCC #NumberDay and @problemsolveit are challenging Y9 and 10 to solve the escape room boxes. It's not as easy as it looks! The promise of a few sweet treats for the winners seems to be helping though! pic.twitter.com/AxRRJnJIv2 — CongletonHS (@CongletonHS) February 2, 2018

Have your students use task card scenarios to help them identify how they and others might feel in different social scenarios. Be sure to discuss the problem, identify possible solutions, identify the consequences of those possible solutions, and then based on those consequences pick the best solution. Make social problem-solving a game by telling the students that they are social detectives and that it is their job to use what they know about social rules to help them identify the possible and best solutions. Start practicing today with 71+ free social problem social task cards! Do your students need more practice? Be sure to check out my other freebie for 31 wordless animated videos to teach problem-solving and so much more.

Get More Problem Solving Time Saving Materials

Next, be sure to check out the following time-saving materials to continue to teach your students how to solve their social problems in addition to this freebie.

Weekly Social Pragmatics Homework

• Weekly problem-solving.   Send home a  weekly homework page  that includes a problem-solving scenario plus an idiom and a conversational practice scenario.

Restorative Justice Problem Solving Flip Book

• Restorative justice graphic visual.  Use this graphic visual to help your student  restore a social relationship  after a social problem.

Self-Advocating Role-Play Scenarios

• Self-advocating in high school.  Teach your high schoolers the process to  self-advocate  for what they need.

5th-12th Grade Life Skills Problem Solving

• Life skills problem-solving.  In addition, this  life skills differentiated bundle  includes a problem-solving lesson plan.

I recommend you read Problem Solving Wheel: Help Kids Solve Their Own Problems , 61+ Free Fillable SLP Planner Pages 2020-2021 , 430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle , or 432+ Free IEP Goal Bank to Save You Time posts because they include freebies as well and who doesn’t want more freebies!

Got questions? Leave a comment. Let’s chat!

Monday 30th of January 2023

Hello! I have entered my name and email twice (yesterday & today) to receive to 71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Senarios, but I have not received anything yet. Not even an email back to mine in order to subcribe. Thanks for your help! Tracy

Melissa Berg

Tuesday 31st of January 2023

Hi Tracy, Thanks so much for reaching out! Sorry about that. We went ahead and sent you an email with the PDF attached. Wishing you all my best, Melissa

Problem Solving Skills

Tuesday 30th of August 2022

I truly love your site. Excellent colors, theme and writing. Thanks for sharing.

Laura Ricca

Monday 11th of April 2022

Tuesday 12th of April 2022

Hi Laura, I'm glad you found this resource helpful. Melissa

Modified Mental Health and Suicide Prevention - Speech Therapy Store

Monday 11th of May 2020

[…] 71+ FREE SOCIAL PROBLEM-SOLVING SCENARIOS […]

Problem Solving Wheel: Help Kids Solve Their Own Problems - Speech Therapy Store

Monday 4th of May 2020

[…] 71+ Free Social Problem Solving Task Cards Scenarios […]

12 SEL Activities for High School Students

High school teachers are masters of juggling very busy schedules. Between balancing core instruction, administering assessments, grading homework, and ensuring students are prepared for college and career, these educators have a lot on their plates. SEL can make your jobs easier!

Students with strong social-emotional skills are more motivated, engaged, and better understand the value of their learning. SEL also helps reduce disruptive behavior and office referrals, which allows teachers to spend less time on behavior-management and more time on their instruction. Additionally, SEL can improve high school students’ college and career readiness and help them set goals for life after high school.

SEL is not just “one more thing on a very full plate.” It improves academic preparedness and achievement, and it is easy to integrate in your core instruction. Here are 10 activities and lesson ideas for high school students — organized by subject area — to help you get started.

Do you teach primary grades? Be sure to check out our blog,   10 SEL Learning Activities for Grades K–8 .

Spark SEL in Math Class

Social-emotional learning is very relevant in math class . Skills like a growth mindset, perseverance, risk-taking, relationships, and attitude are important as students interact with math curriculum’s processes and expectations. Visit this site for tips, strategies, and activities to strengthen your math instruction with SEL.

Design and Launch Soda Bottle Rockets

STEM projects are a natural fit for SEL because they require students to work together, communicate their ideas effectively, problem-solve, and overcome obstacles. This bottle rocket activity encourages older students to practice these important skills while trying not to get a soda shower! 

Integrating SEL and Engineering in Science Class

In science lessons, engineering activities are a terrific opportunity for students to grow social-emotional skills in low-stakes, high-engagement environments. This activity integrates SEL skills like collaborate, creative problem-solving, resilience, and teamwork while learning and practicing engineering tasks.

Social Studies, Civics, and History

Sel activities that promote global learning.

Teaching SEL alongside global learning can deepen students’ interpersonal skills while increasing their knowledge and awareness of world issues. Global learning (sometimes referred to as global citizenship instruction) and SEL both help students develop respect, collaboration, and responsible decision-making while helping learners become responsible and active global citizens. Use these activities with your high school students to improve their global learning.

Seed Keepers – Native American Agriculture

Teaching students the farming traditions of Native Americans can be a fun way to reinforce social and emotional and 21st century skills. In this FutureFit™ project, students explore the “three sisters” growing technique and how to save heirloom seeds. 

SEL and Civics: Document Analysis Worksheets

Civics and SEL go hand-in-hand . This activity teaches students to think critically about the content of primary sources. It also helps students develop organizational skills, problem-solving skills, and a deeper awareness of our society.

Language Arts

Developing social-emotional skills through literature.

Literature is a natural fit for exploring and developing social and emotional competence. Novels and short stories are filled with emotions. As we read along, we also experience emotions — both about the characters and the story and about ourselves. Use these guiding questions, tips, and prompts to make the connection between SEL and analyzing literature. 

Writing Prompts for Teen SEL

Daily writing prompts can be a fun and effective way to practice SEL. This site provides free writing activities to address self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. 

What Goes Around Comes Around

If students exhibit a pattern of negative language and actions , this can be a great activity to help them understand the consequences of their negative and positive thoughts. You can teach this as a standalone lesson, or it can easily be integrated into Language Arts, i.e. as a character analysis or writing prompt.

Physical Education and The Arts

4 ways to use athletics to promote sel and character development.

Healthy athletic competition is a natural vehicle for building students’ social and emotional competencies. Here are four ways you can help students learn teamwork, cooperation, goal-setting, and confidence in Physical Education classes and school athletic programs.

Smithsonian Folk Ways Recordings

Music can be a fun way for students to explore other cultures and customs . By learning about different musical traditions, students learn to accept differences in others and celebrate diversity. Have fun exploring music from around the world with this wonderful resource that includes lesson plans for a range of age groups.

High School Art Lessons

Giving students the ability to express themselves and explore their emotions through artistic expression is an excellent way to build social and emotional competence. This site has many art lessons for high school students, and many can be adapted around SEL. Try “ Life Documentation Through Design ,” “ Your Eye From a Mirror ,” “ Where is Your Refuge? ,” and more!

The Ultimate Guide to High School Speech Therapy Activities

March 07, 2018 3 min read

The Ultimate Guide to High School Speech Therapy Activities provides Speech Language Pathologists a reference point for easily locating educational resources for older students.

Many children are able to master their speech goals in elementary or middle school and no longer require therapy services. But all too often we have students that carry over and need additional support at the high school level.

It’s no secret that most of these kiddos would rather disappear into their seats rather than be called from class to go to speech therapy. So how do we as SLPs get them motivated enough to keep them excited and working towards their language goals?

We understand your struggle! It can be a nightmare trying to find engaging speech therapy resources for the “big kids”!

This guide is full of high school speech therapy materials created especially for your teenage students. You’ll find awesome products, a ton of SLP tips, and don’t forget to pick up your fabulous freebies!

Learn About Fun High School School Speech Therapy Activities from Your Favorite SLP Bloggers

These tried and true tips and tricks from real SLPs will help you keep your high school students engaged and excited to come to speech therapy. Who better to get advice from than those working in the field everyday?!

7 Ways to Use a Letter Board to Motivate Older Students

Engaging Older Students in Speech-Language

Keep Older Speech Students Motivated

Find Engaging High School Speech Therapy Activities at Your Favorite SLP Stores on TpT

Seeking out quality themed resources for older students can be very time consuming. We know that your schedule as an SLP is already full, so we’ve tried to find a little bit of something for everyone on your caseload. To help save even more of your precious time, many of these brilliant products are low prep or NO PREP at all!

Social Skills

Stuttering and Social Skills Activities Inspired by TED

Social Skills Activities, Social Emotional Learning

Teen: Community Social Skills

Navigating the Social Scene – Middle School and High School ABA SPEECH

Let’s Talk about Emotions: Teaching Packet (for Middle and High School)

Social Skills Teen Activities: Idioms, Body Language, Social Problem Solving 1

No Prep Social Skills for Older Students

Social Media Safety

Social Stories for Middle School High School Students

Life Skills Laundry Activities: Functional Vocabulary & Language

Life Skills Problem Solving Bundle

Life Skills/Social Skills for Interviews

Paying Bills: A Life Skills Activity for Secondary Students

Perspective Taking

Emotions and Perspectives for High School Students – No Prep!

Social Skills Activities: Size of the Problem & Perspective Taking

General Language

No Print No Prep Interactive GROWING Language Bundle

Spot The Difference Barrier Game for Children & Adults

Don’t Forget to Grab Your Freebies!

And now for our favorite part…FREEBIES! That’s right! If you’re on the fence about purchasing a particular product or simply want to “try before you buy” this is your lucky day. Find fabulous freebies from your favorite SLPs on TpT. We’re sure you’ll find something you can use!

Social Skills Activities: Social Inferences and Problem Solving FREEBIE

Social Skills Problem Solving: Fighting with Friends

Executive Functioning Skills- Making Good Decisions- Free Introduction Pack

Developing Executive Functioning Skills- FREE Open-Ended Question Set

Letter Board Ideas for Speech/Language Therapy

Sports Idioms

Make sure to bookmark this page as we will be adding more awesome resources as we find them! We always love coming across a diamond in the rough, and we’re sure that you do to!

If you’re looking for speechie goodies check these posts out!

Click Here to learn about SLP Newsletters you will LOVE!

Click Here to learn about SLP Hashtags you will LOVE!

Click Here to learn about SLP Facebook Groups You Will LOVE!

High School SEL Curriculum

Supporting high school social-emotional growth.

Tools to help your High School students with:

• Exploring individual sense of purpose
• Goal-setting
• Understanding biases and stereotypes
• Navigating relationships
• Problem solving skills
• Self-regulation skills
• Increasing self-awareness

Curriculum Overview

The high school sel curriculum is a customizable toolkit with strategies and resources for nurturing the skills students need to develop the personal and social awareness that enables them to evaluate and understand differences of all kinds, make connections, and problem solve. , materials include activities, core subject integration, and  videos and discussion questions., sample resources.

Core Integration Strategies

Videos and Discussion

The High School SEL Curriculum Includes:

• 45+ Activities : 15-20-minute activities that are geared to be done during an advisory/homeroom period. 
• 20+ Core Subject Integration Strategies : For each of the core subjects – English, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
• 30+ Videos & Discussion Questions
• Student Pre and Post SEL Assessments
• Educator Implementation Resources

All student worksheets/assessments are bilingual (english and spanish)

Our High School curriculum resources are organized around, and aligned to, CASEL’s Core Competencies for Social-Emotional Learning .

Interested in our curriculum.

Changing Perspectives SEL and disability awareness curriculum resources are accessible through  an online platform that allows users to access an array of customizable curricular resources, family resources, educator implementation guides, and more.

More Details ...

• Accessed via any browser, anywhere, anytime.
• Content is added to a Planner via an intuitive drag and drop interface.
• Days and content are easily added to and removed from the Planner.
• Planners are easily saved and retrieved.
• Unlimited planners are available.
• Planners can be emailed and/or printed and electronic versions contain links to the curriculum.
• SEL assessments easily emailed to a class.
• SEL Assessment results accessible via the Educator Portal as completed.
• Designed for educator customization. 
• A precurated library of resources, with a variety of media and methods, that allow you to prepare content the way you need and that fit your teaching style.
• Changing Perspectives experts, and experts in the field of social-emotional learning, create new content which is added to the Educator Portal each summer.
• Social-emotional content is aligned with CASEL standards.
• Pre- and Post- SEL assessments for grades K-12.

Educator Support

• Family newsletters, aligned with each competency, are available in English and Spanish and can be distributed multiple ways (print, email, posted online).
• Template letters, in Word & Google docs, are available for you to customize and share with parents.
• Tips & tricks for in-person and virtual presentation of materials are available.
• A rich Resource Library of materials, for you and to share with others, is included and is regularly updated throughout the year.
• Individual coaching and professional development available .

Our Planners allow you to drag and drop the content you choose to a customizable plan for your classroom. Easily add and remove days and content. Durations for the content are shown and are tallied by day for easy scheduling.

Why Social-Emotional Learning for High School Students?

Social-emotional learning, or SEL, is an essential component of every child’s growth. Once considered a “soft” skill set, SEL is now recognized as an integral factor in academic, career, and life success. SEL positions students for overall well-being and supports them in developing the resiliency, collaborative skills, and confidence needed to engage meaningfully in our increasingly diverse communities. 

CASEL’s Core Competencies for Social-Emotional Learning.

Self-awareness, recognizing one’s emotions, thoughts, and values. the ability to know your strengths and weaknesses and have self-confidence., self-management, to control one’s emotions, thoughts and behaviors, manage stress and control impulses, and be self-motivated., social awareness, the ability to relate to and empathize with others including those with backgrounds different than yours. the ability to understand and operate within ethical norms., relationship skills, the ability to create and maintain healthy relationships including with those from different backgrounds. to communicate with others, listen, cooperate, and stand up to negative pressure. to work though conflict productively., responsible decision-making, the ability to make constructive and healthy choices about personal behavior and social interactions. to be aware of and responsive to potential consequences., ready to find out more.

Want to find out more about Changing Perspectives Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum? Contact us and schedule a complimentary conversation to see how we can help.

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10 Problem-Solving Scenarios for High School Students

It is certainly common to come across difficult situations including forgetting an assignment at home or overusing your phone only to miss an important project deadline. We are always surrounded by little difficulties that might become bigger problems if not addressed appropriately.

Whether it is saving your friend from the addiction to social media platforms or communicating your personal boundaries to relatives, problem-solving skills are one of the important skills you need to acquire throughout the journey of life.

Do you think these skills are in-built with other high school students? Certainly not.

It takes innovative learning methodologies just like problem-solving scenarios that help you immerse in the subject matter with precision. With problem-solving scenarios, you come across a range of problems that help you build critical thinking skills, logical reasoning, and analytical techniques.

The article will take you through scenarios that are a combination of various problems that need to be addressed strategically and carefully. As you read ahead, make sure to brainstorm solutions and choose the best one that fits the scenario. 

Helpful scenarios to build a problem-solving attitude in high schoolers

Learning through scenarios helps students look at situations from a completely analytical perspective. Problem-solving scenarios offer a combination of various situations that test the thinking skills and growth mindset of high school students. The below-mentioned scenarios are perfect for implementing problem-solving skills simply by allowing open discussions and contributions by students.

1. Uninvited Guests

You have arranged a party at your home after successfully winning the competition at the Science Fair. You invite everyone involved in the project however, one of your friends brings his cousin’s brother along. However, you have limited soft drink cans considering the number of invited people. How would you manage this situation without making anyone feel left out?

2. Communication Issues

A new teacher has joined the high school to teach about environmental conservation. She often involves students in different agriculture activities and workshops. However, one of your friends, John, is not able to understand the subject matter. He is unable to communicate his doubts to the teachers. How would you motivate him to talk to the teacher without the fear of judgment?

3. Friendship or Personal Choice?

The history teacher announced an exciting assignment opportunity that helps you explore ancient civilizations. You and your friend are pretty interested in doing the project as a team. One of your other friends, Jason, wants to join the team with limited knowledge and interest in the topic. Would you respect the friendship or deny him so you can score better on the assignment?

4. Peer Pressure 

It is common for high schoolers to follow what their friends do. However, lately, your friends have discovered different ways of showing off their skills. While they do all the fun things, there are certain activities you are not interested in doing. It often puts you in trouble whether to go with friends or take a stand for what is right. Would you take the help of peer mentoring activities in school or try to initiate a direct conversation with them?

5. Team Building 

Mr. Jason, the science teacher, assigns different projects and forms teams with random classmates. There are 7 people in each team who need to work towards project completion. As the group starts working, you notice that some members do not contribute at all. How will you ensure that everyone participates and coordinates with the team members?

6. Conflict Resolution 

The drama club and the English club are famous clubs in the school. Both clubs organize various events for the students. This time, both clubs have a tiff because of the event venue. Both clubs need the same auditorium for the venue on the same date. How would you mediate to solve the issue and even make sure that club members are on good terms with each other? 

7. Stress Management 

Your school often conducts different activities or asks students stress survey questions to ensure their happiness and well-being. However, one of your friends always misses them. He gets frustrated and seems stressed throughout the day. What would you do to ensure that your friend gets his issue acknowledged by teachers?

8. Time Management 

Your friend is always enthusiastic about new competitions in high school. He is running here and there to enroll and get certificates. In this case, he often misses important lectures and activities in class. Moreover, his parents complain that he misses swimming class too. How would you explain to him the importance of prioritizing and setting goals to solve this issue?

9. Educational Resources 

You and your friends are avid readers and often take advice from books. While most must-read books for bibliophiles are read by you, it is important to now look for other books. However, you witness that the school library lacks other important books on philosophy and the non-fiction category. How would you escalate this issue to the higher authorities by addressing the needs of students?

10. Financial Planning

Finance is an important factor and that is why your parents help you plan your pocket money and budgeting. Off lately, they have stopped doing so considering that you can manage on your own. However, after a few months, you have started spending more on games and high-end school supplies. You realize that your spending habits are leading to loss of money and reduced savings. How shall you overcome this situation?

Wrapping Up 

Involving students in different learning practices and innovative ways inspires them to think out of the box and make use of imagination skills. With the usage of different problem-solving scenarios, high school students get an opportunity to delve into realistic examples and consequences of different incidents.

Such scenarios offer an excellent way to promote understanding, critical thinking skills and enhance creativity. Ensure to use different activities and games for creating a comprehensive learning environment.

Sananda Bhattacharya, Chief Editor of TheHighSchooler, is dedicated to enhancing operations and growth. With degrees in Literature and Asian Studies from Presidency University, Kolkata, she leverages her educational and innovative background to shape TheHighSchooler into a pivotal resource hub. Providing valuable insights, practical activities, and guidance on school life, graduation, scholarships, and more, Sananda’s leadership enriches the journey of high school students.

Explore a plethora of invaluable resources and insights tailored for high schoolers at TheHighSchooler, under the guidance of Sananda Bhattacharya’s expertise. You can follow her on Linkedin

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30 Problem Solving Scenarios for Speech Therapy Practice

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Problem solving scenarios.

• Your friends came over to your house for a movie night. One of your friends brought another friend so there are more people than you planned for. You want to pass out the drinks but you only have five cans of soda and you need 6 for everyone to have one. What could you do?
• After basketball practice you go back to the locker room with your team to shower and change. When you are done dressing, you can't find your shoes. What could you do?
• You have been waiting all day for lunch to come because you are starving. Finally class gets over and you get to go to lunch. Except when you go to get to your lunch, it's not there. You probably left it at home. What could you do?
• There is a guy in your class who is always mean to you. He always bumps you when he walks by and he calls you names. He knocks stuff out of your hands and makes you feel stupid. You don't think you can take it anymore. What could you do?
• You really want to invite this new girl/guy to come to your birthday party, but you have never talked to them before. You are worried they will say no. What could you do?
• You rode the bus to school today and on the way in people are pointing and laughing at you. You go in the bathroom and see that you have pink gum all over the back of your pants. What could you do?
• You wake up and see that your alarm never went off. So you are starting your morning 15 minutes later than you planned. It is a really important day at school and you cannot be late. What could you do?
• You are giving a group presentation in front of class and it's your turn to talk. All of the sudden you sneeze. You cover it with your hand, but now your hand is full of stuff you sneezed out. What could you do?
• You are eating dinner at a fancy restaurant with your parents and their friends. You have a really messy dinner and accidentally flip a noodle into the lady's lap. They are busy talking and don't notice it. What could you do?
• You are taking a test and there is no talking allowed. You are writing your answers on the paper and your pencil breaks. What could you do?
• You are taking a test and the guy behind you asks you for help. He wants to know what you put for question number two. What could you do?
• You are at a birthday party and you have waited in line for a long time for your turn to hit the pinata. It is finally going to be your turn and it looks like the next hit will break the pinata. But you suddenly have to go to the bathroom. What could you do?
• You are hanging outside with your friend and she decides to pick your neighbor's flowers. She gives you the pretty handful of flowers and right then your neighbor opens the door. She asks you why you picked her flowers. What could you do?
• You borrowed your sister's skates one day without asking and they broke while you were using them. What could you do?
• You are eating at a friend's house and the mom piles your plate full of food. It looks really good and you want to eat it all but you can't because you just ate a snack. What could you do so you don't hurt her feelings?

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• Your teacher was working at her desk.  You wanted to ask her a question, but she didn't see your hand raised. What should you do?
• You started to do your work, but you weren't sure if you were doing it right. What should you do?
• You were playing tether-ball and were the champion so far.  In the next game, you slightly touched the rope.  Only one student saw you touch the rope. What will you do?
• The teacher is giving directions, but your friend sitting next to you keeps talking.  You can't hear the directions. What should you do?
• You didn't do your homework.  Your teacher was upset with you. What should you do?
• You finished eating and felt a burp coming. What are you going to do?
• You were waiting to swing.  When it was your turn, another boy jumped in front of you and took the swing. What would you do?
• You waited a long time, but your mom didn't come to pick you up after school. What should you do?
• A bully threatened to beat you up after school. What should you do?
• A boy on the playground keeps pushing you and making you mad. What would you do?
• You were sitting in class doing your work and you hear the fire alarm. What should you do?
• An adult you didn't know came on to the playground and asked if you would help look for his lost dog. What would you do?
• You forgot your lunch at home. What would you do?
• The person sitting behind you keeps tapping your chair with his foot. What should you do?
• You finished your work early. What should you do?

This list of functional words was professionally selected to be the most useful for a child or adult who has difficulty with problem solving scenarios.

We encourage you to use this list when practicing at home.

Home practice will make progress toward meeting individual language goals much faster.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week. This is not enough time or practice for someone to handle Problem solving scenarios.

Every day that your loved one goes without practice it becomes more difficult to help them. 

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We know life is busy , but if you're reading this you're probably someone who cares about helping their loved one as much as you can.

Practice 5-10 minutes whenever you can, but try to do it on a consistent basis (daily).

Please, please, please use this list to practice.

It will be a great benefit to you and your loved one's progress.

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The Pathway 2 Success

Solutions for Social Emotional Learning & Executive Functioning

Teaching Social Problem-Solving with a Free Activity

February 3, 2018 by pathway2success 5 Comments

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Kids and young adults need to be able to problem-solve on their own. Every day, kids are faced with a huge number of social situations and challenges. Whether they are just having a conversation with a peer, working with a group on a project, or dealing with an ethical dilemma, kids must use their social skills and knowledge to help them navigate tough situations. Ideally, we want kids to make positive choices entirely on their own. Of course, we know that kids don’t start off that way. They need to learn how to collaborate, communicate, cooperate, negotiate, and self-advocate.

Social problem solving skills are critical skills to learn for kids with autism, ADHD, and other social challenges. Of course, all kids and young adults benefit from these skills. They fit perfectly into a morning meeting discussion or advisory periods for older kids. Not only are these skills that kids will use in your classroom, but throughout their entire lives. They are well worth the time to teach!

Here are 5 steps to help kids learn social problem solving skills:

1. Teach kids to communicate their feelings. Being able to openly and respectfully share emotions is a foundational element to social problem solving. Teaching I statements can be a simple and effective way to kids to share their feelings. With an I statement, kids will state, “I feel ______ when _____.” The whole idea is that this type of statement allows someone to share how their feeling without targeting or blaming anyone else. Helping kids to communicate their emotions can solve many social problems from the start and encourages positive self-expression.

2. Discuss and model empathy. In order for kids to really grasp problem-solving, they need to learn how to think about the feelings of others. Literature is a great way teach and practice empathy! Talk about the feelings of characters within texts you are reading, really highlighting how they might feel in situations and why. Ask questions like, “How might they feel? Why do you think they felt that way? Would you feel the same in that situation? Why or why not?” to help teach emerging empathy skills. You can also make up your own situations and have kids share responses, too.

3. Model problem-solving skills. When a problem arises, discuss it and share some solutions how you might go forward to fix it. For example, you might say, “I was really expecting to give the class this math assignment today but I just found out we have an assembly. This wasn’t in my plans. I could try to give part of it now or I could hold off and give the assignment tomorrow instead. It’s not perfect, but I think I’ll wait that way we can go at the pace we need to.” This type of think-aloud models the type of thinking that kids should be using when a problem comes up.

4. Use social scenarios to practice. Give a scenario and have kids consider how that person might feel in that situation. Discuss options for what that person might do to solve the problem, possible consequences for their choices, and what the best decision might be. Kids can consider themselves social detectives by using the clues and what they know about social rules to help them figure out the solution. These are especially fun in small groups to have kids discuss collaboratively. Use these free social problem solving cards to start your kids off practicing!

5. Allow kids to figure it out. Don’t come to the rescue when a child or young adult has a problem. As long as it’s not a serious issue, give them time to think about it and use their problem-solving skills on their own. Of course, it’s much easier to have an adult solve all the problems but that doesn’t teach the necessary skills. When a child comes to you asking for your help with a social problem, encourage them to think about it for five minutes before coming back to you. By that point, they might have already figured out possible solutions and ideas and might not even need you anymore.

If you are interested in helping your kids learn social problem solving skills right away, consider trying out these Social Problem Solving Task Cards . They highlight real social scenarios and situations that kids can discuss. The scenarios include a variety of locations, such as in classrooms, with family, with friends, at recess, and at lunch. This set is targeted for elementary-age learners.

Of course, older kids need social problem solving skills, too! If you work with older kids, you will love these Social Problem Solving Task Cards for Middle and High School Kids. These situations target age-appropriate issues that come up in classes, with friends, with family, in the hallway, in the cafeteria, and with online and texting.

Remember that teaching social problem skills does take a little bit of planning and effort, but it will be well worth the time! Kids will use these skills to help them make social decisions in their everyday lives now and in the future!

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February 22, 2018 at 12:03 am

Thank you for sharing>

March 3, 2018 at 8:59 am

Good thought ful

March 20, 2018 at 9:24 pm

They are not free

March 21, 2018 at 8:58 am

They are! Here is the link (it’s listed under number 4): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Social-Problem-Solving-Task-Cards-2026178 I also have a paid version with a bunch more cards (for both elementary and older kids), but that will give you the freebie. Enjoy!

July 15, 2018 at 3:41 am

Awesome way to teach the skill of social problem solving.

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This is How Students Can Learn Problem-Solving Skills in Social Studies

A new  study  led by a researcher from North Carolina State University offers lessons on how social studies teachers could use computational thinking and computer-based resources to analyze primary source data, such as economic information, maps or historical documents. The findings suggest that these approaches advance not only computational thinking, but also student understanding of social studies concepts.

In the journal  Theory & Research in Social Education , researchers reported findings from a case study of a high school social studies class called “Measuring the Past” that was offered in a private school. In the project-centered class, students used statistical software to analyze historical and economic data and identify trends. Researchers found students were able to learn problem-solving skills through the series of structured computer analysis projects.

“The purpose of social studies is to enhance student’s ability to participate in a democratic society,” said  Meghan Manfra , associate professor of education at NC State. “Our research indicates computational thinking is a fruitful way to engage students in interdisciplinary investigation and develop the skills and habits they need to be successful.”

There is a growing effort to incorporate computational thinking across subjects in K-12 education, Manfra said, to help prepare students for a technology-driven world. Computers have made new techniques possible for historians and social scientists to analyze and interpret digital data, maps and images. Teachers face a potential “firehose” of primary source data they could bring into the classroom, such as the National Archives’ collection of historical letters, speeches, and maps  important to American history .

“There are more efforts to integrate computer science across grade levels and subject areas,” Manfra said. “We take the definition of ‘computational thinking’ to be less computer science specific, and much more about a habit of mind. We see it as a structured problem-solving approach.”

In the high school class under study, researchers offered a phrase for the class to use as a guide for how to think about and structure the class projects: analyze the data, look for patterns, and then develop rules or models based on their analysis to solve a problem. They shortened that phrase to “data-patterns-rules.” The projects were also structured as a series, with each students gaining more independence with each project.

“The teacher had a lot of autonomy to develop a curriculum, and the projects were unique,” Manfra said. “Another important aspect of the structure was the students did three rounds of analyzing data, presenting their findings, and developing a model based on what they found. Each time, the teacher got more general in what he was giving the students so they had to flex more of their own thinking.”

In the first project, students analyzed  Dollar Street , a website by GapMinder that has a database of photographs of items in homes around the world. Students posed and answered their own questions about the data. For example, one group analyzed whether the number of books in a home related to a family’s income.

In the second project, students tracked prices of labor or products like wool, grain and livestock in England to understand the bubonic plague’s impact on the economy during the Middle Ages.

In the last project, students found their own data to compare social or economic trends during two American wars, such as the War of 1812 and World War I. For example, one group of students compared numbers of draftees and volunteers in two conflicts and related that to the outcome of the war.

From the students’ work, the researchers saw that students were able to learn problem-solving and apply data analysis skills while looking at differences across cultures, the economic effects of historical events and to how political trends can help shape conflicts.

“Based on what we found, this approach not only enhances students’ computational thinking for STEM fields, but it also improves their social studies understanding and knowledge,” Manfra said. “It’s a fruitful approach to teaching and learning.”

From student essays about computational thinking, the researchers saw many students came away with a stronger understanding of the concept. Some students defined it as thinking “based on computer-generated statistics,” while others defined it as analyzing data so a computer can display it, and others said it meant analyzing information in a “computer-like” logical way. In addition, they also saw that students learned skills important in an age of misinformation – they were able to think deeply about potential limitations of the data and the source it came from.

“We found that students were developing data literacy,” Manfra said “They understood databases as a construction, designed to tell a story. We thought that was pretty sophisticated, and that thinking emerged because of what they were experiencing through this project.”

This story originally appeared on the NC State News site.

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Social Skills: Promoting Positive Behavior, Academic Success, and School Safety

Good social skills are critical to successful functioning in life. These skills enable us to know what to say, how to make good choices, and how to behave in diverse situations. The extent to which children and adolescents possess good social skills can influence their academic performance, behavior, social and family relationships, and involvement in extracurricular activities. Social skills are also linked to the quality of the school environment and school safety.

While most children pick up positive skills through their everyday interactions with adults and peers, it is important that educators and parents reinforce this casual learning with direct and indirect instruction. We must also recognize when and where children pick up behaviors that might be detrimental to their development or safety. In the past, schools have relied exclusively on families to teach children important interpersonal and conflict resolution skills. However, increased negative societal influences and demands on family life make it imperative that schools partner with parents to facilitate this social learning process. This is particularly true today given the critical role that social skills play in maintaining a positive school environment and reducing school violence.?

Consequences of Good Social Skills?

With a full repertoire of social skills, students will have the ability to make social choices that will strengthen their interpersonal relationships and facilitate success in school. Some consequences of good social skills include:

• Positive and safe school environment.
• Child resiliency in the face of future crises or other stressful life events.
• Students who seek appropriate and safe avenues for aggression and frustration.
• Children who take personal responsibility for promoting school safety.

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Consequences of Poor Social Skills

Students with poor social skills have been shown to:

• Experience difficulties in interpersonal relationships with parents, teachers, and peers.
• Evoke highly negative responses from others that lead to high levels of peer rejection.? Peer rejection has been linked on several occasions with school violence.
• Show signs of depression, aggression and anxiety.
• Demonstrate poor academic performance as an indirect consequence.
• Show a higher incidence of involvement in the criminal justice system as adults.

Impact on School Safety

Given the demonstrated relationship between social skills and school safety, schools are increasingly seeking ways to help students develop positive social skills, both in school and in the community. Social skills related to school safety include:

• Anger management
• Recognizing/understanding others’ point of view
• Social problem solving
• Peer negotiation
• Conflict management
• Peer resistance skills
• Active listening
• Effective communication
• Increased acceptance and tolerance of diverse groups

In isolation, social skills are not sufficient to ensure school safety; interventions should not be limited to student instruction and training. Change in the school culture should be facilitated by infusing social skills training into a comprehensive system of school safety and discipline policies, emphasizing relationship-building between students and faculty (teachers and administrators) and between schools and families, and providing effective behavior management and academic instruction.

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Defining Types of Social Skills

While there are hundreds of important social skills for students to learn, we can organize them into skill areas to make it easier to identify and determine appropriate interventions. For example, the “Stop and Think” program organizes skills into four areas:

• Survival skills (e.g., listening, following directions, ignoring distractions, using nice or brave talk, rewarding yourself)
• Interpersonal skills (e.g., sharing, asking for permission, joining an activity, waiting your turn)
• Problem-solving skills (e.g., asking for help, apologizing, accepting consequences, deciding what to do)
• Conflict resolution skills (e.g., dealing with teasing, losing, accusations, being left out, peer pressure)

Identifying Social Skills Deficits?

Prior to determining the best means to help a student develop better social skills, it is important to understand specifically what a student can and can’t do. It is crucial to assess and classify the nature of a child’s social skill deficits in order to devise and implement the most appropriate intervention.?

Children may experience difficulty performing a skill:

• Due to lack of knowledge (acquisition deficits), e.g., the child does not know the skills or does not discriminate when a skill is appropriate. For example, a child grabs a pencil from a peer in class when she needs one because she does not know how to appropriately ask to borrow it.
• Consistently despite knowledge (performance deficits), e.g., the child knows how to perform the skills but fails to do so consistently or at an acceptable level of competence. For example, although the child understand that he should raise his hand to speak in class, and does so much of the time, he will sometimes blurt out a comment without raising his hand.
• To a sufficient degree or level of strength (fluency deficits), e.g., the child knows how to perform skill and is motivated to perform, but demonstrates inadequate performance due to lack of practice or adequate feedback. For example, a student has learned what to say and do when confronted with bullying behavior, but her responses are not yet strong enough to be successful.
• Due to competing skill deficits or behaviors, e.g., internal or external factors interfere with the child demonstrating a learned skill appropriately. For example, depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, or negative motivation can interfere with demonstration of appropriate conflict resolution skills, even though the skills have been taught and learned.

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Social Skills Interventions

Effective social skills programs are comprised of two essential elements: a teaching process that uses a behavioral/social learning approach and a universal language or set of steps that facilitates the learning of new behavior. Interventions can be implemented at a school-wide, specific setting, classroom, or individual level, but at all levels the emphasis is on teaching the desired skill, not punishing negative behaviors.

Facilitate learning through normal activities. Teachers and parents must take advantage of incidental learning, in which naturally occurring behaviors or events are used to teach and reinforce appropriate social behavior. Adults can reinforce demonstrated positive social skills by praising children when they behave correctly, or offer alternatives to poor decisions to teach the more appropriate behavior. It may be necessary when working with children who have particular difficulty to intentionally “catch” them doing the right thing or devise situations in which they can make a good choice.?

Address environmental factors . The school or home environment can affect a child’s ability to learn and perform good social skills. If a child is experiencing difficulty demonstrating a particular skill, it is best to first evaluate the environment to determine what might interfere with the child’s appropriate acquisition of that skill. For instance, a student may be unruly at the beginning of the day because the teacher needs to establish more specific routines for coming into class, hanging up coats, checking in, etc. Addressing environmental obstacles like this also will benefit all children in that environment.

Address individual factors . Some children need more intensive, personalized training because of individual factors, such as a disability. These interventions might be aimed at children experiencing a specific difficulty or those who have previously been identified as at risk for behavior problems. For example, studies have shown that children with mild disabilities tend to exhibit deficient social skills and excess problem behaviors more than students without such disabilities. Interventions aimed at at-risk students are based on individual assessment of the particular child’s skills and deficits.? Selected interventions aim to prevent existing behavior problems from developing into more serious ones.

Social skills training should:

• Focus on facilitating the desirable behavior as well as eliminating the undesirable behavior.
• Emphasize the learning, performance, generalization, and maintenance of appropriate behaviors through modeling, coaching, and role-playing. It is also crucial to provide students with immediate performance feedback.
• Employ primarily positive strategies and add punitive strategies only if the positive approach is unsuccessful and the behavior is of a serious and/or dangerous nature.
• Provide training and practice opportunities in a wide range of settings with different groups and individuals in order to encourage students to generalize new skills to multiple, real life situations.
• Draw on assessment strategies, including functional assessments of behavior, to identify those children in need of more intensive interventions as well as target skills for instruction.
• Look to enhance social skills by increasing the frequency of an appropriate behavior in a particular situation. This should take place in “normal” environments to address the naturally occurring causes and consequences.

When planning social skills training programs, schools should:

• Include parents and other caregivers, both to help develop and select interventions and as significant participants in interventions. (Parents and caregivers can help reinforce the skills taught at school to further promote generalization across settings.)
• Focus on all age groups, including children below the age of 9 who are often bypassed due to the erroneous belief that they will “grow out of it.”
• Avoid a “one size fits all” approach and adapt the intervention to meet the individual or particular group needs. Students who speak English as a Second Language might need intensive social skill instruction to promote acculturation and peer acceptance. Children with disabilities might need adaptive curriculum and learning strategies. Most children will need a combination of different strategies that are matched to their particular deficits and backgrounds.

Examples of evidence-based social skills programs

Often school administrators or mental health professionals opt to introduce one of the many empirically supported, commercially published programs into their schools. Effective existing social skills training programs include:

• “Stop and Think” Social Skills Program (Knoff): Part of Project ACHIEVE (Knoff and Batsche). Has demonstrated success in reducing student discipline referrals to the principal’s office, school suspensions, and expulsions; fostering positive school climates and prosocial interactions; increasing students’ on-task behavior; and improving academic performance. http://www.projectachieve.info
• Primary Mental Health Project (Cowen et al.)? Targets children K-3 and addresses social and emotional problems that interfere with effective learning.? It has been shown to improve learning and social skills, reduce acting, shyness and anxious behaviors, and increase frustration tolerances.? http://www.sharingsuccess.org/code/eptw/profiles/48.html
• The EQUIP Program (Gibbs, Potter, & Goldstein) Offers a three-part intervention method for working with antisocial or behavior disordered adolescents. The approach includes training in moral judgment, anger management/correction of thinking errors, and prosocial skills. http://www.researchpress.com/scripts/product.asp?item=4848#5134
• The PREPARE Curriculum (Goldstein) Presents a series of 10 course-length interventions grouped into three areas: reducing aggression, reducing stress, and reducing prejudice. It is designed for use with middle school and high school students but can be adapted for use with younger students. http://www.researchpress.com/scripts/product.asp?item=5063
• The ACCEPTS Program (Walker et al) Offers a complete curriculum for teaching effective social skills to students at middle and high school levels. The program teaches peer-to-peer skills, skills for relating to adults, and self-management skills.

For further resources go to www.nasponline.org .

? 2002, National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 402,?Bethesda, MD, 20814, (301) 657-0270, fax (301) 657-0275 , TTY (301) 657-4155.

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Social Studies Problem solving for high school students

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3 Simple Strategies to Improve Students’ Problem-Solving Skills

These strategies are designed to make sure students have a good understanding of problems before attempting to solve them.

Research provides a striking revelation about problem solvers. The best problem solvers approach problems much differently than novices. For instance, one meta-study showed that when experts evaluate graphs , they tend to spend less time on tasks and answer choices and more time on evaluating the axes’ labels and the relationships of variables within the graphs. In other words, they spend more time up front making sense of the data before moving to addressing the task.

While slower in solving problems, experts use this additional up-front time to more efficiently and effectively solve the problem. In one study, researchers found that experts were much better at “information extraction” or pulling the information they needed to solve the problem later in the problem than novices. This was due to the fact that they started a problem-solving process by evaluating specific assumptions within problems, asking predictive questions, and then comparing and contrasting their predictions with results. For example, expert problem solvers look at the problem context and ask a number of questions:

• What do we know about the context of the problem?
• What assumptions are underlying the problem? What’s the story here?
• What qualitative and quantitative information is pertinent?
• What might the problem context be telling us? What questions arise from the information we are reading or reviewing?
• What are important trends and patterns?

As such, expert problem solvers don’t jump to the presented problem or rush to solutions. They invest the time necessary to make sense of the problem.

Now, think about your own students: Do they immediately jump to the question, or do they take time to understand the problem context? Do they identify the relevant variables, look for patterns, and then focus on the specific tasks?

If your students are struggling to develop the habit of sense-making in a problem- solving context, this is a perfect time to incorporate a few short and sharp strategies to support them.

3 Ways to Improve Student Problem-Solving

1. Slow reveal graphs: The brilliant strategy crafted by K–8 math specialist Jenna Laib and her colleagues provides teachers with an opportunity to gradually display complex graphical information and build students’ questioning, sense-making, and evaluating predictions.

For instance, in one third-grade class, students are given a bar graph without any labels or identifying information except for bars emerging from a horizontal line on the bottom of the slide. Over time, students learn about the categories on the x -axis (types of animals) and the quantities specified on the y -axis (number of baby teeth).

The graphs and the topics range in complexity from studying the standard deviation of temperatures in Antarctica to the use of scatterplots to compare working hours across OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries. The website offers a number of graphs on Google Slides and suggests questions that teachers may ask students. Furthermore, this site allows teachers to search by type of graph (e.g., scatterplot) or topic (e.g., social justice).

2. Three reads: The three-reads strategy tasks students with evaluating a word problem in three different ways . First, students encounter a problem without having access to the question—for instance, “There are 20 kangaroos on the grassland. Three hop away.” Students are expected to discuss the context of the problem without emphasizing the quantities. For instance, a student may say, “We know that there are a total amount of kangaroos, and the total shrinks because some kangaroos hop away.”

Next, students discuss the important quantities and what questions may be generated. Finally, students receive and address the actual problem. Here they can both evaluate how close their predicted questions were from the actual questions and solve the actual problem.

To get started, consider using the numberless word problems on educator Brian Bushart’s site . For those teaching high school, consider using your own textbook word problems for this activity. Simply create three slides to present to students that include context (e.g., on the first slide state, “A salesman sold twice as much pears in the afternoon as in the morning”). The second slide would include quantities (e.g., “He sold 360 kilograms of pears”), and the third slide would include the actual question (e.g., “How many kilograms did he sell in the morning and how many in the afternoon?”). One additional suggestion for teams to consider is to have students solve the questions they generated before revealing the actual question.

3. Three-Act Tasks: Originally created by Dan Meyer, three-act tasks follow the three acts of a story . The first act is typically called the “setup,” followed by the “confrontation” and then the “resolution.”

This storyline process can be used in mathematics in which students encounter a contextual problem (e.g., a pool is being filled with soda). Here students work to identify the important aspects of the problem. During the second act, students build knowledge and skill to solve the problem (e.g., they learn how to calculate the volume of particular spaces). Finally, students solve the problem and evaluate their answers (e.g., how close were their calculations to the actual specifications of the pool and the amount of liquid that filled it).

Often, teachers add a fourth act (i.e., “the sequel”), in which students encounter a similar problem but in a different context (e.g., they have to estimate the volume of a lava lamp). There are also a number of elementary examples that have been developed by math teachers including GFletchy , which offers pre-kindergarten to middle school activities including counting squares , peas in a pod , and shark bait .

Students need to learn how to slow down and think through a problem context. The aforementioned strategies are quick ways teachers can begin to support students in developing the habits needed to effectively and efficiently tackle complex problem-solving.

Not Their Parents’ Internship: Today’s High School Students are Solving Real-World Problems

NAF is Proud to Spotlight Their Achievements, In Celebration of National Internship Awareness Month 2024

Ask current high school students’ parents about what internships were like when they completed them and you’ll likely hear about routine tasks like making copies and supporting supervisors (even getting coffee). Internships have evolved substantially since then, as has the range of career preparation activities equivalent to internships.  Today’s students have many different avenues to complete an in-depth career experience that helps them identify career aspirations, develop their skills, and build connections, consistent with NAF’s Outcomes-Driven WBL approach . Across the NAF Network, we have students engaging in internships (including virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats), mentored industry projects, clinical experiences, and apprenticeships/youth apprenticeships. Read more about these invaluable experiences below: 

Mentored Industry Projects:

Mentored Industry Projects – where teams of students solve industry problems – are powerful opportunities to bring work-based learning (WBL) directly to the classroom. Students get to engage in the challenging, open-ended work of real-world problem solving, the perfect context for developing critical Future Ready Skills . 

Teamship Model (NAF’s partnership with District C)

District C has reimagined the internship for students to prepare them for modern-day work. Unlike a traditional internship, students solve real problems for real businesses in small, diverse teams through a Teamship experience. Through the collaboration with NAF, Teamship counts as a 40-hour mentored industry project. Three NAF academies have implemented Teamship – with 599 (and counting!) total students completing the experience. As an example, students at Clarence Central High School in New York, solved a business program for the VA. During the pitch, both local and U.S. Government VA employees and executives participated and asked questions of the students.

KnoPro is a 100% FREE educator-designed digital platform that connects high school students and teachers with authentic industry challenges and professional mentors that help students build skills and develop their career aspirations. With KnoPro, high school students solve real-world problems they care about (in teams or solo!); build in-demand skills for resumes or college applications; AND earn points that convert to prizes and cash.

Students from any high school can create an account and participate in Challenges and Skillbuilders (must be at least 13 years old). Companies provide real-world problems and students have to develop and pitch solutions. Recent examples include:

• How can oral health be improved for youth in under-resourced communities? (sponsored by Delta Dental)
• What ideas do you have for using AI to address environmental issues? (sponsored by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation)
• How can high school students use cutting-edge tech (e.g., AR,VR, XR, or AI) to explore and choose their best fit career and/or training path (college or technical program)? (sponsored by Lenovo) – NAF student Aditya M. received 1st place for this challenge ( view his pitch )

These Challenges can form the basis for a Mentored Industry Project, if the student(s) work with a professional, as they develop their solution and pitch. 

Examples of Other Career Preparation Activities Happening at NAF Academies:

New Bedford High School, Academy of Health Sciences, New Bedford, MA was awarded a $500,000 Massachusetts Skills Capital grant to construct a simulated patient laboratory. Students also had the opportunity to participate in two unique paid internships; One in marine sciences and another in biotechnology. In partnership with UMass Dartmouth, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Woods Hole Sea Grant, and Jacobs Family Donor Fund, interns worked during the summer and learned to research topics of interest in the marine field. (Source: Katherine Blasik Distinguished and Model Academies 2023 )

Lee County High School, Academy of Engineering (Sanford, NC) – students “completed apprenticeships with Caterpillar and Sanford Contractors — learning about the engineering design model and how it works in different job experiences.” (Source: Katherine Blasik Distinguished and Model Academies 2023 )

Several academies have created career preparation activities focused on helping students gain financial services experience. Porterville High School, Academy of Business & Finance, partnered with Tulare County Federal Credit Union (TCFCU) to create the only student-run branch in the county . In addition to handling financial transactions and other operational tasks, under the supervision of the Financial Education Coordinator, students manage the marketing and social media for the branch. Porterville students can also complete a paid summer internship at TCFCU to continue expanding their banking and money management skills.

Students at New Britain High School, Academy of Business & Finance, complete tax preparation training, earn certifications, and participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Their work was recently highlighted in CT INSIDER . Educators and industry professionals from both programs will be co-presenting a session at NAF Next this July.

A Bright Future

Having high school students propose solutions to the big picture problems of today better prepares them for whatever path they choose after graduation and also helps them develop social capital. Career preparation activities, including internships, clinical experiences, apprenticeships/youth apprenticeships, and mentored industry projects, are the essential opportunities students need to become the leaders and change agents of the future.

Follow NAF on social media @NAFCareerAcads for more, all month long!

Kirsten Kirby is the Director of Work-Based Learning at NAF. She deeply believes that everyone deserves the chance to find and have a career that is meaningful to them and where they can make a difference while also continuing to learn and grow.

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The Top 10 Bad Outcomes of Social Media Use, According to Students

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The downsides of social media use are getting a lot of attention in 2024.

The year started with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg getting grilled in a congressional hearing about the negative impact of social media use on children. The U.S. House passed a bill in March to ban the use of TikTok in the United States, and the Senate is considering a similar measure. And at the end of March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed one of the country’s most restrictive state social media bans for minors that is scheduled to go into effect in January.

Addressing adolescents’ worsening mental health recently has become a top priority for school, district, state, and federal leaders as young people struggle with record-high rates of depression and anxiety. And much of the conversation around the mental health crisis has centered on young people’s constant use of cellphones and social media.

“Children have been sold this belief that the more [social media] connections they have, the better off they are,” said Lisa Strohman , a clinical psychologist who specializes in technology-overuse issues and is featured in Education Week’s Technology Counts report. [But] their relationships are not deep, they’re not authentic.”

As part of its Technology Counts report, the EdWeek Research Center surveyed 1,056 high school students across the country about a whole host of issues related to social media use. The survey was conducted Feb. 9 through March 4.

One question asked students what negative consequences they had experienced as a result of their social media use. The question gave them 25 possible options to pick from. Here is a look at the top 10 answers:

1.    I believed information I later learned was fake.

2.    i was too tired to do what i needed to do because i didn't get enough sleep., 3.    i have used social media, but i cannot think of any negative outcomes i experienced as a result., 4.    i got in trouble with my parents/family/home., 5.    my self-esteem got worse., 6.    i was bullied., 7.    i embarrassed myself., 8.    i lost a friend or friends., 9.    it made me feel more isolated/alone., 10.    my grades/test scores got worse..

Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.

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Home » Blog » General » Promoting Social Competence: Teaching High School Students Social Problem-Solving

Promoting Social Competence: Teaching High School Students Social Problem-Solving

As high school students navigate the complexities of adolescence, it is crucial to equip them with the necessary social skills to thrive in various social situations. One essential skill that can greatly benefit high school students is social problem-solving. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of teaching social problem-solving to high school students and provide strategies for effectively incorporating it into their daily lives.

Understanding Social Problem-Solving

Social problem-solving refers to the ability to identify and resolve social conflicts or challenges in a constructive and effective manner. It involves several components, including understanding the problem, generating possible solutions, evaluating and selecting the best solution, implementing the chosen solution, and reflecting on the outcome. By teaching high school students these steps, we empower them to navigate social situations with confidence and empathy.

Teaching social problem-solving to high school students offers numerous benefits. Firstly, it enhances their communication skills, enabling them to express their thoughts and feelings effectively. Additionally, it promotes critical thinking and decision-making abilities, as students learn to evaluate different solutions and choose the most appropriate one. Moreover, social problem-solving fosters empathy and understanding, encouraging students to consider the perspectives and feelings of others.

Strategies for Teaching Social Problem-Solving to High School Students

Creating a supportive and inclusive classroom environment is essential for teaching social problem-solving effectively. By establishing clear expectations for behavior and encouraging positive peer interactions, students feel safe and supported in their social development. This foundation sets the stage for the following strategies:

1. Explicitly teaching social problem-solving steps

Break down the social problem-solving process into clear steps that students can easily understand and follow:

• Define the problem: Help students identify the specific issue or conflict they are facing.
• Generate possible solutions: Encourage students to brainstorm multiple solutions to the problem.
• Evaluate and select the best solution: Teach students to consider the pros and cons of each solution and choose the one that is most likely to yield positive outcomes.
• Implement the chosen solution: Guide students in putting their chosen solution into action.
• Reflect on the outcome: Encourage students to evaluate the effectiveness of their chosen solution and make adjustments if necessary.

2. Providing opportunities for practice and application

Engage students in role-playing scenarios to simulate real-life social situations. This allows them to practice applying the social problem-solving steps in a safe and supportive environment. Additionally, encourage group discussions and collaborative activities that require students to work together to solve social problems. This fosters teamwork and strengthens their problem-solving skills.

3. Incorporating real-life examples and case studies

Relate social problem-solving to everyday situations that high school students may encounter. By analyzing and discussing real-life scenarios, students can better understand how the social problem-solving steps apply to their own lives. This approach helps them develop a deeper understanding of the process and its relevance.

Supporting Social Problem-Solving Skills Outside the Classroom

Teaching social problem-solving should not be limited to the classroom. Collaborating with parents and caregivers is crucial in reinforcing these skills at home. Share strategies and resources with them, providing guidance on how they can support their child’s social development. Encourage consistent reinforcement of social problem-solving skills in various settings.

Engaging in community-based activities can also enhance social problem-solving skills. Encourage high school students to participate in volunteering and community service projects, where they can interact with diverse individuals and practice their problem-solving abilities. Additionally, involvement in extracurricular activities provides opportunities for students to develop and apply their social skills in a different context.

Monitoring and Assessing Social Problem-Solving Skills

Regular monitoring and assessment of social problem-solving skills are essential to track students’ progress and identify areas for improvement. Consider the following approaches:

1. Observational assessments

Conduct direct observations of students in various settings, such as the classroom, lunchroom, or during group activities. Use checklists or rating scales to document their social problem-solving skills and behaviors. This allows for objective evaluation and provides valuable insights into their strengths and areas needing further development.

2. Self-assessment and reflection

Promote self-awareness and self-evaluation by encouraging students to assess their own social problem-solving skills. Provide opportunities for reflection, such as journaling or class discussions, where students can identify areas for improvement and set goals for themselves. This self-reflection fosters accountability and empowers students to take an active role in their social development.

Promoting social competence through teaching social problem-solving is crucial for high school students. By equipping them with these essential skills, we empower them to navigate social challenges with confidence, empathy, and critical thinking. Creating a supportive classroom environment, explicitly teaching the social problem-solving steps, providing opportunities for practice, and engaging parents and caregivers are all effective strategies for fostering social competence. Remember to monitor and assess students’ progress and encourage self-reflection. Start your EverydaySpeech Free trial today and embark on a journey of promoting social competence in high school students!

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