Encourage student groups to proceed through the phases of problem solving in order, rather than completely testing only one problem solution at a time, to make them more productive.

  • Formal problem-solving phases usually include: (1) clarifying the problem, (2) discussing solution criteria, (3) proposing solutions, and (4) evaluating proposals.
  • Research suggests groups that fully evaluate one possible solution to a problem at a time tend to be less successful overall.