Problem solving

The skill of problem solving is fundamental to pupils’ development, in education and beyond.  It’s key to start building from an early age as global societal and technological trends will continue to shape the future workplace as pupils move through education.  These changes are brought about by AI, automation and as the world looks to reduce the impacts of climate change. Core transferable skills such as problem solving are becoming increasingly valuable to employers and can transfer across different roles and industries. 

Teach 7–11-year-old pupils that problem solving is about breaking down tricky situations and finding good solutions, either on their own or with others.  

In this lesson, pupils are introduced to what solving problems means and why it matters. Pupils will start to recognise how they already use problem solving in their everyday lives and learn how to choose different strategies to tackle challenges as they grow.

Teaching resources:

• Problem solving: lesson plan and presentation slides – for use with a group of pupils in the classroom
• Problem solving: Pupil worksheet – a worksheet that ask pupils to reflect on the problem-solving skills they’ve learned in this lesson
• Primary school: Skills tracker – an optional resource to support pupils keep track of the skills they have developed and plan how they can practise them
• Problem solving icon: available to download and incorporate in your wider teaching materials to help students recognise other contexts where they are learning and utilising problem solving skills. 

Lesson learning outcomes

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

·        Define the skill of problem solving

·        Understand how problem solving can help in a job and at school

·        Discuss how they use this skill in their daily lives.

Support pupils’ ongoing progression 

This lesson features in the employability skills scheme of learning for 7–11-year-olds. They provide a ready-made sequence of curriculum linked resources to help you build progression in your learners' knowledge over time. Visit the Scheme of learning homepage to support with your planning.