Read about Rickys situation and apply the problem-solving steps below:

Situation:

Ricky is a first-semester student. His initial excitement about attending college has turned to panic. His first shock hit when he went to the bookstore to get his books. Besides the sticker shock of how much the books cost, he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of books he had to buy for each class. Initially, he thought, There is no way the professors will expect us to read all of these books. Ill wait until the first day of class to see if there has been some sort of mistake.

The first day came and sure enough there was no mistake. Each instructor plopped a large syllabus and reading assignments page at his seat. He then learned that each instructor required the students to critically read each assignment. Rickys idea of reading had been to skim the chapter for words that might be on a quiz, memorize them, and spit them back when asked. Now, he would have to write or orally explain his readings. He had very little experience with this.

Ricky is considering quitting school.

1. Reflecting: (identify and consider the problem. Clearly define it. See what assumptions exist.)

2. Brainstorming: (possible solutions-come up with at least 3 ideas. What possible actions could solve this problem?)

a. List potential solution 1. __________________________________

b. List potential solution 2. __________________________________

c. List potential solution 3. __________________________________

3. Choosing: (choose the best solution and say why do you consider it to be the best choice? Again, are you making any assumptions?)

4. Implementing: (Move from thinking to doing. How can Ricky implement this solution?)

5. Evaluating: (Has the problem been solved? Or does Ricky have to do something else? Was your solution effective?)