Problem Solving for Teaching and Learning: A Festschrift for Emeritus Professor Mike Lawson

Problem Solving for Teaching and Learning explores the importance of problem solving to learning in everyday personal and social contexts.

This book is divided into four sections: Setting the scene; Conceptualising problem solving; Teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about problem solving; and Fostering students’ problem-solving capabilities, allowing readers to gain an insight into the various sub-topics that problem solving in learning and teaching introduce. Drawing together diverse perspectives on problem solving located in a variety of educational settings, this book explores problem solving theory, including its cognitive architecture, as well as attending to its translation into teaching and learning in a range of settings, such as education and social environments. This book also suggests how effective problem-solving activities can be incorporated more explicitly in learning and teaching and examines the benefits of this approach.

The ideas developed in Problem Solving for Teaching and Learning will act as a catalyst for transforming practices in teaching, learning, and social engagement in formal and informal educational settings, making this book an essential read for education academics and students specialising in cognitive psychology, educational psychology, and problem solving.

Helen Askell-Williams (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Education at Flinders University. Helen teaches cognitive psychology and educational practice and building positive mental health in school communities. Her research focusses on teachers' and learners' knowledge about learning, and on promoting student wellbeing and positive mental health. Her most recent research is leading an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant project, Sustainability of Effective Educational Initiatives, investigating features that support the long-term success of educational programs.

Janice Orrell is an Emeritus Professor of Higher Education and Assessment in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. Her work largely focusses on assessment and work integrated learning in higher education. Her recent research focusses on initial teacher education and pre-service teachers’ thinking about the work and role of teachers. She works with a non-formal school for tribal and Dalit women in southern India focussing on non-formal education for liberation and empowerment.