Problem Solving and Enquiry 5-14

Primary 1-3

Pupils working together

Here you can choose from a number of P1, P2 and P3 classes as well as from composite classes in this age group. You can see a short video of a problem solving lesson and video clips of interviews with teachers. There is also text about their approaches to teaching problem solving, their planning, resources used and their recording, reporting and assessment procedures.

Four steps to solving a problem

P1 pupils at St Matthew's Primary School follow four simple steps for problem solving - listen, look, think and talk - as they work on making a pattern with beads.

Finding and making patterns

Lorna Lambie from The High School of Glasgow Junior School talks about her problem solving teaching. Her Junior 2 pupils continue work on the ‘Finding a pattern’ strategy, moving from colour patterns to number patterns.

Sorting and classifying objects

Sara Hall talks about her problem solving teaching at George Heriot’s Junior School; four P2 pupils have a thinking skills lesson based on a classification exercise.

What comes next? Finding a pattern

Karen Dewar from Grange Primary School discusses her problem solving teaching. Her P2 pupils use Compare Bears in their work on ‘Finding a pattern’.

Working on an elimination task

Dorothy Duncan talks about her problem solving teaching. Her P2 pupils at Invergowrie Primary School work together on a problem involving 'elimination'.

Making a model from a picture

Joyce Redpath talks about problem solving teaching. Her P3 pupils at Capshard Primary School use multilink cubes, mats and cards in a problem solving lesson.

Combining colours to make flags

Lynne Milroy from Balfron Primary School talks about her problem solving teaching. Her  P2/P3 pupils work in pairs to make as many flags as possible from different combinations of three colours.

Creating coloured football strips

Victoria Hendry talks about her problem solving teaching. Her P3/P4 pupils at Bishopmill Primary School follow a structured ‘traffic lights’ system for solving a problem concerning football strips.

Purple cats: a classification challenge

Robyn Robertson from Urafirth Primary School discusses her problem solving and thinking skills teaching. The younger pupils in her composite P1/P2/P3/P4 class do a thinking skills exercise and solve a design problem in a technology lesson.