Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

25 minutes	Part B: Working To Understand The Problem
15 minutes	Part C: Global Problem Solvers Understand The Problem
5 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Differentiation:

Where students have completed the first lesson in this unit, Tuning In:

1. Invite students to access the factsheet they made about Malawi and discuss the main features and characteristics of this country. Ask them work collaboratively to reflect on the following question: What do you remember as being the main or most interesting things about Malawi?
2. Remind students of the Global Problem Solvers and how they will be working in Malawi to solve a problem. Before they solve their problem, the GPS need to find out some details about the problem. Pose the following question to students: Why is it important to be a problem finder before trying to develop a solution? Lead students to the conclusion that understanding the problem in detail will often help us generate a solution that is more creative, innovative and more likely to actually address the problem.
3. Explain to students that in this lesson they will be looking at the way the GPS work to identify the problem. Students will also be exploring and developing their own skills for problem finding.

Where students haven’t completed the Tuning In lesson:

1. Distribute a copy of this factsheet (Background Information - Season 1) to pairs of students and invite them to read through the factsheet together, making a note of anything they find interesting or important. Students can then work collaboratively to reflect on the following questions (also available on the factsheet):
- What information presented in this factsheet is new to you?
- How is the information presented in this factsheet related to what you already knew?
- What information presented in this factsheet do you find the most interesting or important?
2. Explain to students that in this lesson they will be exploring a problem that is based in a part of Malawi. This problem will be identified and discussed by the characters of an animated series called Global Problem Solvers: “Meet the Global Problem Solvers: Adrien, Beela, Cristina, Kelile, Putri, and Satoshi. They are teenagers who each possess a unique skill to solve social problems. Putri, the team leader, summons the teens to an airship and identifies their first challenge: to provide access to clean drinking water in Malawi. With guidance and help from the Malawi people, the team devises a solution: sensor technology that will notify local technicians when a well needs repair.”

You can share the trailer for Series 1 with students:

(Source: https://vimeo.com/273525509)

3. Explain to students that the first task for the Global Problem Solvers (GPS) team is to actually identify the problem. Why might this be important? When many of us hear about a challenge or a problem we jump straight into the hunt for a solution, when spending some time being a problem finder and understanding the problem in detail will often help us generate a solution that is more creative, innovative and more likely to actually address the problem.
4. Explain to students that in this lesson they will be looking at the way the GPS work to identify the problem, and students will be exploring and developing their own skills for problem finding.

Part B: Working To Understand The Problem

Step 1.

Now remind students that when we are presented with a problem that needs solving, the first stage is to understand the problem in detail. This means asking lots of questions about the problem and then conducting the research necessary to answer these questions.

Explain to students that a good place to start when asking questions is by using the 5Ws:

Invite students to suggest what sorts of questions you could create with the 5Ws. Record these on the board. By the end of the brainstorm, make sure you have at least the following questions on the board. You can then position these as the main ones that students use to identify a problem:

What happened?
Where did it happen?
Who is involved?
Why did it happen?
When did it happen?

Differentiation: Year 4 students could also consider the following questions:

What are the wider or long-term consequences?

Step 2.

Now display the following scenario on the board. Work as a class to answer the 5Ws in response to this scenario.

Students at Windyvale Primary School shared the following: Last Tuesday was very windy and we observed litter blowing from the oval where students sit at lunchtime. The litter then collects outside the library. We spoke to the librarian to see if he knows what happens with the litter. He often cleans it up and puts it in the bin but would really like it if he didn’t have to do it.

5Ws and suggested answers:

What happened?
Suggested answer: Litter is getting blown around the school towards the library. The librarian ends up picking up the litter and putting it in the bin.
Where did it happen?
Suggested answer: At the school oval and library.
Who is involved?
Suggested answer: Students are probably not cleaning up their rubbish properly. The librarian is having to clean it up.
Why did it happen?
Suggested answer: There are no bins by the oval, so there is nowhere for students to put their rubbish.
When did it happen?
Suggested answer: Last Tuesday, but it also probably happens anytime it is windy.

Differentiation: Year 4 students could also respond to the following (suggested answers included):

What might be the wider or long-term consequences?
Suggested answer: Litter could blow out of the school and into stormwater drains or creeks and could harm our environment.

Once complete, you could briefly engage students in a discussion about what the solution to this problem might be, for example proposing to the school principal that a bin be placed by the oval for students to put their rubbish in, or that students start packing rubbish-free lunchboxes.

Step 3.

Students will now work in pairs or small groups to develop a series of 5W questions around a different scenario. Once complete, invite students to share their responses through a class discussion.

Project or distribute the scenario relevant to your students and invite students to work in pairs or small groups to work through the scenario and the questions.

You can use the following to help support students or provide guidance on suggested answers:

Step 4.

Once complete, you could briefly engage students in a discussion about what the solution to this problem might be. For example:

Year 3 - Students could write a letter to the council or start a petition to plant more trees, and could hold a tree planting day to help revegetate the site.
Year 4 - Students could start a campaign to get more pedestrian crossings installed on the street, and create information about the benefits of active transport to individuals, the community and the environment.

Part C: Global Problem Solvers Understand The Problem

Step 1.

In this part, students will watch the Global Problem Solvers identify their own problem. Share the following clip from Series 1 of GPS. Invite students to record any thoughts or questions they have about the clip as they watch:

(Source: https://vimeo.com/259753668)

Once complete, invite students to share what they observed in this clip. If students are interested, you could invite further discussion around some of the issues raised in the clip with the following questions (suggested answers included):

Many people in Malawi rely on wells for water. Why do you think this is?
Suggested answer: In some places - like Malawi - the government has been unable to install pipes to transport water to people’s houses, and between and around towns. Instead, most villages have wells. People carry buckets and tubs to the well and fill them with water, and then carry the full buckets and tubs home. Sometimes a well can be a long way away from a village; in Asia and Africa, for instance, some people have to walk an average of six kilometres each day to get water. (Source: https://theconversation.com/women-still-carry-most-of-the-worlds-water-81054)
There are people who can repair well pumps, but there are not enough of them. Why is this?
Suggested answer: It costs the government money to pay people to fix pumps. In some places, the government doesn’t have a lot of money to employ the necessary number of people to fix all the wells (or other problems).
It is usually the responsibility of women and children to collect water. Why is this?
Suggested answer: The reasons why women and children are often given the task of collecting water are complex and varied, but part of it is that men in these environments typically work for a wage, while women are tasked with looking after the home, raising the children and sourcing food and water.

Step 2.

Students will now think about answering the 5Ws in relation to this clip. Students could work as a class or in groups to answer the 5Ws questions (also available on the Student Worksheet). Use the suggested answers below to guide your discussion (clip timings are also included if you want to cross reference your answers):

5Ws and 1H	Suggested answer	Clip timings
What happened?	Many people in Malawi don’t have access to clean drinking water. Girls and young women are missing school.	00:33 to 00:53
What happened?	The person responsible for fixing wells hasn’t been seen for months.	1:09 to 1:16
Where did it happen?	In villages in Malawi.	00:33 to 00:53
Who is involved?	Girls and young women, the people responsible for repairing the pumps, farmers, and teachers.
Why did it happen?	The whole well could use maintenance. People in Malawi rely on water from wells. They use pumps to draw the water up from the well to fill their buckets which they then carry home.	1:28 to 1:39
	Some pumps are broken and so people have to walk further to get their water.	2:03 to 2:18
	The well technician has too many wells to fix.	2:18 to 2:26
	Often, girls and young women are responsible for collecting water and because they have to travel further when the pump is broken, many are missing school.	2:41 to 3:05
When did it happen?	There is no clear timeframe, but the well has been broken for many months.	1:10 to 1:16
When did it happen?	Girls have been missing school all week.	2:26 to 2:33
Year 4 - What might be the wider or long-term consequences?	Not having access to safe drinking water affects people by increasing illness and mortality, and making it harder for people to get and keep jobs. This increases the risk of poverty and can have a negative impact on the whole community.	1:10 to 1:28
Year 4 - What might be the wider or long-term consequences?	If girls fail to get an education it can affect their ability to find work and be self-sufficient when they are older. This affects the economy of the whole community, as there are less people able to bring money into the community and contribute to building a stronger community. Education for girls is essential in helping individuals, families and communities climb out of poverty.	1:10 to 1:28

Step 3.

Finally, invite students to work independently to write a one paragraph to summarise the problem identified in this clip. Students should try to ensure they have answered the 5Ws in their paragraph.

Once complete, invite students to swap their paragraph with another student and use the 5Ws to check that all the main information about the problem have been included (i.e. has each question been answered in the paragraph?). Students could then rewrite their work in response to feedback.

NOTE: If you are planning to continue with the lessons in this unit, encourage students to keep a record of their paragraph to refer to later on.

Reflection

Once complete, invite students to work independently to answer the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What information presented in this lesson was new to you?
What information presented in this lesson reminded you of what you already knew?
What questions do you have about the information presented in this lesson?

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Cisco GPS - Finding The Problem

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