Anyone who has talked with me long enough knows my love of public radio and ritualistic listening to the Brian Lehrer Show. I love Brian’s bright optimism, necessary skepticism, and willingness to learn new things. It’s a balance that brings me joy and inspires my curiosity. In the middle of any conversation, I might contribute with a quick, “I was listening to The Brian Lehrer show and…”

A segment on March 3 with Jessica Gould discussed a topic that I have always been practicing in my personal, professional, and academic life: problem-solving. The episode is called “A New Way to Teach Math.” While this segment was about the debate of a new math curriculum, I couldn’t help but realize this topic is applicable to any area of life.

“This way of doing math, according to the curriculum developer who I spoke to, they want kids to work out problems, struggle with it a little bit, a productive struggle.”

Jessica Gould on “Illustrative Math”

As a child, I struggled to overcome challenges and roadblocks. I didn’t learn the common sense skills to move through intellectual obstacles and solve personal problems with productive practices. It wasn’t until my college days and becoming a dog mom that I learned the value of supporting myself through problem-solving. It’s a skill I value and always look forward to practicing.

As a (new) instructor and a staff supervisor to new and mid-career archivists, the skill of practicing the “productive struggle” is equal to the information they take with them. I always invite them to tell me when they are facing a struggle: a problem has occurred, part of the puzzle is missing, something went wrong, or there is more than one option moving forward. I want to be invited because I want them to become comfortable with first recognizing the problem and not being scared that it has occurred. The first step to problem-solving is identifying that the problem exists.

“emphasis on discovery at the beginning”

Next, we practice analyzing the problem: what is introduced, what can be reduced, what is the risk, and where did it start. From this information, we learn how to avoid redundant problems.

Finally, we create a path forward. We want the final result to include the problem-solving aspect because it justifies our decision-making process and proves that the other wrong answers have made this the right answer.

In math, the correct answer is supported by knowing all of the incorrect answers. The same goes for all other life skills. The more problems we encounter, the closer we are to reaching a solution. So, if you ever find yourself amid a struggle, practice the key concepts of problem-solving: