{"id":5261,"date":"2021-11-29T07:33:54","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T12:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/putneydesigns.com\/?p=5261"},"modified":"2021-11-29T07:39:32","modified_gmt":"2021-11-29T12:39:32","slug":"developing-creative-problem-solving-skills-through-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/putneydesigns.com\/developing-creative-problem-solving-skills-through-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Developing Creative Problem-Solving Skills through Play"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
My father\u2019s life dream was becoming an aerospace engineer. He was a brilliant man.<\/p>
Dreams work best when combined with confidence and action. Unfortunately, my dad lacked confidence in his own math skills. So when he had the opportunity of a getting a college degree on the GI bill after returning from WWII, he didn\u2019t take it. For the remainder of his life \u2013 his career options were limited.<\/p>
To protect my sister and I from a similar downfall, my mother insisted we take math seriously. So, when my sister kept getting a different substitute math teacher, Mom, a woman with confidence and action decided to sell our house and move to a different school district. That\u2019s how important this was to her.<\/p>
I grew up in the 60\u2019s and 70\u2019s before STEM\u2013science, technology, engineering, math\u2013 was a buzzword, before most teachers or high school counselors had a clue what engineers did and before most girls would have even considered engineering as a career path. Teaching and nursing were the primary fields appropriate for a woman.<\/p>
I defied all these norms, won an award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and entered Purdue as an engineering major. Knowing of the dashed dreams of my dad and the determination of my mother, I became an engineer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> That decision changed my life \u2013 and I never regretted it.<\/p> STEM INFO & STATS Whether you have interest in engineering, science, technology, or math \u2013 there\u2019s several reasons young girls and women either don\u2019t consider these career paths or quit early in their educational pursuits.<\/p> Let\u2019s look at why this happens:<\/b><\/p> 1. Girls and women lack confidence in their math skills.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p> 2. Women will change majors if their grades are less than perfect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> 3. In general terms – What do boys and men say when they fail?<\/p> 4. What do Girls and Women say when they fail?\u00a0<\/span><\/p> How learning problem-solving skills can change your life<\/b><\/p> I\u2019ve talked a lot about STEM \u2013 but the truth is everyone\u2019s days are filled with problem-solving \u2013 small challenges and huge ones. You\u2019ve solved 100\u2019s of problems \u2013 right? And you\u2019ve likely experienced some that feel too overwhelming and maybe you even decided to give up.<\/p> The one factor<\/b> that makes us stumble, withdraw, and quit is the \u201cfear of failing.\u201d As I stated before, the fear of failing is a powerful and overwhelming barrier to learning problem-solving skills because many of us equate \u201cfailing\u201d with \u201cbeing a failure.\u201d<\/p> OBJECTIVE<\/b><\/p> I\u2019m going to share 3 super-powered skills and attitudes to turn that feeling of failure into becoming your full fantastic problem-solving self.<\/p> The Power of Small Wins<\/b><\/p> Think about a time when your teacher gave you a huge science project assignment or your mom insisted you clean up your very messy room. With either of these examples \u2013 did you wait until the last minute to accomplish the task?\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe you didn\u2019t know where to start, or it seemed an impossible task to complete. This is called perpetual procrastination. You spent so much time spinning your wheels you may have given up or just got by.<\/p> Problem solving wizards \u2013 use the Power of Small Wins<\/strong>.<\/p> I grew up with sewing as one of my many hobbies<\/strong>. Then and now, I apply the Power of Small Wins while sewing. A project like a queen-size quilt is huge. But instead of focusing on the entire quilt, I enjoy working on one section or block at a time. It\u2019s more fun this way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> You know the cool thing about solving problems this way?<\/strong> It builds self-confidence and resilience. You\u2019ll become more capable of tackling bigger challenges because you build on your successes. You know you can learn, figure things out. It\u2019s a game-changer, especially when you take the time to recognize and celebrate your small wins \u2013 incremental progress.<\/p> Now that you are gaining more success with small wins \u2013 let me offer you <\/b>The Power of Choice.<\/b><\/p> If the Fear of Failing<\/strong> is a barrier to truly learning problem-solving skills then let\u2019s adopt a revolutionary attitude shift: What if instead of fearing failure \u2013 we take the attitude of \u201cWrong is Wonderful<\/strong>.\u201d Yes, you heard me correctly. Making a mistake is your fastest way to learn.<\/strong> Here\u2019s why:<\/p> When you make a mistake \u2013 you get feedback<\/strong>. That didn\u2019t work. Then you ask \u2013 why? Then you make a brand-new choice how to approach that problem and be successful. Mistakes gives you valuable information about what the solution isn\u2019t and what it might be. That makes it easier to explore new options that may yield amazing breakthroughs because your focus is on learning efficiently,<\/b> not being perfect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> A perfect example is playing the game hot and cold game: you know, where somebody picks an object in the room, and you\u2019re given feedback \u2026 warm or hot \u2026 when you\u2019re getting close, cold or freezing when you\u2019re not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> And finally \u2013 my favorite skill to optimize your problem-solving skills – The Power of Play<\/b><\/p> Think about when you play. You joyfully explore, create, and invent. You tap into your imagination and let your worries fade away. Play is fun.<\/p> I love to play, to create, to design<\/strong>. My hobbies \u2013 my creative play \u2013 are what gave me the confidence to stay in engineering, overcoming a D in physics, later going on to complete a Ph.D.<\/strong> The play I did while working on my Ph.D. fueled my creativity and problem-solving on my dissertation. I took time to quilt in the evenings, designing a monarch butterfly quilt with a 36-inch wingspan, inspired from raising monarch butterflies and watching them emerge from their chrysalises, expand their wings by 300% in 5 minutes, and harden to flight-ready status in 1 to 3 hours. My hobbies enabled me to design a prototype that\u2019s already saving baby sea turtle lives<\/strong> from misorientations due to artificial lights on Hilton Head Island in 2021.<\/p> So you can see \u2013 play can lead you to doing great things<\/strong>. Play taps into a dynamic, creative, and inventive part of your brain. Play gives your logical brain a rest. You\u2019ll be re-energized to find a solution, build confidence and resilience.<\/p> Having fun is energizing, encourages creativity and creates motivation. Connect an attitude of play to your problem and you\u2019ll discover your challenges are easier to solve and you\u2019ll shrug off failures on your way to better learning.<\/p> The confidence I built solving problems over the years<\/strong> \u2013 by using the power of small wins, the power of choice and the power of play \u2013 gave me the confidence to become an engineer<\/strong>, write children\u2019s books<\/strong>, to share my story with others, to inspire kids to become problem-solvers and reach for their dreams.<\/strong><\/p> If you only take one thing away from this talk, remember the power of play<\/strong>. Take 15 minutes a day to do something that brings you joy, just for pure pleasure. When you take the time to play and connect with your inner joy, you\u2019ll discover the courage to overcome challenges<\/strong>, the confidence to step outside your comfort zone<\/strong>, build a bridge toward your big goals, and become the person you are meant to be<\/strong>.<\/p> Cheers!<\/p> Marsha Tufft, aka MK Tufft<\/p> Engineer, Author, Speaker<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If the Fear of Failing is a barrier to truly learning problem-solving skills then let\u2019s adopt a revolutionary attitude shift: What if instead of fearing failure \u2013 we take the attitude of \u201cWrong is Wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,30,45,32,46,33,105,186,208,207],"tags":[211,56,78,11,213,210,158,15,155,41,209,22,161,212,181],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/b>Even with the focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematical fields in schools, after-school projects, and organizations like Girl Scouts,<\/span><\/p>