Problem Solving Approach: Plant Disease with Greenhouse Sale!

For AEE 412 Lab this week, we were to create a problem-solving lab. In another plant science class that I am in, we propagated houseplants two weeks ago and I noticed that my coleus had some Botrytis. When brainstorming some of the topics I could choose for a problem solving approach lab, plant diseases seemed like the perfect opportunity!

When I start teaching at Oley Valley next spring, I will be teaching a greenhouse management unit for my Plant Science/Horticulture class. With the actual problem of a disease for one of my propagated plants, I thought it would be perfect to create my problem solving lab around this issue.

When I introduced the topic, I reminded the students that we are having our annual plant sale in two weeks and had to do as much as possible to avoid spreading the disease to the other plants. After allowing a gallery walk and close inspection of the physical plant, students returned to their seats to research the problem and discover a solution for this issue. After conducting this problem solving approach, I came up with a few questions:

When giving instructions for a problem-solving approach, do you give a handout on the problem at hand, or keep the instructions on the board?

If students are having a rough time coming up with the answer to the problem, when should the teacher step in and offer some extra structure?

What has been your favorite example of a problem solving approach lesson you've used in your classroom?