Year 6 Problem Solving Day – communication skills
For the first Friday of the new school year, Talbot was very lucky to have “The Problem-Solving Company” work with the children.
It was a lovely sunny afternoon, and each class was split into four groups to try to solve two, practical problems, each requiring excellent communication skills. One of the tasks was to pick up a bucket – without using hands – so that water could be poured into a tall funnel which had a whistle at the bottom. The children’s second task was to pick up some cylinders and place them onto a wooden box, again, without using their hands.
Both tasks were incredibly challenging, requiring the groups to co-operate with each other to be successful. Listening to each other’s ideas was vital, which was very difficult when so many people had different ideas at the same time. Eventually, the classes begun to recognise the value of sharing ideas and learnt to work together more effectively.
The afternoon was a great success, and the children learnt a lot about teamwork, co-operation and effective communication skills.
