ASDAN Studio · Personal Effectiveness · Week 5 of 6

Solving Problems

GROW Pathway · ASDAN Studio · PEQ Level 1 (E3 floor · L2 stretch)

Progress SoW · GROW ASDAN Aut 1 · 2026–27 · PEQ Level 1 (E3 floor · L2 stretch) · Week 5🏅 Banks: ASDAN PEQ L1 'Problem Solving'

Spark: Every problem shrinks when you break it.

Success looks like

I can break a problem into workable steps
I can choose and try an approach — then adjust it
I can say who the right person to ask would be

Aspire · solve a problem with a CONSTRAINT attached — no budget, no adult help for ten minutes, or a deadline.

Teacher Print Tools — Week 5

Retrieval Quiz

Arrival Task – What Do You Already Know?

1. Say it

Name a problem you solved recently — any size.

Any honest answer counts — say it out loud.

2. Spot it

What did you actually DO first?

Any honest answer counts — say it out loud.

3. Point to it

Point to a problem in this room we could solve.

Any honest answer counts — say it out loud.

1. The big idea

What does 'Every problem shrinks when you break it.' mean in your own words?

Own words — one honest sentence.

2. Today's work

Today is 'Solving Problems' — a method beats a panic. What do you think we'll be doing?

A sensible prediction — we check it at the end.

3. Success check

By the end you should be able to say: 'I can break a problem into workable steps.' What will that take today?

Name one thing you’ll need to do or try.

1. Define first

Why do most failed solutions trace back to a badly defined problem?

Solve the wrong problem perfectly and you've still failed — definition aims everything after it.

2. The right person

'Ask the right person' — design the two questions that find out who that IS.

Who has done this before? Who owns the thing that's broken? — the answers rarely match 'whoever's nearest'.

3. Constraint play

Why does adding a constraint (no money, ten minutes, no adults) sometimes IMPROVE solutions?

Constraints kill the fantasy options early and force the workable ones into view.

Starter

Today at a Glance

Key Question: What are we building today — and where does the evidence go?

💡

Big Idea

Every problem shrinks when you break it.

SPARK

🎲

Today We Play

Sort it

GAME

🧱

The Wall Grows

Onto the Effectiveness Board

AUDIENCE

🏅

It Banks

ASDAN PEQ L1 'Problem Solving'

EVIDENCE

Talk first, then we play — every voice counts here.

I Do

The Model — Solving Problems

Key Idea: Every problem shrinks when you break it.

👀 Look: stuck is a signal, not a stop — back up, think, try another way.

Step 0 of 3

The problem-solving loop: define it, break it, pick an approach, try, adjust.

The loop is define, break, choose, try, adjust — and the order matters. Panic starts at 'try'; method starts at 'define'.

Sorting real responses — what tackles a problem versus what feeds it.

Breaking a problem converts one impossible thing into five possible ones. If a step still feels impossible, it isn't broken enough yet.

Working a live problem as a class, out loud, step by step.

The adjust step is where problem-solvers separate from problem-havers: the first approach failing is information, not verdict.

We Do

Sort it

How it works: Two piles: Makes It Worse and Tackles It. Decide which each card belongs to before you tap.Found: 0/6

Break it into steps

Ignore it and hope

Ask the right person

Blame someone

Try, then adjust

Give up first go

I Do

Proving It — The Evidence Loop

Key Idea: Launch extension: one written line — the moment the problem started shrinking.

Step 0 of 3

Documentarian

photo your worked loop.

Annotate

'my adjustment was ___ because ___'.

Witness

staff sign the Problem Solving evidence.

For the moderator, not just the folder

A tick says it happened. A witness statement says what you did. Before the photo is filed, the adult writes one sentence naming the thing they actually saw you do — and rings whether you did it Supported, Standard or Stretch.

That ring is the part that counts. It is the difference between “the class did this” and “this candidate did it, at this level, with this much help.” The witness sheet prints with every pack.

We Do

Solves It, or Makes It Worse?

Step 1: Tap a card, then its partner. Step 2: Watch the WAGOLL write itself. Score: 0/6

Break it into steps

Ignore it and hope

Ask the right person

Blame someone

Try, then adjust

Give up first go

MAKES IT WORSE: One data point isn't a result

MAKES IT WORSE: Spends energy on the past that the fix ne…

TACKLES IT: Converts impossible into a to-do list

TACKLES IT: The loop in action — attempts are data

MAKES IT WORSE: Problems compound interest while you wait

TACKLES IT: Borrowed experience is the cheapest solut…

Definition firstBroken into stepsAdjusted liveEvidence banked

Independent Work

Independent Work — Studio Time

Instructions: Work at your level. Evidence goes in your ASDAN portfolio — Documentarian photo + annotation + witness tick — ASDAN PEQ L1 'Problem Solving'.

🤝 With support

Task: Work a picture-problem with the loop mat and an adult; you choose each next step.

Steps: One step at a time — adult support is right there. Photo when you’re proud of it.

👤 On your own

Task: Take a real problem card, work the full loop on paper — define, break, approach, try, adjust — and log the result.

Steps: Work the task through — photo as you go, annotate at the end, witness tick before you pack up.

🚀 Take it further

Task: Take a real problem card, work the full loop on paper — define, break, approach, try, adjust — and log the result. Stretch: solve a problem with a CONSTRAINT attached — no budget, no adult help for ten minutes, or a deadline.

Steps: Task first, stretch second — and your annotation should explain the why, not just the what.

Lundy Loop

Lundy Loop — Your Voice on the Wall

Why: Article 12 — your view counts here, and it genuinely changes what happens next.

🚪 SPACE

The Effectiveness Board tracks progress, never rankings — your headline is yours to word, and 'pass' is always allowed.

📣 VOICE

Say a problem that shrank once you broke it up.

👥 AUDIENCE

The room hears the method, not the problem's detail — you choose how much to share.

⭐ INFLUENCE

The approaches that worked become the ones we teach as ours.

Exit Ticket

Instructions: Answer independently. Own words — no wall-peeking.

1.

I can break a problem into workable steps — true for you today? Say how.

Point to today’s work as your proof.

2.

I can choose and try an approach — then adjust it — true for you today? Say how.

Point to today’s work as your proof.

3.

I can say who the right person to ask would be — true for you today? Say how.

Point to today’s work as your proof.

1.

What does 'Every problem shrinks when you break it.' mean now the lesson’s done?

Own words + one example from today.

2.

What did you actually make or do today — and which bit are you proudest of?

Take a real problem card, work the full loop on paper — define, break, approach, try, adjust — and log the result.

3.

Where does today’s evidence bank?

ASDAN PEQ L1 'Problem Solving'

1.

Take a problem you dodged this term. Run just the DEFINE step on it now, honestly.

Own definition — most dodged problems shrink at definition; that's why we dodge defining them.

2.

When is 'ask the right person' the WRONG first move?

When defining hasn't happened — you can't brief help you haven't scoped; and when it's yours to try first.

3.

Argue that the adjust step is the most employable skill on the loop.

Every workplace runs on plan-meets-reality — adjusters stay useful when the plan dies.

Knowledge Organiser (GROW ASDAN W5): Solving Problems

GROW · ASDAN Studio · ASDAN Studio · Personal Effectiveness · Banks: ASDAN PEQ L1 'Problem Solving'

Key Word	Definition
PROBLEM	A gap between where you are and where you need to be.
DEFINE	Saying exactly what the problem is, in one sentence.
APPROACH	The method you have chosen to try.
ADJUST	Changing the approach using what the attempt taught you.

Key Facts

Every problem shrinks when you break it.
Banks: ASDAN PEQ L1 'Problem Solving'
Pupil voice: Say a problem that shrank once you broke it up.
What it changes: The approaches that worked become the ones we teach as ours.
Launch extension: one written line — the moment the problem started shrinking.

Solving Problems

Name: ____________________ Class: __________ Date:

This week's spark

Every problem shrinks when you break it.

ASDAN evidence

Documentarian photo + annotation + witness tick — ASDAN PEQ L1 'Problem Solving'.

Arrival Task

1) Name a problem you solved recently — any size.

2) What did you actually DO first?

3) Point to a problem in this room we could solve.

1) What does 'Every problem shrinks when you break it.' mean in your own words?

2) Today is 'Solving Problems' — a method beats a panic. What do you think we'll be doing?

3) By the end you should be able to say: 'I can break a problem into workable steps.' What will that take today?

1) Why do most failed solutions trace back to a badly defined problem?

2) 'Ask the right person' — design the two questions that find out who that IS.

3) Why does adding a constraint (no money, ten minutes, no adults) sometimes IMPROVE solutions?

Today at a Glance

Key Question: What are we building today — and where does the evidence go?

We Do 1: Sort it

Break it into steps, Ignore it and hope, Ask the right person, Blame someone, Try, then adjust, Give up first go

We Do 2: Solves It, or Makes It Worse?

Draw lines to match:

Break it into steps · Ignore it and hope · Ask the right person · Blame someone · Try, then adjust · Give up first go

MAKES IT WORSE: One data point isn't a result · MAKES IT WORSE: Spends energy on the past that the fix ne… · TACKLES IT: Converts impossible into a to-do list · TACKLES IT: The loop in action — attempts are data · MAKES IT WORSE: Problems compound interest while you wait · TACKLES IT: Borrowed experience is the cheapest solut…

Scaffolding – Supported

Access & sensory notes (staff)
· The supported task today is: Work a picture-problem with the loop mat and an adult; you choose each next step.
· Fine motor: offer the chunky-grip pen, and accept a card sort or a spoken answer scribed by an adult — the judgement is the evidence, not the handwriting. A sorted card layout photographs as well as a written sheet.
· Sensory: Reflection is the loud part inside a pupil, not the room. Offer the write-it-first option before any share-aloud; nobody is put on the spot cold.
· Cognitive load: a completed small piece beats a half-done large one at moderation. Cut the target, never the thinking.
· Ring the level honestly on the witness sheet. Supported with the work finished is a stronger portfolio entry than Standard with it abandoned.

Sentence starters

The problem is ______.

I broke it into ______.

The first thing I tried was ______.

Word bank

problem · define · break it · approach · try · adjust · loop · ask

Scaffolding – Standard

Frame

1) Define the problem in one sentence. 2) Break it into steps and pick an approach. 3) Try, adjust, and explain what the attempt taught you.

Sentence spine: "I started by ___ — then ___ — which shows Every problem shrinks when you break it."

Scaffolding – Stretch

Stretch prompts

Take a problem you dodged this term. Run just the DEFINE step on it now, honestly. When is 'ask the right person' the WRONG first move?

Independent Work – Supported

Task: Work a picture-problem with the loop mat and an adult; you choose each next step.

Work here (an adult can scribe):

Independent Work – Standard

Task: Take a real problem card, work the full loop on paper — define, break, approach, try, adjust — and log the result.

Evidence check: photo ☐ annotation ☐ witness ☐

Independent Work – Stretch

Task: Take a real problem card, work the full loop on paper — define, break, approach, try, adjust — and log the result.

Stretch (L2 standard): solve a problem with a CONSTRAINT attached — no budget, no adult help for ten minutes, or a deadline.

Exit Ticket – Supported

1) I can break a problem into workable steps — true for you today? Say how.

2) I can choose and try an approach — then adjust it — true for you today? Say how.

3) I can say who the right person to ask would be — true for you today? Say how.

Exit Ticket – Standard

1) What does 'Every problem shrinks when you break it.' mean now the lesson’s done?

2) What did you actually make or do today — and which bit are you proudest of?

3) Where does today’s evidence bank?

Exit Ticket – Stretch

1) Take a problem you dodged this term. Run just the DEFINE step on it now, honestly.

2) When is 'ask the right person' the WRONG first move?

3) Argue that the adjust step is the most employable skill on the loop.

Assessor Witness Statement

GROW ASDAN W5 · Solving Problems
GROW · ASDAN Studio · ASDAN Studio · Personal Effectiveness · Banks: ASDAN PEQ L1 'Problem Solving'

Candidate name
Date of activity
Activity witnessed	Solving Problems

1 · What I actually saw this candidate do

Name the observable action, not the worksheet. Write what a stranger would have seen from the doorway.

2 · Level the candidate worked at — ring ONE

SUPPORTED
Work a picture-problem with the loop mat and an adult; you choose each next step.

STANDARD
Take a real problem card, work the full loop on paper — define, break, approach, try, adjust — and log the result.

STRETCH
Take a problem you dodged this term. Run just the DEFINE step on it now, honestly. When is 'ask the right person' the WRONG first move?

Prompts given (if any):

3 · Evidence attached

☐ Dated photograph ☐ Candidate’s written annotation ☐ Completed sheet ☐ Other:

4 · Assessor declaration

I confirm the work described above was produced by the named candidate, and that the level ringed reflects the support actually given on the day.

Assessor name (print)	Role
Signature	Date

One statement per candidate per session. File it with the photo, not instead of it.

Lundy Loop — this lesson

Space → Voice → Audience → Influence. The adult’s first job is Space: regulate before you educate.

Space	The Effectiveness Board tracks progress, never rankings — your headline is yours to word, and 'pass' is always allowed.
Voice	Say a problem that shrank once you broke it up.
Audience	The room hears the method, not the problem's detail — you choose how much to share.
Influence	The approaches that worked become the ones we teach as ours.

Closing the loop: this one ends on paper — your own hand, or your words scribed by an adult. Saying it aloud starts the loop; writing it is what closes it. Pass is always allowed.

What I said, and what it changed:

Solving Problems — Feedback Sheet

Keep with your ASDAN portfolio.

Pupil name:	Date:
WWW (What Went Well):
EBI (Even Better If):
Level worked at: Supported / Standard / Stretch	ASDAN evidence filed: Yes / Not yet
Pupil response — my next step:

Solving Problems

Success looks like

Teacher Print Tools — Week 5

Arrival Task – What Do You Already Know?

1. Say it

2. Spot it

3. Point to it

1. The big idea

2. Today's work

3. Success check

1. Define first

2. The right person

3. Constraint play

Today at a Glance

Big Idea

Today We Play

The Wall Grows

It Banks

The Model — Solving Problems

The problem-solving loop: define it, break it, pick an approach, try, adjust.

Sorting real responses — what tackles a problem versus what feeds it.

Working a live problem as a class, out loud, step by step.

Sort it

Proving It — The Evidence Loop

Documentarian

Annotate

Witness

Solves It, or Makes It Worse?

Independent Work — Studio Time

🤝 With support

👤 On your own

🚀 Take it further

Lundy Loop — Your Voice on the Wall

🚪 SPACE

📣 VOICE

👥 AUDIENCE

⭐ INFLUENCE

Exit Ticket

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

Solving Problems — banked!

Pens down — quick partner check!

Knowledge Organiser (GROW ASDAN W5): Solving Problems

Key Facts

Solving Problems

This week's spark

ASDAN evidence

Arrival Task

Today at a Glance

We Do 1: Sort it

We Do 2: Solves It, or Makes It Worse?

Scaffolding – Supported

Sentence starters

Word bank

Scaffolding – Standard

Frame

Scaffolding – Stretch

Stretch prompts

Independent Work – Supported

Independent Work – Standard

Independent Work – Stretch

Exit Ticket – Supported

Exit Ticket – Standard

Exit Ticket – Stretch

Assessor Witness Statement

Lundy Loop — this lesson

Solving Problems — Feedback Sheet