Page 12 - Microsoft Word - Thinking like a wallaby 14DEC16.doc

Note to crocodiles:

I have nothing at all against crocodiles!

So let’s see what can be more helpful for each of the four steps in problem solving.

Step 1: Making sure you understand the problem

Eagle-thinking

Have you ever had the chance to watch an eagle high in sky, using the air currents to
glide in slow circles until their keen eyes spot a little movement of ‘lunch’ far below?

From up high, they can see the whole landscape spread out beneath them, a bit like a

road-map. They can see the whole problem, from horizon to horizon, see how far it
extends, what its limits are, what the different bits of it are. In Eagle-thinking, you can

draw a picture of the problem or write it down. We call this “mapping” the problem. Ask

what, who, where, when, why, how, how much, how long? This is often a very good way

to start solving problems.

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