**2. Facing the challenge: the cycle of problem-solving by adolescent students in a learning workshop**

The ability to learn is a result of the need for our genes to make predictions in very unpredictable environments. The brain is built by these genes, with the ability to make decisions to ensure the survival of the individual. Decision-making is provided by strategies for learning and simulation of future events, enabling the execution of action plans [6].

Learning, therefore, is associated with the need for survival of genes and therefore needs a motive and situations that involve the development of this need, considered a "trick" to guarantee the art of living [6]. In the earliest times, this need was focused on acquiring the skills to hunt, procreate, and defend clan members and aspects formed by genes and executed by the brain. The brain is able to evolve over time because of the association of gene propagation with lived experiences, allowing for new connections and the development of subjective awareness, simulation capacity, and the innate movement of learning. Patterns of behavior are also tied to this evolution, spreading species selfishness and altruism to members from the same clan.

School learning, an aspect created from society's need, is, in this sense, a set of strategies to be acquired in order to live and survive in a given time, in accordance with the current standards and rules. If we take into account the current time that we live, autonomy and responsibility continue being essential elements for human survival. According to Zimmerman and Cleary [7], it is necessary to offer (to individuals) sufficient opportunities to develop and exercise their autonomy within the classroom. For this, mechanisms opposed to the traditional form of teaching need to be thought and applied. The development of the individual capable of managing one's own knowledge depends on how he or she faces the acquisition of new information. And today, with the demand for inclusion in an increasingly complex society, changes in the work world are increasing, requiring the formation of people capable of exercising effective strategies in problem-solving.

Sesi School network in Paraná has in its methodology the premise that the only way to do this is to break the paradigm of the traditional school as a response to social demands and to the industry. Its teaching and learning proposal is based on the participative education of the adolescent, and it focuses on developing the learning workshops. One of its main objectives is the education of leaders capable

**53**

social schemas [12].

resulting in knowledge.

*Using Problem-Solving as a Method for the Development of Self-Regulation of Learning…*

of efficiently using their cognitive and relational capacities for success in the labor market. Learning workshops provide the constant investigation and exploration of challenges related to reality, providing a continuous conflict and the use of a range

If this is the goal of the methodology, is it possible to work on these aspects in high school, a time when students are in their teens, where the individual undergoes

Analyzing the perspective of neuroscience, research reveals that the extensive structural and functional development of the brain continues during adolescence, which means that there is still great flexibility for adjustments in intrinsic motivation and goal priorities, allowing for changes in their social context [8]. It is considered a period of development and consolidation of its social being and its identity and understanding of society and the opinion of others [9]. They also develop the capacity to retain larger multidimensional concepts and, therefore, acquire the

However, because of the hormonal changes, mainly due to puberty, the risk propensity becomes greater, because the individual loses up to 30% of dopaminergic synapses, strictly related to pleasure or reward. It is for this reason that certain situations considered pleasant during childhood are no longer interesting [11]. This lack of interest and the need for more robust rewards are related to changes in the adolescent's own brain that during puberty undergo a process of synaptic reorganization, and as a consequence, the brain becomes more sensitive to new experiences linked to executive functions and social cognition [10]. This means that, because of this reorganization, there is a greater need to search for sensations that bring back the sensation of pleasure and reward, and, therefore, there is vulnerability to risks. Sternberg [5] points out that, although these manifestations derive from biological aspects, one of the factors that increase the risk activity, especially in negative risks, is the strong influence of the environment in which the adolescent is inserted. For the author, there are few hormonal effects that are not conditioned to the environment and that to contribute to the healthy development of the individual's brain at this stage, efforts to prevent or minimize negative risks should focus on changing the environment, transforming what the adolescents know and the ways they think. They are able to put energy into both analytical and heuristic processes for judgment and decision-making when immersed in contexts that activate their

Positive influences in helping to develop greater autonomy and responsibility in the environment are therefore possible because the flexibility and the myelin layer formed in the axon of their neurons increase the speed of the electrical transmissions from one neuron to another, contributing to the maturation of the frontal cortex, a fundamental part for problem-solving and decision-making [10, 13]. In this sense, if we assume that the adolescent has a decrease in dopamine responsible for pleasure and feeling of reward, resulting in a greater propensity for risk—but presents great potential for thinking strategically, making larger and faster neural connections due to the myelin layer, it is possible to consider work with problem-solving as a lever of autonomy and responsibility. Problems can become challenges and can be thought-provoking to the point of becoming a positive risk, motivating the student to seek pleasure and reward in finding the best resolution,

In this context, the conventional teaching methodology worked as current education does, in a way, does not provide for the adolescent's need to cope with changes in his body and mind, and therefore does not fulfill his potential to utilize his neural and motivational capacity for learning. Therefore, the proposal of a new educational formation for the adolescence phase becomes real from the

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88195*

of strategies to achieve possible responses.

ability to reason more strategically [10].

important physiological and psychological changes?

*Using Problem-Solving as a Method for the Development of Self-Regulation of Learning… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88195*

of efficiently using their cognitive and relational capacities for success in the labor market. Learning workshops provide the constant investigation and exploration of challenges related to reality, providing a continuous conflict and the use of a range of strategies to achieve possible responses.

If this is the goal of the methodology, is it possible to work on these aspects in high school, a time when students are in their teens, where the individual undergoes important physiological and psychological changes?

Analyzing the perspective of neuroscience, research reveals that the extensive structural and functional development of the brain continues during adolescence, which means that there is still great flexibility for adjustments in intrinsic motivation and goal priorities, allowing for changes in their social context [8]. It is considered a period of development and consolidation of its social being and its identity and understanding of society and the opinion of others [9]. They also develop the capacity to retain larger multidimensional concepts and, therefore, acquire the ability to reason more strategically [10].

However, because of the hormonal changes, mainly due to puberty, the risk propensity becomes greater, because the individual loses up to 30% of dopaminergic synapses, strictly related to pleasure or reward. It is for this reason that certain situations considered pleasant during childhood are no longer interesting [11]. This lack of interest and the need for more robust rewards are related to changes in the adolescent's own brain that during puberty undergo a process of synaptic reorganization, and as a consequence, the brain becomes more sensitive to new experiences linked to executive functions and social cognition [10]. This means that, because of this reorganization, there is a greater need to search for sensations that bring back the sensation of pleasure and reward, and, therefore, there is vulnerability to risks.

Sternberg [5] points out that, although these manifestations derive from biological aspects, one of the factors that increase the risk activity, especially in negative risks, is the strong influence of the environment in which the adolescent is inserted. For the author, there are few hormonal effects that are not conditioned to the environment and that to contribute to the healthy development of the individual's brain at this stage, efforts to prevent or minimize negative risks should focus on changing the environment, transforming what the adolescents know and the ways they think. They are able to put energy into both analytical and heuristic processes for judgment and decision-making when immersed in contexts that activate their social schemas [12].

Positive influences in helping to develop greater autonomy and responsibility in the environment are therefore possible because the flexibility and the myelin layer formed in the axon of their neurons increase the speed of the electrical transmissions from one neuron to another, contributing to the maturation of the frontal cortex, a fundamental part for problem-solving and decision-making [10, 13].

In this sense, if we assume that the adolescent has a decrease in dopamine responsible for pleasure and feeling of reward, resulting in a greater propensity for risk—but presents great potential for thinking strategically, making larger and faster neural connections due to the myelin layer, it is possible to consider work with problem-solving as a lever of autonomy and responsibility. Problems can become challenges and can be thought-provoking to the point of becoming a positive risk, motivating the student to seek pleasure and reward in finding the best resolution, resulting in knowledge.

In this context, the conventional teaching methodology worked as current education does, in a way, does not provide for the adolescent's need to cope with changes in his body and mind, and therefore does not fulfill his potential to utilize his neural and motivational capacity for learning. Therefore, the proposal of a new educational formation for the adolescence phase becomes real from the

*Metacognition in Learning*

motivation to achieve solid results.

socio-cognitive psychology.

execution of action plans [6].

the same clan.

**students in a learning workshop**

According to Zimmerman [2], "a major function of education is the development of lifelong learning skills." Therefore, responsibility and autonomy are two essential aspects. It is common to find students who like to be told what to do or do it only if it is essential to a good grade. These attitudes diminish confidence in their own actions and depress the use of strategies to promote learning [3]. Learning needs involve the use of specific strategies to achieve academic goals [4]. And these actions come from research and development of problem-solving, coupled with the

Cognitive psychology brings problem-solving as a motivated activity to reach a goal or answer a question [5]. And this will be the work front for the analysis of this study, which has as guiding element the methodology of teaching and applied learning for adolescents in high school at Sesi School network in the State of Paraná. The objective of the study is to relate aspects of Sesi's methodology to the theoretical notes referring to the problem-solving of Sternberg [5] and the self-regulation of learning in the vision of author Barry Zimmerman, both guided by cognitive and

**2. Facing the challenge: the cycle of problem-solving by adolescent** 

The ability to learn is a result of the need for our genes to make predictions in very unpredictable environments. The brain is built by these genes, with the ability to make decisions to ensure the survival of the individual. Decision-making is provided by strategies for learning and simulation of future events, enabling the

Learning, therefore, is associated with the need for survival of genes and therefore needs a motive and situations that involve the development of this need, considered a "trick" to guarantee the art of living [6]. In the earliest times, this need was focused on acquiring the skills to hunt, procreate, and defend clan members and aspects formed by genes and executed by the brain. The brain is able to evolve over time because of the association of gene propagation with lived experiences, allowing for new connections and the development of subjective awareness, simulation capacity, and the innate movement of learning. Patterns of behavior are also tied to this evolution, spreading species selfishness and altruism to members from

School learning, an aspect created from society's need, is, in this sense, a set of strategies to be acquired in order to live and survive in a given time, in accordance with the current standards and rules. If we take into account the current time that we live, autonomy and responsibility continue being essential elements for human survival. According to Zimmerman and Cleary [7], it is necessary to offer (to individuals) sufficient opportunities to develop and exercise their autonomy within the classroom. For this, mechanisms opposed to the traditional form of teaching need to be thought and applied. The development of the individual capable of managing one's own knowledge depends on how he or she faces the acquisition of new information. And today, with the demand for inclusion in an increasingly complex society, changes in the work world are increasing, requiring the formation of people

Sesi School network in Paraná has in its methodology the premise that the only way to do this is to break the paradigm of the traditional school as a response to social demands and to the industry. Its teaching and learning proposal is based on the participative education of the adolescent, and it focuses on developing the learning workshops. One of its main objectives is the education of leaders capable

capable of exercising effective strategies in problem-solving.

**52**

neuroscience explanation, impelling adaptations to the new time, as affirmed by Silva [14]: "Students should be taught to understand and use personal resources that allow them to reflect on their actions, to exercise a greater control over their own learning processes and to strengthen their learning skills; teachers, on the other hand, should be able to stimulate in their students a more competent, efficient and motivated use of the learning processes and the technological and cultural means to which they can have access." It is the conscious, knowledgeable, and controlled possession of these internal and external means that can lead students to play an active role in the construction of their knowledge, in the fulfillment of their aspirations, in the elaboration and direction of their intellectual, affective, social, and professional goals and guarantee them an active and responsible integration in the society.

Academic learning, when based on the understanding of learning itself and on the construction of greater cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral independence, favors the autonomous development of the individual and assists in the continuity of his/her formation after the school period [15]. It is assumed, therefore, that the role of the school is to provide the students with subsidies that allow them to develop cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral mechanisms to help them to seek knowledge to improve and face the obstacles encountered in the course of their learning, even when, and especially in the absence of a mentor. "[…] the educational process must be based not so much on the transmission of knowledge and information, but rather on guiding and facilitating the formation of thinking and the action of the citizen" [16].

Dawkins [6] warns to the fact that "[…] it is a fallacy to assume that genetically inherited traits are by definition fixed and unalterable." What makes us autonomous is the ability to stimulate and exercise the brain to learn and contribute to the environment. In addition, the human being is directly influenced by culture and transmission of habits.

The methodology of the learning workshops has as one of its pillars the individual's independence, able to solve conflicts and problems in an intelligent and effective way. Studies show that synaptic reorganization promotes a decrease in synapses to give rise to a specialization of areas and abilities in adolescents [11]. This exercise in the brain is considered fundamental for the refinement of functional networks in the brain tissue, making neural circuits more efficient and prone to strategic work. In addition, this refinement also allows for the perception of the other, a crucial aspect for social communication [10].

In order for the adolescent to be able to put his or her areas and skills into practice, also by exercising this communication, contributing to problem-solving, the classrooms do not include individual desks, but tables with seats for 4–5 students, so that they can work the challenge of the team workshop, promoting discussion, reflection, and decision-making. This proposal is in line with Sternberg's [5] statements, reporting that for cognitive psychology, group work facilitates problem-solving as members can contribute with a greater variety of skills by sharing acquired skills. Moreover, interactions with peers, as well as societal influences, are likely to influence their social behavior, contributing to neural maturation in positive situations and contexts [9].

Solving the challenge proposed in the workshop, students have a period of a 2-month period to complete it, that is, the answer is not tied to the simple memorization of certain content. Problems require time, not opening space for immediate answers, but rather hypotheses [5]. It is expected that the executive function of the adolescent brain develops, providing better selective attention and decisionmaking [10], and for this reason, work with problems helps in the exercise of this brain function. According to Sartorio [11], "If we confront adolescents with problem situations that require from themselves the execution of moral decisions,

**55**

**Table 1.**

*Using Problem-Solving as a Method for the Development of Self-Regulation of Learning…*

of anticipation of damages caused by acts and in the adequate recognition and judgment of the emotions, we will be propitiating maturation of the areas of the brain responsible for these abilities, thus increasing the chances of being cooperative,

Working with problem situations—challenges—is part of a cycle that is composed of well-defined steps and, according to neuroscience, activates the prefrontal lobe each time we come across it [5]. "The brain is not only in charge of the continuous control of the occupations of survival machines but also acquired the ability to see the future and act accordingly," having the power to instantly decide what to do, increasing its efficiency in the various ways of living [6]. The decisions are thought from the strategy of simulation developed by the human brain itself and potenti-

The steps in the cycle to work with problem situations, which help and improve

There is a relationship between the Sternberg cycle [5] and the so-called selfregulatory learning skills, since, according to Zimmerman and Cleary [7], in order for students to solve school problems and meet expectations, they need to have a repertoire of strategies of study and self-regulation that they can access and use. Self-regulation is understood as a complex, multifaceted process that integrates key

motivated to solve during the 2-month period

given subjects to achieve the desired goal

the teams to understand the challenge and represent it

The pedagogical team elaborates the projects to be implemented, each one with a challenge to be solved. The students identify what the challenge is and how the goal will be met. Thus, they choose which challenge they feel

By entering the chosen learning workshop, the facilitator teachers help

During the workshop period, the student team is motivated to think of strategies to meet the challenge proposed. These strategies come from the experience with teammates, the facilitator teacher, and the resources

Each learning workshop includes a content web related to the theme and the proposed challenge. The contents come from an area/subject proposed in the National Common Basis of contents for the Brazilian High School. History, geography, mathematics, biology, etc. are intertwined by the challenge. The students gather what they learn in the

It is necessary to have the time, the mental resources, and the help of the facilitating teacher, of colleagues, and of the didactic material available so that the planning and the applied strategies have effectiveness in solving

The students take up and evaluate the challenge at all times, being in individual works, being in works with their team. Through this review, it is possible to understand if the path mapped to the challenge solution is

The process of investigation and resolution of the challenge is evaluated by the student himself not only on the day of his presentation but also in his moment of reflection and decision-making: individual and team self-assessment. And through this activity, the student becomes aware of the steps taken and their performance so that the process is completed

the decision-making performed by the brain, are clear in the Sesi/PR teaching

available for research

the problem

being effective

*Identification of Sternberg [5] problem-solving cycle in the methodology of Sesi/PR School.*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88195*

empathic, and emotionally healthy adults."

ated by the experiences lived by the individual.

**Problem-solving cycle [5] Sesi/PR School teaching proposal**

proposal, as shown in **Table 1**.

1. Problem identification: first and important step to recognize the goal to be

2. Problem definition: define it and represent it to understand

3. Elaborating a strategy for solving the problem: plan ways to solve it

4. Organizing information on a problem: to integrate the necessary information for meeting the challenge

5. Resource allocation: the use of time, space, materials, and

6. Monitoring: measuring and evaluating the taken steps during the course

7. Evaluation: evaluate the solution after being concluded

knowledge

reached

how to solve it

*Using Problem-Solving as a Method for the Development of Self-Regulation of Learning… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88195*

of anticipation of damages caused by acts and in the adequate recognition and judgment of the emotions, we will be propitiating maturation of the areas of the brain responsible for these abilities, thus increasing the chances of being cooperative, empathic, and emotionally healthy adults."

Working with problem situations—challenges—is part of a cycle that is composed of well-defined steps and, according to neuroscience, activates the prefrontal lobe each time we come across it [5]. "The brain is not only in charge of the continuous control of the occupations of survival machines but also acquired the ability to see the future and act accordingly," having the power to instantly decide what to do, increasing its efficiency in the various ways of living [6]. The decisions are thought from the strategy of simulation developed by the human brain itself and potentiated by the experiences lived by the individual.

The steps in the cycle to work with problem situations, which help and improve the decision-making performed by the brain, are clear in the Sesi/PR teaching proposal, as shown in **Table 1**.

There is a relationship between the Sternberg cycle [5] and the so-called selfregulatory learning skills, since, according to Zimmerman and Cleary [7], in order for students to solve school problems and meet expectations, they need to have a repertoire of strategies of study and self-regulation that they can access and use. Self-regulation is understood as a complex, multifaceted process that integrates key


#### **Table 1.**

*Identification of Sternberg [5] problem-solving cycle in the methodology of Sesi/PR School.*

*Metacognition in Learning*

of the citizen" [16].

transmission of habits.

aspect for social communication [10].

positive situations and contexts [9].

neuroscience explanation, impelling adaptations to the new time, as affirmed by Silva [14]: "Students should be taught to understand and use personal resources that allow them to reflect on their actions, to exercise a greater control over their own learning processes and to strengthen their learning skills; teachers, on the other hand, should be able to stimulate in their students a more competent, efficient and motivated use of the learning processes and the technological and cultural means to which they can have access." It is the conscious, knowledgeable, and controlled possession of these internal and external means that can lead students to play an active role in the construction of their knowledge, in the fulfillment of their aspirations, in the elaboration and direction of their intellectual, affective, social, and professional goals and guarantee them an active and responsible integration in the society.

Academic learning, when based on the understanding of learning itself and on the construction of greater cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral independence, favors the autonomous development of the individual and assists in the continuity of his/her formation after the school period [15]. It is assumed, therefore, that the role of the school is to provide the students with subsidies that allow them to develop cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral mechanisms to help them to seek knowledge to improve and face the obstacles encountered in the course of their learning, even when, and especially in the absence of a mentor. "[…] the educational process must be based not so much on the transmission of knowledge and information, but rather on guiding and facilitating the formation of thinking and the action

Dawkins [6] warns to the fact that "[…] it is a fallacy to assume that genetically inherited traits are by definition fixed and unalterable." What makes us autonomous is the ability to stimulate and exercise the brain to learn and contribute to the environment. In addition, the human being is directly influenced by culture and

The methodology of the learning workshops has as one of its pillars the individual's independence, able to solve conflicts and problems in an intelligent and effective way. Studies show that synaptic reorganization promotes a decrease in synapses to give rise to a specialization of areas and abilities in adolescents [11]. This exercise in the brain is considered fundamental for the refinement of functional networks in the brain tissue, making neural circuits more efficient and prone to strategic work. In addition, this refinement also allows for the perception of the other, a crucial

In order for the adolescent to be able to put his or her areas and skills into practice, also by exercising this communication, contributing to problem-solving, the classrooms do not include individual desks, but tables with seats for 4–5 students, so that they can work the challenge of the team workshop, promoting discussion, reflection, and decision-making. This proposal is in line with Sternberg's [5] statements, reporting that for cognitive psychology, group work facilitates problem-solving as members can contribute with a greater variety of skills by sharing acquired skills. Moreover, interactions with peers, as well as societal influences, are likely to influence their social behavior, contributing to neural maturation in

Solving the challenge proposed in the workshop, students have a period of a 2-month period to complete it, that is, the answer is not tied to the simple memorization of certain content. Problems require time, not opening space for immediate answers, but rather hypotheses [5]. It is expected that the executive function of the adolescent brain develops, providing better selective attention and decisionmaking [10], and for this reason, work with problems helps in the exercise of this brain function. According to Sartorio [11], "If we confront adolescents with problem situations that require from themselves the execution of moral decisions,

**54**

motivational variables and self-processes. Self-regulation involves students who direct their behavior or strategies proactively to achieve self-established goals. They also rely on affective, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral feedback to modify or adjust their strategies and behaviors when they are unable, in the beginning, to achieve their goals [7].

According to Albert and Steinberg [12], a self-regulatory competence has high potential for negative risk decline by adolescents. Metacognitive activities are also placed as strong allies for processing and monitoring abilities of adolescent cognitive activities [10]. Unfortunately, students not only have a poor knowledge basis in effective strategies but also do not understand how to select, evaluate, and adjust faulty strategies. For the authors, it is important to create classrooms for problemsolving by incorporating principles of self-regulation of learning in daily activities, optimizing the time factor to promote greater cognitive evolution. According to Dawkins [6], the time factor is an object of strong competition in society because the human brain cannot do more than one or more than a few things at a time. Therefore, working with learning strategies in school becomes essential when it comes to ensuring survival and contribution to society.

Students at Sesi School must constantly exercise self-regulation capacity, controlling the use of personal, behavioral, and environmental strategies [2]. The autonomy and the responsibility for learning are structuring axes of the students' learning [17, 18]. And these axes are strictly linked to problem-solving. That is, in order for the learning workshop's challenge to be unraveled and unveiled, the problem-solving cycle and self-regulation capacity must be well adjusted, which is no easy task.

The first step of the cycle, besides demanding the identification of the problem/ challenge, is also affected by the generated motivation [5]. According to the author, our emotions can influence how we solve problems, sometimes harming the course. Extrinsic motivation must be strong to the point where, during the process, it has to be reverted to intrinsic motivation. Bzuneck [19] states that with the help of facilitators, extrinsic motivation can be changed, gradually, to intrinsic motivation. In research investigation of extrinsic motivation by external regulation, Bzuneck and Guimarães [20] affirm that there is a tendency, by students, to avoid the challenges, to lose initiative and to worry more about the completion of a certain task than with their quality, conferring the possibility of a certain type of reward or punishment for their (non) compliance. Adolescents are led to seek more extreme incentives to compensate for the brain's low motivational circuit [10]. Therefore, it is important to instigate the student to build the skills necessary to accomplish positive assignments. Intrinsic motivation facilitates and increases the chances that the problem will be solved.

According to Schneider [21], although children do not effectively monitor the use of strategies, they can be trained to do so by developing mechanisms that are extended to adolescence and adulthood. The adolescent's cognitive capacity for learning self-regulation develops gradually in a linear fashion, responding better to reward than to punitive feedback, helping him to support long-term goals [12]. In the classroom, the teacher has a potential impact to develop monitoring and control processes by students of their own learning [21]. The elaboration of strategies and the organization of information are embedded in the actions implemented by the students in the classrooms of Sesi/PR School. The facilitating teacher, working with one of the contents from the web in the learning workshop, launches a study roadmap for the student and his or her team to conduct research before discussing with the class. In the midst of activities, the use of heuristic calls (mental shortcuts) becomes frequent. According to Sternberg [5], heuristics are implemented due to the limits of our working memory. The solution of problems

**57**

*Using Problem-Solving as a Method for the Development of Self-Regulation of Learning…*

depends on these mental shortcuts so that a solution can be reached. The student team needs to develop certain shortcuts related to the organization of space and time, action planning, volitional strategies, and even interpersonal relationships so that the team can do the job in the best possible way. Whether they are isomorphic problems, well or poorly defined, the provision of strategies becomes

The strategies that benefit self-regulation are based on four levels: behavioral, referring to the control of study time, organization of the environment to favor concentration and better use, materials and internal and external resources, seeking help from colleagues, teachers, or parents; metacognitive, involving perception of the role of cognitive strategies in the actions performed, knowledge of when, where, and how to use them, reflection of the objectives of the tasks and the planning to be carried out, monitoring the implementation of the plan, verification of results, and recognition of difficulties and of the strengths for conducting a new plan; motivational, encompassing understanding of what drives them to learning; and, finally, volitional control, referring to the development of strategies that help them with negative failures and feelings, better controlling attention and time, as well as demotivation, and better managing the resources

The use of the strategies promotes greater awareness of the evolution itself so that the students reach the established goals, improving their school performance at all levels of the schooling process. The use of learning strategies, although still in an initial phase, can contribute to reduce problems found in the educational

Conflict at Sesi/PR School classroom is natural. Therefore, sometimes the intervention of the facilitating teacher and the pedagogical advisor is fundamental. At meetings to discuss team performance, the coach usually asks members to reflect on how the team's skills are and the pace of response to the challenge. Then, from the answers, he builds, along with the members, strategies favorable to the growth and success of the team in the accomplishment of their tasks. This is necessary since the challenges of learning workshops, according to Sternberg's theory [5], are considered to be poorly structured, that is, there are no clear and readily available pathways to the solution, and, this way, depend on (a) knowledge of the domain, (b) skills, (c) cognitive and emotional factors, and (d) attitudes toward science and the regulation of knowledge. If the team does not elaborate and does not use effective strategies, the process of solving the team's problem and even the workshop

Teachers have a determining role for the final quality of the work performed [23]. The figure of the teacher as mediator, at the Sesi/PR proposal, comes precisely to mediate the process between creating their own action mechanisms and respond-

**3. The team facing the challenge: obstacles and the expert's role at Sesi/**

For Sternberg [5], factors such as mental configuration or entrenchment can hinder the solution of problems. If the work team fixes on a specific strategy and, seeing the failure in the result, does not modify its strategy, the goal cannot be achieved. This is why experience in constantly exercising the brain to solve challenges prevents the individual from allowing functional fixation, which is nothing more than being unable to understand something by having only one way of seeing

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88195*

and the assistance received [14].

environment [22].

challenge falls apart.

ing to the challenge.

**PR School's methodology**

it to trigger in a certain situation [5].

necessary.

#### *Using Problem-Solving as a Method for the Development of Self-Regulation of Learning… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88195*

depends on these mental shortcuts so that a solution can be reached. The student team needs to develop certain shortcuts related to the organization of space and time, action planning, volitional strategies, and even interpersonal relationships so that the team can do the job in the best possible way. Whether they are isomorphic problems, well or poorly defined, the provision of strategies becomes necessary.

The strategies that benefit self-regulation are based on four levels: behavioral, referring to the control of study time, organization of the environment to favor concentration and better use, materials and internal and external resources, seeking help from colleagues, teachers, or parents; metacognitive, involving perception of the role of cognitive strategies in the actions performed, knowledge of when, where, and how to use them, reflection of the objectives of the tasks and the planning to be carried out, monitoring the implementation of the plan, verification of results, and recognition of difficulties and of the strengths for conducting a new plan; motivational, encompassing understanding of what drives them to learning; and, finally, volitional control, referring to the development of strategies that help them with negative failures and feelings, better controlling attention and time, as well as demotivation, and better managing the resources and the assistance received [14].

The use of the strategies promotes greater awareness of the evolution itself so that the students reach the established goals, improving their school performance at all levels of the schooling process. The use of learning strategies, although still in an initial phase, can contribute to reduce problems found in the educational environment [22].

Conflict at Sesi/PR School classroom is natural. Therefore, sometimes the intervention of the facilitating teacher and the pedagogical advisor is fundamental. At meetings to discuss team performance, the coach usually asks members to reflect on how the team's skills are and the pace of response to the challenge. Then, from the answers, he builds, along with the members, strategies favorable to the growth and success of the team in the accomplishment of their tasks. This is necessary since the challenges of learning workshops, according to Sternberg's theory [5], are considered to be poorly structured, that is, there are no clear and readily available pathways to the solution, and, this way, depend on (a) knowledge of the domain, (b) skills, (c) cognitive and emotional factors, and (d) attitudes toward science and the regulation of knowledge. If the team does not elaborate and does not use effective strategies, the process of solving the team's problem and even the workshop challenge falls apart.

Teachers have a determining role for the final quality of the work performed [23]. The figure of the teacher as mediator, at the Sesi/PR proposal, comes precisely to mediate the process between creating their own action mechanisms and responding to the challenge.
