Be a Problem solver

Have you ever known someone that excels in finding the cloud behind the silver lining? Some people have a knack for finding the negative to any set of circumstances. Sometimes students can get the impression that a service technician’s job is to find problems. But in truth, the technician’s job is to solve problems. Yes, you have to identify a problem to solve it, but solving the problem is the goal. Customers and employers are more impressed by people that find solutions than people that find problems. Most people already have more than enough problems, so the last person they want around is someone who generates more problems than solutions. On the other hand, people that excel in finding solutions are a joy to have around. Encourage your students to offer solutions to the problems they find. They need to become practiced in providing solutions, not just identifying problems. This can sometimes be a matter of attitude. Rather than finding reasons why something cannot be accomplished, look for ways to overcome the barriers to get the job done. This attitude should start with the way you interact with your students. Make sure to recognize what they do correctly, and not simply point out their errors. Of course you need to correct their errors, but it should be done constructively, not destructively. Always offer a better way when correcting students who are struggling. The student who is trying to glob on solder that is balling up and falling off really does not have to be told that what he is doing is not working; he can see it for himself. What he needs is someone to offer a better way. Students who gain skills after struggling at first appreciate the accomplishment more. You can teach more than any particular skill when you help a student overcome a learning barrier, you teach them how to be a problem solver.

Problem Solving

HVAC/R Service is about practical problem solving. All the tools, technology, training, and literature are just there to help us identify and solve problems. The primary skill that any service tech needs is problem solving. The most important tool at your disposal is your mind. I am frequently asked why we make students do BTU calculations of ice turning to steam, series parallel ohms law problems, gas law calculations, or any host of other primarily mental exercises that nearly all HVAC/R students must suffer through. Usually, the students asking are doing the most suffering. Although I can justify all of the above as an endeavor to garner a deeper understanding of the principles which make HVAC/R systems work, I usually tell them that you can’t become a champion weight lifter by lifting marshmallows. Service techs are not paid to connect gauges or take voltage readings, they are paid to solve problems. Obviously techs need to be familiar with all the tools at their disposal, but we should never overlook the fact that their primary tool sits on their shoulders. I am afraid the current focus on standardized testing throughout our educational system has not prepared our students for practical problem solving. Rather, they are used to selecting the best solution from a very limited set of answers. My prescription? Lots of work that requires students to recognize and define the problem, systematically find the cause, and offer a solution. Assign work that requires students to provide written answers. Ask questions whose answers have not been explicitly stated, but require students to put two pieces of information together. If you get an answer that is way off base, try and ask leading questions to help the student work their way through a solution to the problem. The exact answer is not as important as the process. Encouraging students to use their minds to solve problems is crucial. The shop is a great place to work on problem solving because real life problems are never as simple as a, b, c or d. But don’t accept “the part is bad” as an answer. The student should be able to explain what the unit is doing wrong, what is the cause, how they determined the cause of the problem, and what their proposed solution is. Truth be told, I believe this approach could work in a lot of fields besides HVAC/R. The leaders in any field are always people who have recognized and defined problems and then devised solutions.