Using A Structured Problem-Solving Process

Engineers use a structured, iterative process—an engineering design process—to solve problems. Named phases guide activity. This is not a rigid template; rather, engineers move back and forth among phases.

Why is using a structured problem-solving process important for youth?

When students use a structured process to solve problems, they learn to break complex challenges into manageable steps. This helps them stay organized, reflect on their progress, and improve their solutions through iteration. 

Our observations of young children suggest that children love constructing and testing their designs. Students’ designs and understanding of engineering can be strengthened if we call attention to the phases that prompt them to reflect on their goals, the criteria for a successful design, and what ideas they can bring to the problem.The Engineering Design Process can be tailored for the age and experience of any engineer.

The Engineering Design Process

The Engineering Design Process can be tailored for the age and experience of any engineer.

YES PreK EDP

YES PreK EDP

YES Elementary EDP

YES Middle School EDP

How does YES support using a structured problem-solving process?

Make the process visible.

YES uses posters, visuals, songs, and hand motions to highlight each step of the Engineering Design Process and reinforces these steps throughout the unit.

Support documentation.

YES provides Engineering Notebooks that allow students to record their ideas, track their progress, and reflect on their thinking at every step of the process.

Emphasize the iterative nature of engineering.

YES teaches that engineering design is cyclical. Early designs may not work as intended, so students revise, modify, and improve their solutions—beginning new cycles of design as they optimize their work.

Videos

View these classroom videos of students exploring each phase of the engineering design process.

Play Video

You Are Such Great Engineers

Play Video

What is the Most Important Step?

Play Video

Engineering Song

Video Reflection Questions

To help students identify as engineers, we need to remind them that the process is something engineers use too. To help students remember the process, they need repeated interactions with key words. Reviewing the process will help students remember their goals for the day—what phase(s) of the Engineering Design Process are they focusing on today? Students in the video reflect on the step they find most important, allowing them to consider how they worked through the problem and why using a structured process supported their work.

Encourage students to demonstrate that they are using information from previous phases of the Engineering Design Process by asking them to look back at the information they collected during the Ask phase, return to their ideas from the Imagine phase, or review their plan and discuss potential adjustments. Make the design process visible and document their thinking during each phase using engineering notebooks or other tools.

Model iteration as a normal part of engineering by showing students they can revisit earlier phases, like revising a plan after testing. Use prompts and visuals to reinforce that moving back and forth helps improve their designs.

Other Resources

YES Blog Post: https://yesblog.mos.org/engineering-practices-teaching-students-to-use-a-structured-problem-solving-process

EDP

What does using a structured problem-solving process look like in your classroom?

  • Model iteration as normal. Show that going back to earlier steps—like revising a plan after testing—is expected and valuable in engineering.
  • Use prompts that reinforce each step. Ask, “What problem are we solving?” during Ask, or “How will you test your idea?” during Plan and Test, to help students internalize the purpose of each phase.

“...by going through the process, it’s something that all students can use in other parts of their lives. The idea that we want them to ask good questions and imagine possibilities and plan for those possibilities and create and test and improve. We want them to do that with everything.”


-Elementary School Teacher

Icon with lightbuld and "Did You Know?"

 

 

 

 

 

Elementary students who actively apply critical thinking during the engineering design process are more likely to develop a stronger sense of themselves as engineers. Their use of specific thinking skills at different stages of the process supports both their learning and their identity development. (Haugh Nowariak, A., & Roehrig, G. (2025, June))

Want this engineering practice on hand?

Download the PDF to print or share this engineering practice!

View and Download PDF