Engineering Practices: Envisioning Multiple Solutions

[This post is part of our series, Engineering Practices in the Classroom. See prior posts: Intro, Engineering Design Process, Exploring Materials, Problems in Context, Balancing Criteria and Constraints]

“Introducing... the slipper of the century!” a seventh grader gestures towards his teammate, who starts walking down the middle of the classroom wearing one bright red slipper with a neon-yellow strap made from scrap fabric.

The student announcer continues, “We made the Stupendous Street Slipper using recycled cellulose as a base for our outsole…”

The boy wearing the slipper stops at the first motion station, then shuffles his feet across the floor. 

“For added safety and traction, you’ll find a foam strip on the bottom.”

The model does a lunge, pauses, then spins in a careful pivot.

“AND best of all, this slipper not only looks great but it’s made of 50% eco-friendly materials!”

The announcer and the model take a quick bow, and the class applauds. As the next team gets ready to show off their slipper design, it would be easy to think that the first team is going to be a tough act to follow. The red and yellow slipper performed well on the motion and traction test stations—and it looks undeniably cool. It's the stupendous slipper of the century!

One problem, many different solutions

The next team named their design "The Marshmallow" and it looks nothing like the first one. This slipper has a thicker outsole with fluffy straps and a soft insole. This team prioritized comfort and used totally different materials, but their solution is still eco-friendly and safe. Overall, team 2 also met the challenge beautifully.

One by one, each team presents, and each one answers the challenge in a completely different way. So which team got it right?

Many solutions to the same problem

The variety of slipper designs reflects the way real engineers work. Instead of searching for a single “right answer,” engineers consider multiple possible solutions. This process begins with brainstorming: generating a wide range of ideas without immediately judging or narrowing them. The goal isn’t to land on the best idea right away--it’s to generate enough ideas to make a thoughtful choice later.

Once an engineer has a wide range of possible approaches to choose from, they can compare and evaluate which ideas best fit the needs of the situation. Often, the strongest solution combines elements from several different approaches.

Building flexible thinkers

For students, flexible thinking can feel unfamiliar. Many want to start building their first idea immediately. Brainstorming asks them to pause, consider alternatives, and stay open a little longer. Students practice listening, building on one another’s thinking, and holding back judgment long enough for ideas to develop.

As students become comfortable with this practice, they worry less about “getting it wrong,” which helps them stay open in several important ways...

• Building patience and positivity. There will be time to evaluate critically, but in this phase the focus is on possibilities.
• Creativity. Students become more willing to take risks and share new ideas.
• Ready to improve. When students generate multiple possibilities, no single idea carries all the weight. That makes it easier to revise, combine, or even let go of an idea in favor of a stronger one.
• Collaborative thinking. As students adapt, remix, and combine features in novel ways, they see the value of considering perspectives beyond their own.

Flexible problem solving is more possible once students understand that a successful solution is not about being the first or the fastest, or the “owner” of the “winning” idea. Success is about making thoughtful choices based on evidence, context, and goals.

From vague ideas to a concrete plan

Once multiple ideas are on the table, engineers begin to evaluate them based on criteria and constraints, and context of the problem. This process of evaluation and synthesis sharpens their thinking, until one or two solutions seem strong enough to turn into a working prototype.

Even then, different teams may arrive at entirely different designs for the same problem, and all of them can be valid. Through history, a diversity of solutions has often worked over time to create products that prioritize different factors. Think about how many types of vehicles have been created to meet different needs—compact cars, sedans, SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, buses, sports cars. And within each category, there are countless variations. Each solution prioritizes different factors, borrows ideas from others, and builds to create one of many possible ways to design a vehicle.

What This Looks Like in the Classroom

When kids play, they naturally explore different possibilities. A cardboard box can become a car or a boat, a house, or a cave for bears. But as they get older, students start to race to the one right answer, often stopping after they find one workable solution. This can also become a competitive or envious scenario, where students worry about being copied.

Students aren’t just showing final products, they’re revealing the
 paths they took to get there.

As a teacher, you can help students expand their thinking to include multiple solutions, making deliberate space for idea generation before building begins. It’s also important to create a classroom culture where all ideas are welcomed during brainstorming, even those that seem unlikely to work. Remind your class that even unworkable ideas can inspire stronger solutions later on.

When it starts working, you see it in small moments: a student suggesting a second option before building, or pausing to rethink a design after watching another group’s approach.

Try strategies like:

• Setting a goal for number of ideas (“Can your group come up with three different approaches?”)
• Encouraging sketching instead of jumping straight into building their design.
• Prompting creativity with questions like, “What’s another way this could work?” or “How could we make this completely different?”

As with many skills, it also helps to explicitly state what is happening. One problem generates many solutions. That’s why the fashion walk at the end of the Eco-Friendly Slippers unit is so important; students aren’t just showing final products, they’re revealing the different paths they took to get there.

Notice and Name

As with many of the other practices, listen to the way students speak as they make decisions. You want to catch and praise moments when they suggest other possible approaches, build on each other’s ideas, or start to combine features of multiple designs. These are opportunities to make a positive comment that may help them solidify this practice as a good thinking habit.

On the flip side, listen for students who may be shutting down an idea without giving it a chance. This can look like interrupting or dismissing a classmate's suggestion, but more often students may stop themselves. “Ooh what if we – nevermind, that won’t work.”

When you hear this kind of comment, encourage them to share the idea. Even if this idea doesn't work, it may inspire another solution. Especially during the imagine phase of the design process, "The more ideas, the better” is an important attitude for engineers.

Ready to try it with your students? Here are a few next steps you can take...

1. Download the tip sheet.  This free resource includes classroom suggestions

2. Visit our Learning Library. to see video clips and examples of students generating multiple solutions 

3. Follow YES on social media for more ideas and engineering practices. @yesatmos

Up next in the Engineering Practices in the Classroom series: Persisting through failure