Math and Problem Solving

Okay I know, we should be teaching mathematical topics through real-life, problem-solving contexts and enquiry-oriented environments. But, honestly, how do I do it? Just put students in groups, hand them some chart paper, and put a problem up on the board from the textbook? Kay kids, when the big hand gets to the nine we'll take it up! Right? 

Here's why I like this video, already popular in the Math world, math teacher Dan Meyer, talks about changing the way we teach problem solving in math. Although he is American, I believe many of the issues are the same. I realized as I watched how textbooks teach students what to expect, or excel at what he calls, "paint by numbers" classwork. Instead, students should be learning to stop, think and even formulate the problems themselves. 

Definite "auh-ha" moment for me. I like how he asks students to come up with the problems themselves or takes a reverse approach, to where the students have to work backwards, find all the missing information and then solve the problem. It's very neat how he uses real-life examples too, even going as far as doing the experiments himself or taking actual pictures and videos of the objects students need to examine and solve for. Does anyone else have any other tips or ideas for problem solving? 

Here’s a link just in case too

https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover?utm_campaign=tedspread--a&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare