Mia Mercurio

Prof. Albert

Teaching Mathematics & Technology

11 Sept. 2019

Children Solving Problems: How Children Can Become Effective Problem Solvers

“Children are the authors and architects of their own problem-solving skills: actively

engaging in the world; exploring and making discoveries; interpreting, structuring, and

organizing information about tasks and about the effects of differing courses of action, all the

while building up the experience on which problem-solving is based” (Thornton, p. 93). In

Children Solving Problems, Stephanie Thornton discusses the importance of teaching

mathematics through social interactions, proposing problem-solving skills are passed throughout

generations and therefore necessitate collaboration. Thornton supports this thesis by citing the

work of Rogoff, Bruner, Wood, and Vygotsky to illuminate the effects of social problem-solving

for parents, teachers, and educators alike. In this paper, I will further discuss Thornton’s ideas,

specifically in regards to learning through partner work and how a child’s social context can

affect his or her ability to solve problems. I will also discuss my experience as a learner, and how

Thornton’s ideas may influence my teaching in the future.

When solving problems, often the use of a partner can be extremely helpful to discover a

potential solution. Thornton uses the work of Lev Vygotsky to illustrate this idea of learning

through partner work: “The Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky proposed that the process of

joining in some activity, particularly the experience of sharing problem-solving with a skilled

partner, is one of the major ways through which children acquire their skills” (Thornton, p. 97).

Thornton especially focuses on how an experienced problem solver is able to structure

appropriate scaffolding. The use of scaffolding, a term coined by Bruner and Wood, is structured

using the zone of proximal development, meaning that the child is not pushed beyond their

limits, nor expected to complete a task that is far beneath their abilities. The use of appropriate

scaffolding is essential for successful problem solving, as described by Thornton in Wood’s

pyramid study. The study found that mothers who offered both verbal instructions and

demonstrations had the most successful children, as they responded to the child’s immediate

situation, letting the child take initiative when appropriate (Thornton p. 102). Thornton describes

Rogoff’s research, explaining this activity as guided participation, “A collaborative process in

which adult and child share problem solving, the adult explaining and supporting the child’s

efforts, but both the adult and child involved in the process of making decisions” (Thornton p.

102). These ideas of scaffolding, zone of proximal development, and guided participation all

directly coincide with my role as a teacher. Teachers provide appropriate scaffolding so a student

can understand a complex problem appropriate for their age and skill level. I remember as a

student learning to add multi-digit numbers through the use of word problems. My teacher sat

with me throughout the activity, praising me when I identified the correct parts of the problem,

and guiding me with questions as I continued to think critically about my answers. This guided

participation I found extremely beneficial when learning how to solve word problems, and I

eventually progressed toward mastery of this skill, no longer needing assistance from an adult. If

I did not receive such careful scaffolding from my teacher, I would not have completed the

problem or came to an incorrect solution, since I was unfamiliar with the task.

Another aspect of social context in problem solving is the incentive they have to

complete the problem. Thornton describes this phenomenon: “It is easier to teach children in

contexts where they understand and share the goals that motivate problem-solving than in
contexts where the goal seems meaningless or incomprehensible” (Thornton p. 105). Thornton

cites the Rogoff and Gauvain study on children in a funhouse to depict how the distinction

between goals results in different outcomes. Children asked to focus on the layout of the

funhouse gave more detailed reports than those children who simply ran through to the exit. The

work of Maragaret Donaldson also highlights the idea of work attached to a purpose, and how

children have difficulty when work and purpose are strangers: “Where children have difficulty is

in those situations where skills have to be exercised for their own sake- called forth from

memory without any of the usual cues and prompts” (Thornton p. 109). As a teacher, I will have

to teach my students certain skills, and must look past the protests students often have that the

work done in the classroom has no purpose. Students should work to become excellent problem-

solvers not for extrinsic reasons, but because they realize that the general skills used in problem-

solving can apply to a vast number of areas in their lives. I remember often I would protest to my

mother, claiming I would never use trigonometric functions in real life. Even though

trigonometry still seems radically complex, I understand that looking at problems critically

challenged me as a student and made me more capable as I continued my studies. For example,

although I do not use algebra in my everyday life, I can use the skills of deduction and reasoning

I developed in my mathematics lessons to find an unknown quantity using supplemental

information. Mathematics impacts the lives of students in ways they may not fully understand,

and as a teacher it is important to educate them on how to use their problem-solving skills to help

them in those future moments.

Thornton’s suggestions of using an experienced partner to facilitate effective problem

solving and understanding children can struggle when problems do not have a clear purpose are

both extremely relevant to me as a future educator. As a teacher, I can be the experienced adult
who provides scaffolding within a child’s zone of proximal development to facilitate the highest

possible level of learning. I also can understand that although problems can be complex and

difficult for students, the skills they develop will be applicable to them later in life. It is

important to realize that not only problem-solving, but education in itself is a social experience

which relies on human interaction.