Alexia Kovatsis

Teaching Mathematics & Technology

Dr. Albert
Critical Analysis

Children Solving Problems: Critical Analysis

Thornton’s Children Solving Problems explores the development of problem solving and higher

cognitive functioning skills. Throughout the course of the text, Thornton breaks down previous beliefs

that ‘intelligence’ and logical reasoning determines successful problem solving, and illustrate instead that

success and maturation of problem-solving stems from the factual knowledge acquired as children

interpret and interact with the world and social context around them. This paper will analyze Thornton’s

position that social context and interaction play a critical role in the successful development of problem-

solving skills through exploring the evidence presented, drawing connections to past learning experiences,

and examining implications for educators.

Thornton draws heavily on the research of psychologists, such as Vygotsky and Rogoff, to

highlight different types of evidence to support her position that social context is a vital factor in creating

the successful maturation of problem-solving skills. In analysis of Piaget’s conservation task, Thornton

indicates that to arrive at the correct solution, the child must understand the shared assumptions.

Technically, there are water molecules left within the first cup, but as a society we recognize the amount

transferred as the same (pg. 94). This relates to a study by Rogoff, which found that culture influenced the

expected typical development, and that children develop in line with their cultural expectations. For

example, in most Western societies, babies are successfully weaned off breast feeding around six months,

while in many African countries, children do not wean until around two and a half (pg. 117). In my

student experiences, differences in interpretations stemmed from a difference in background knowledge

or beliefs. When students disagreed on something determined through perception, the difference stemmed

from a social difference even though as students we thought we were conflicting in academic

disagreements. Thornton notes that one’s own resources are not enough to achieve mature problem-

solving skills, because we learn from working within our social context and culture. This can be
understood through Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD), and related skills such as

scaffolding and guided participation. ZPD works under the idea that the level of skill is dependent on the

varying levels of support from the environment, which structures tasks and guides the participant to

expand beyond their current individual abilities. This can be in a joint learning process, where two

children bring their own strategies and share problem solving decision making, thus gaining new, more

sophisticated strategies through having a larger range of feedback to alter perceptions (pg. 96). The shared

decision making, is vital for the development of skills. However, collaboration with adults is more

effective than collaboration with expert children because adults are better at sharing the decision making

and explain more than children. ZPD and other guiding principles support the cognitive advancement of

children through stretching the problem solving enough to enable “the child to achieve something they

could not individually, but not too far that the child is unable to comprehend the experience” (pg. 99).

Peer scaffolding can be effective and a useful tool in the classroom, but it should be used in addition to

adult scaffolded activities. Reflecting on my student experiences, this is an evident trend, the math topics

or classes that I did not like were always the classes that I felt left behind and under supported in; while

the math topics and classes I enjoyed, the teacher had employed appropriate supports to guide my

learning of the new topic. This was completed in different ways, such as group work or guided activities,

but the good math memories are always the ones that enabled me to work through the problems, instead

of making me feel bad at math.

Thornton expands this information through illustrating the factors that impact a child’s ability to

successfully problem solve. While people may have originally expected the factors to be all current skill

and logic based, the actual critical factors for understanding problem solving stem from the social

environment. The factors are the kind of skill, the purpose and meaning, an individual’s confidence and

control, and the opportunities for learning. A concrete and everyday situation is the easiest for children to

work in, however, even abstract concepts are support through concrete examples. This demonstrates that

children use their prior knowledge to help inform their decisions, which connects to the factor of purpose

and meaning. Thornton explains that skills are stored in context of the purpose and type of problem,
purpose helps define the character of the solution, and a context that creates an understanding of the goal

leads to higher motivation and completion of a task (pg.106) If a child does not understand why they are

engaging in an activity, they will have a harder time developing the solution. For example, a child helping

fix a lock on the door understands what their needed outcome is and can works towards solving that, but a

child working on a lock that is no longer used, may have trouble discerning what their final outcome is

and how to achieve that result. There is a strong correlation between confidence and success, as past

success and others belief in our future success helps us be good problem solvers (pg. 110). A study by

Hartley illuminated the strength of this factor, when underprivileged kids were asked to solve a problem

as themselves versus solve a problem imagining themselves as the brightest student, they did better in the

second scenario. The students demonstrated abilities they clearly had but did not utilize in their everyday

life, as connected with learned helplessness (pg. 111). In order to help develop confidence, students need

appropriate background knowledge to support their understanding and develop memories of succeeding in

that subject. Finally, the opportunities for learning that come from physical environment and resource

constraints, and socially implemented constraints, usually through parents or teachers, alters the problem-

solving skills. Taken together, the factors and research demonstrate the pervasive impact social context

has on the development of problem-solving skills.

All of these factors can also be seen within my experiences as a student. My peers and I would be

less engaged and more apt to quit when we did not understand why we were doing something or the task

seemed pointless. Our confidence also impacted if we felt like we should even try or if it was worthless

because we knew we weren’t good at it. Finally, the group work and context-based learning was the most

engaging and academically supportive. When we had rote and out of context problems, as a student I

actually could feel myself becoming more stressed and struggling to do the tasks, even if they were

similar to one I could complete when it was appropriately situated.

Thornton’s book outlines important suggestions that help parents and teachers better understand

and apply social contexts and interactions to support the development of problem-solving skills. One of

the most crucial takeaways is that learning does not occur in isolation, Thornton showed that whether the
problem-solving was situated in a joint learning session or an individually scaffolded task, the meaning

and purpose could dramatically alter the outcomes. A child must feel connected to and understand the

task in order to develop and apply their skills. Children’s abilities in a given situation are also determined

by their confidence and prior knowledge. It is important to have high expectations for all your students,

and support them in seeing their value as mathematicians. Prior knowledge can also inform how children

interpret problems, and this can be used to support their confidence through starting within contexts that

are very similar to everyday events. Finally, teachers must be aware of how to appropriately scaffold

students, or work in their ZPD, because if a child has too much scaffolding they are not engaging in the

process and developing the skills to grow their independent abilities, but if there is too little scaffolding a

student is left confused and unable to make sense of the problem.

Throughout the course of the text, Thornton breaks down previous beliefs that ‘intelligence’ and

logical reasoning determines successful problem solving, and illustrate instead that success and

maturation of problem-solving stems from the factual knowledge acquired as children interpret and

interact with the world and social context around them. Thornton’s chapters have provided key

implications for my future as a teacher. I will make sure that all my activities and lessons are created with

the students’ prior knowledge in mind and situated in a context of meaning and purpose. I remember as a

student, the most common annoyance was when I wondered why I ever needed to know something, so I

will make sure that not only do the lessons have these purposes, but students are aware and understand

them. I want students to be motivated and to believe in themselves, so I will always hold high

expectations and utilize ZPD to support their optimal growth. I will also ensure that students are given

opportunities to succeed and realize their abilities as mathematicians. Starting the students with a base of

successful problem solving, through the appropriate lessons and guides, will help them develop their

confidence and boost their problem-solving maturation. I also will teach students how to share problem

solving decision making in an effective manner, this will help stop students from engaging in a dominant-

passive interaction style. I cannot expect students will come with this knowledge, but I can support the

development of these skills. Most importantly, I will consider Thornton’s analysis of the social context
for problem-solving and ensure that I am always considering these social factors and interactions to

develop mature problem-solving cognitive functions.

Reference:
Thornton, S. (1995). Children solving problems. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.