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Olivia Perkins

Professor Albert

EDUC 2108.01

14 September 2022

Critical Analysis Paper: Children Solving Problems

The relationship, as Thornton views it, between problem solving and social interaction is

akin to that of a scholar and their extensive library of books or an architect and their palette. The

expertise of the former cannot be developed without the thorough and consistent aid of the latter.

Thornton argues that while “children are the authors and architects of their own problem-solving

skills” (p. 93), the concept of exclusively unaccompanied learning is majorly flawed. Through

her writing, she discusses the need for social interaction as it not only drives the need for

problem-solving but also inherently plays a role in the answers to said problems. What makes a

problem’s solution “right” or “wrong” is itself defined by the society surrounding it; Thornton

gives the example of Piaget’s beaker study where the degree of our skills is determined by our

own culturally-formed assumptions (p. 94). By representing problem-solving as a social process,

she calls on the works of Bruner, Wood, Vygotsky, and Rogoff to ground her ideas in the more

tangible educational sphere. In this analysis, I will examine Thornton’s theories on the roles of

scaffolding, confidence building, and meaningful purposes as they concern children’s

problem-solving cognition as well as my own learning experiences, and the implications this will

have on my future classroom.

Who these social interactions are being held with is a key factor in the child’s growth

because varied approaches to this method can drastically change the outcomes. One of

Thornton’s suggestions is the practice of scaffolding, a term coined by Bruner and Wood, which
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refers to the process of learning by which children are gently guided in the right direction either

by an adult (i.e. parent or teacher) or child more skilled in that area. It is imperative to note

however that not all scaffolding results in optimal learning; too much or too little external

assistance leaves the child just as unable to solve the problem as they were to begin with. The

most successful form of scaffolding resides in the “zone of proximal development” where the

child is simultaneously challenged and supported to an appropriate level. This method of guided

participation, as Rogoff would call it, eases the introduction of novel problem-solving skills in a

comprehensive and manageable manner. In accomplishing new tasks with such newfound

capability, the child’s confidence will undoubtedly be raised, yet another crucial aspect to their

career as effective problem solvers.

Any adult in a child’s life maintains the responsibility of staying present and supportive

of their academic growth and setbacks. We live in a society with constant reminders of our

academic status from school rankings to favored siblings (Thornton p. 112). Furthermore,

children are at a developmental stage in which their self worth is predominantly composed of the

opinions of those around them. Thornton contests that the psychological impact that

confidence-building has on a child’s actual progress is much like that of a self-fulfilling

prophecy. Personally, I did not feel deserving of the confidence that my 5th grade teacher had in

me even after I failed a benchmark math exam. She placed me in Math Olympiad Club and never

forgot to praise my “Albert Einstein math skills” after I finally won a medal at one of the events.

My memories of failing my math test were far gone and replaced by the immense joy and pride I

now felt all because of my teacher’s unwavering confidence in me. Problem solving is an

unending battle so the quality and quantity of support that the child receives along the way holds

great social impacts on their hopeful victory.

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Just as relevant as who is involved in this social process is the broader understanding of

why and how problem solving fits into the context of the world. As a former elementary student

and now observatory elementary teacher, one thought has remained stationary in the minds of

many young learners: What’s the point? In truth, the longterm benefits of knowing the

Pythagorean Theorem and greetings in Spanish are quite difficult to grasp, especially for an

elementary student. Upon discovering this gap between problem and purpose, Thornton suggests

emphasizing that a meaningful intention does exist behind each task. This change in perspective

leads the child to look more closely at the details of the problem and thus, construct a more

accurate solution. It also motivates the child to persist regardles of initial shortcomings. On the

other hand, the more structured, formal teaching that takes place in the classroom allows for the

problems to ironically be decontextualized from their purposes so that they can be more easily

recalled as more abstract skills. My 3rd grade teacher replicated a similar system with real-life

scenario math problems. For example, we would need to find the right dimensions of a fish tank

and the next week, we would have that tank in our class. Then we’d figure out how many fish

can fit and soon enough have actual fish. I believe that this repetitive cycle of motivating

objectives followed by a week of decontextualized learning is largely what made me pay

attention to math lessons at all.

The processes by which children supposedly most effectively develop problem solving

skills—and thus further their cognitive functions—are constantly changing as new studies,

theories, and technologies arise. Nevertheless, I hope to build a future classroom rooted in

Thornton’s emphasis on the social context of learning through the implementation of scaffolding,

confidence building, collaborative learning, and purposeful presentations of problems. As an

educator, it is our responsibility to best prepare our students for the world ahead of them and as
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such it would be naive to do so without utilizing heavy influence from the social aspects of their

current lives. As such, I would hope to take one step further by delving into the implications of

social context as it affects the individual student. The cultural differences, varied funds of

knowledge, environmental factors, and personal filters of students hold power and potential to

bring even more beneficial problem-solving processes to the classroom.

Citations:

Thornton, S. (1998, July 14). Children Solving Problems (The Developing Child).

Harvard University Press.