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Meg Corbett

Dr. Albert

Teaching Mathematics and Technology

13 September 2023

Helping Our Students Problem Solve

Group projects have a notorious reputation for being frustrating. However, it is that very

social interaction that can be the key to problem solving. In Thornton’s work, she details the

crucial nature of interaction with others in successful problem solving through the help of peers,

parents, or teachers. Additionally, she notes that confidence is a key factor in kids ability to

problem solve, though a difficult one to bolster. In my own life I have seen this shift of

confidence transform my problem solving and mathematical abilities. In this essay, I will discuss

ideas presented by Thronton regarding problem solving as well as the developmental theories

such as scaffolding and zone of proximal development that she uses to support her work in

conjunction with my own experiences.

To review Thornton’s argument, it is important to note that for her, effective problem

solving requires social interactions. One way this is possible is through group work with peers.

Problems children could not solve on their own become possible when working with a classmate.

Each child brings ideas the other may not have, and these differences are what make the problem

solvable. Additionally, she incorporates the ideas of Vygotsky that were later given the name of

“scaffolding” by Wood and Bruner. With the help of a parent or teacher, effective scaffolding can

help children find the tools to solve problems. When done correctly, enough help is provided to

the child that the task is not too easy, nor does it remain too hard. In other words, it places the

problem right in the zone of proximal development. Linked to this idea of scaffolding is ensuring
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children are told the most useful purpose in a task because what they set out to do can greatly

affect how they experience a problem. The last major factor Thornton touches on is making sure

children have the confidence and self-belief to solve problems. Both this idea of purpose and

confidence have a surprisingly strong effect on kids and their problem solving abilities.

While providing evidence for her beliefs about problem solving, Thornton uses Piaget’s

disproven ideas to support her own. Piaget thought that a person's logic would increase

depending on their age and stage of development, though this is now challenged since it is clear

logic does not necessarily grow with age. Because there is not an inherent increase of logic as

Piaget suggested, Thornton stresses that these are skills we must practice and foster instead of

leaving a child to develop these skills on their own. Rather, we must use social interactions

through scaffolding or other children helping each other to increase competence in problem

solving. Another piece of evidence that she points to is that knowledge is cumulative. If we help

children by providing them effective tools to solve problems, they keep that knowledge with

them and can continue to use it later in life as they develop higher cognitive functions. These

social interactions with adults especially, but peers as well, are needed to lay the groundwork of

their ability to problem solve, so when problems get harder they have enough experience to help

to know where to begin or to employ strategies they have learned.

As essential as scaffolding is for teachers and parents to do, Thornton makes sure to

emphasize the nuance required to be sure children are landing in the zone of proximal

development. As seen in the pyramid study done by David Wood, teachers and parents should

scaffold, but they need to be intentional about the levels of help they are giving. I think it is

important for them to ensure they are helping, while continuing to challenge their

students/children. This also lends itself to Thornton’s idea that every child is different and might
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need varying scaffolding depending on what skill or subject they are working on. Development is

not “one-size-fits-all.”

Another takeaway or suggestion for parents and teachers is to instill confidence in their

young learners. Children who have confidence and self-belief are more capable of achieving

answers and solutions. I would encourage elementary school teachers to support their students in

this journey to self confidence and give children time to reflect on their own confidence and how

it manifests. While teachers can make a huge difference in how confident a child is, confidence

ultimately is an individual journey, and I think teachers should support that.

Thinking of my own experience in elementary school, my mind goes straight to my math

classes. While I do believe that this element of scaffolding and social interaction played a large

role in how I learned, for years the piece that has stuck out to me the most was my lack of

confidence in math. I was very aware I was in the “slow” math class all through elementary

school and labeled myself as being “bad” at math. I know that lack of self belief hindered me

significantly because when I went to high school and was expected to be high performing, I was.

My lack of understanding went from “I’m bad at math” to “I think I need this re-explained so I

can really understand it.” Knowing how much this affected me, I want to be sure to put my

students' learning in their own hands and show them that each of them has the tools to learn.

Thornton’s ideas pertaining to problem solving stress the need for social interaction

through group work with peers and scaffolding with adults. By pointing to Piaget’s flawed ideas

of children gaining logic as they age, it is clear that as teachers we will play a large role in how

students problem solve. We will be charged with finding appropriate scaffolding for our students,

but remembering that this must be tailored to specific students and tasks. While daunting, I think
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this is an exciting task because it allows us to aid our students on their journeys and help them

gain the confidence they need to move forward in the world as problem solvers.