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Kate Leary

31 January 2024

In Children Solving Problems, Thornton argues that children’s problem-solving skills and

abilities are best acquired through social interactions. She believes that when a child works

collaboratively with another person, specifically an adult, this interaction makes a powerful

contribution to their ability to problem-solve (Thornton, p. 94). Her position stands on two

pillars: the support a child receives from an adult and a child’s confidence. She first puts forth

Vygotsky’s idea of “learning by joining in”, later given the name of scaffolding by Bruner and

Wood; with this, she reasons that one of the main ways in which children acquire problem-

solving skills is by experiencing problem-solving with a skilled partner (Thornton, p.97).

Additionally, she discusses the critical role of a child’s confidence in problem-solving using a

study conducted by Hartley. In this paper, I will analyze these chapters and Thornton’s argument

by first discussing a child’s support from adults and the concept of scaffolding. Next, I will touch

upon the importance of confidence and the study by Hartley. To continue, I will discuss the

implications of these chapters for elementary school teachers. Lastly, I will connect this analysis

to my past experiences in mathematics classes.

To begin with the main ideas of Thornton’s argument, Vygotsky’s concept of “joining in”

provides strong evidence for the positive relationship between social interaction and problem-

solving. “Learning by joining in” describes an interaction where a child “joins in” with an adult

for some activity, in this case solving some problem, and gains experience to develop skills. By

joining in, the adult is a more knowledgeable and skilled problem-solver who can stretch the

child’s efforts to successfully solve a problem. This stretched effort provides the child with a

new opportunity and the means to develop new skills, in turn enabling the child to join in more
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and more (Thornton, p. 97). Scaffolding, a name for this interaction coined by Wood and Bruner,

is most effective when the problem-solving occurs in the “zone of proximal development”. This

zone describes tasks just hard enough that the child needs support (Thornton, p. 100). This

research supports Thornton’s belief that social interaction is crucial for a child’s problem-solving

abilities: children gain opportunities to solve a greater array of problems with support from

adults, providing them the chance to develop skills and practice more and more.

The other big idea in Thornton’s argument is the significance of a child’s confidence

when it comes to problem-solving. She explains that a child’s confidence in their ability to solve

a problem can greatly impact the process. She states that a child’s success, and other people’s

belief in their success, play a special role when children problem-solve in social contexts.

Children need to feel confident in themselves if they are going to become good problem-solvers

(Thornton, p. 110). Evidence that supports this belief is provided using a study conducted by

Robert Hartley. Hartley’s findings of this study suggest that when children feel less able than

their peers, they feel less confident and in turn lack important problem-solving skills. A child’s

confidence, or lack thereof, can significantly impact their problem-solving abilities (Thornton, p.

110). When children attempt to problem-solve in a social context, the confidence that they have

in themselves as well as the perceived confidence that others have in them can help or hinder

their development of skills.

Additionally, Thornton’s views pose implications for elementary school teachers when

they teach children how to problem-solve. As a teacher, you are an adult with whom children

will want to “join in” on the problem-solving process. When teachers provide content and

instruction, they must allow students to join in with them when solving a new problem for the

first time. When a new problem is introduced, it will likely be in a child’s zone of proximal
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development; scaffolding a child to solve this problem for the first time can set up the child with

new skills to attempt this type of problem again, only with less or no scaffolding. Teachers must

recognize that scaffolding helps children develop skills that they need to problem-solve on their

own. Furthermore, when children lack confidence in the classroom around problem-solving,

teachers should not try to convince the child that they are capable; this can come off as

patronizing, especially because confidence is closely tied to specific types of problems

(Thornton, p. 112). As a teacher, the best thing one can do is to provide positive feedback and

attempt to help the child build confidence on their own.

In my own experience as a math student, I can attest to the importance of both

scaffolding and confidence. When approaching a new problem for the first time, I almost always

needed the teacher to model the problem first and have the class follow along. This way, I could

understand some of the skills that I would need to approach the problem in the future. I also

understand the importance of confidence: I was more confident in my math skills than some of

my peers, and I felt comfortable showing my work or solving a problem in front of the class. I

was less confident in other classes such as science, so I typically remained quiet in the

classroom. These things are key components of being able to solve problems in a classroom.

In summary, Thornton believes that a child’s ability to problem solve is influenced by the

social context and interactions that they experience, such as scaffolding and their confidence in

their skills. As a future educator, I intend to provide appropriate scaffolding for my students to

help them develop the skills that they need. I want to encourage my students to try new

problems. In turn, I hope this helps build up their confidence in their ability to solve a problem

on their own.
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References

Thornton, S. (1995). Children Solving Problems. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press