Critical Analysis Paper

Julia Doyle

Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College

EDUC 2108.01: Teaching Mathematics and Technology

Dr. Lillie Albert

January 31, 2024

 The modes in which children solve complex problems has been a long debated topic in

the fields of psychology and education. There are several leading theories, including those from

Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, that attempt to explain how children make sense of the world and

the problems they encounter. In Children Solving Problems, Stephanie Thornton displays a

slightly different approach to explaining children’s problem-solving. Thornton posits that social

interactions are the primary way that children learn to problem-solve. She argues that when

children interact with other children and adults, they encounter several different scenarios that

promote their learning of how to solve problems. Some of the instances she discusses include

child-to-child interactions in which there can be conflict, agreement, or even teaching,

scaffolding from adults, participating in solving meaningful, contextual problems, and the adult

encouragement of children's confidence in their own abilities.

The first reason Thornton gives as to why children learn how to solve problems through

social interaction is concerning the collaboration of children. This argument is centered around

Thornton’s (1995) idea that “two wrongs make a right” (p. 95). When two children approach the

same problem with two different ideas, this can lead to conflict. Even if both children’s ideas are

wrong, their conflict can lead to collaboration that results in a new, successful way to solve the

problem that they created together. Another instance is if one child has more knowledge than the

other, they can teach the other child their strategy. Drawing from Vygotsky’s theory, Thornton

(1995) states that, “Sharing problem solving with a skilled partner is one of the major ways

through which children acquire their skills” (p. 96). This belief connects the importance of

children working together to the importance of adults working with children.

Scaffolding is the second major way that Thornton believes children learn how to

problem-solve. Parents, teachers, or other adults can provide scaffolds to children, meaning they
give them just enough support to where the children are still challenged, but able to complete the

given task, also called the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Thornton (1995) suggests that

parents take part in guided participation, where the adult and child both make decisions, but the

adult is explaining and supporting (p. 102). I believe that guided participation is important for

teachers to enact in their classrooms when they are about to send students to solve problems

independently. This way, the problem-solving method(s) are not only modeled for them, but they

can take their first attempt at solving the problem with the assistance of the teacher. Through

these examples, Thornton demonstrates common ways that children learn problem-solving skills

through their interactions with others.

The third rationale she provides is that children’s social interactions, especially with

adults, provide opportunities for them to solve problems in a meaningful context. Thornton

(1995) emphasizes that, “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” (p. 105). Adults have the power to create meaning in the problems they

help children solve. If children are more motivated to make sense of an issue if it relates to them

or has a clear, meaningful goal, then it is clear that social interaction is needed to further develop

problem-solving skills in this way.

Finally, Thornton raises the effect that a child’s confidence has on their performance. Not

only does our success help us become more confident in our abilities, but also what people

believe about our success. She underlines that adults, especially parents, are in a position to boost

their child’s confidence in themselves. Thornton suggests that parents should provide more

praise and gentle, less frequent criticism to their children so that their confidence will increase in

general. I feel that this is important in the classroom as well– teachers should provide praise to
students as often as they can to increase student’s self-confidence. Once children feel confident

and secure in their abilities, they often can solve more complex or difficult problems. Again, this

supports her position because this mode of increasing children’s confidence requires social

interaction.

As a student, I recall my ninth-grade math teacher consistently providing context and

meaning to our assignments. Oftentimes when we were provided with word problems, the

problems would be relevant to us as students. The questions would involve aspects of our school,

extracurriculars, things going on in our community, and more. As Thornton described, having a

clear purpose and meaning not only motivates students to solve problems, but also creates a

space that the child feels familiar with. Rather than solving an abstract problem, we were given

concrete issues to work with and refer back to.

Thornton’s thesis that the development of children’s problem-solving abilities relies on

their social interaction is supported by the various rationales I outlined in this essay. In

particular, I believe that one of the most valuable things we can do as teachers is build up our

students’ confidence both academically and in general. By giving praise whenever possible, and

encouraging positive self-talk, students can become more confident in their problem-solving

abilities and thus be more successful in school and in life. One specific way I will employ this is

through the use of “growth mindset”. My past pre-practicum teacher encouraged her students to

use this way of thinking when they were struggling to solve any kind of problem. She reminds

them both verbally and through posters throughout the room to say, “I can’t do this… yet!”. I

will definitely use this strategy in my future classroom so I can explicitly send the message that

all students are capable of solving any problem they encounter.

 Reference

Thornton, S. (1995). Children solving problems. Harvard University Press.