Minyoung Shim

Teaching Mathematics and Technology

Professor Albert

29 January 2020

Social Contexts in Problem-Solving

In Thornton’s book, Children Solving Problems, she discusses the significance of social

context for children when they are learning to and are solving problems. Problem-solving skills

evolve through experience and dynamic interaction with a problem. She considers children to be

the designer of their own problem-solving skills by observing their surroundings, making

discoveries, and organizing information (Thornton 93). But she argues that social interaction in

problem solving is equally important as she claims that successful problem-solving is a social

process. Thornton contends that social interaction in important for the development of children’s

problem-solving skills because the child has limited resources and lack of knowledge needed to

solve problems. Thornton writes how social factors influence the development of problem-

solving skills and give suggestions on how parents and teachers can implement social

interactions into problems. In discussing the significance of social interaction for children’s

problem solving, Thornton supports her ideas by referencing theorists Vygotsky, Bruner, Wood

and Gardner. In this paper, I will discuss Thornton’s ideas about problem solving in a social

context and expand on the various factors that lead to effective development of problem-solving

skills. I will also discuss personal experiences with problem solving, and what I plan to integrate

into my teaching strategy in the future.

Thornton believes that the form of the interaction between the collaborators is essential

for children developing their problem-solving skills. When children work together to solve a
problem, they all bring different background knowledge and perspectives. By sharing their

individual ideas and working together to make one decision in resolving the issue, children can

reach coming up with more sophisticated strategy. Thornton claims that “the new approach in

problem solving can disrupt both children’s original strategies and opens up the range of

feedback which brings the possibility of new discoveries and effective way of solving the

problem” (Thornton 96).

Thornton also asserts that the interaction between children and adults facilitates the

development of problem-solving skills. She introduces Vygotsky’s theory of zone of proximal

development to support her ideas about children learning and problem-solving skills that relates

to the social context. Thornton uses the reasoning that Vygotsky’s zone of proximal

development. Vygotsky believed that children acquire and develop skills when they receive

sufficient scaffoldings from parents or teachers. For example, if a parent helps the child solve the

problem by guiding through verbal directions and showing demonstrations, it stretches the

child’s skills to complete the task with scaffoldings. Thornton believes that adults can use this

idea to create effective learning environment. Thornton suggests that parent support should be

delivered in a specific way for the scaffolding to be effective. Thornton supports her point by

citing a study conducted by Michael Pratt and his colleagues who have found out that the best

scaffolding for a child is a parent or teacher managing to “combine sensitivity to the child’s need

for support and nurturance with a firm, demanding style of communicating and enforcing rules”

(Thornton 100).

According to Thornton, “the hardest kind of skills to teach are those in which the child

must learn to apply an abstract principle or to analyze a situation and construct a strategy from

scratch” (105). Thornton argues that teaching students these skills is hard and takes a long time
for students to process complex or abstract concepts. In this case, Thornton argues that the

teacher should imbue and motivate students by informing students that there is a meaningful

purpose behind learning this and provide a structure for them to follow when students are

struggling with grasping the idea. She also emphasized that it is important for students to know

the purpose in solving problems because seeing the point of achieving the goal motivates them

not only to persist but to pay attention to the details of the problem, which are crucial elements in

learning.

As a learner, I could see myself reflected in her book as she discusses how children

problem-solve in social context. Last semester, I took a course, Teaching Natural Science, in

which I partnered with a classmate to create a unit plan in Forces and Motions. Planning for the

whole unit was our first time and it was really difficult for me to outline a structure and order the

lesson in a sequence that could best lead students in learning the big science ideas that we

wanted them to get at the end of the unit. There were times when we disagreed with what content

we should teach and how we should carry out experiments. But in order to work out our unit

plan, we discussed continuously and specifically how we think the lessons should be taught and

through these dense conversations, I was able to learn from my partner of ideas that I wasn’t able

to come up with my own. Also, in order to convince my partner, I had to organize my thoughts

and deliver it articulately which in this process, I was also able to see clearly what I wanted to

get across and what areas I am finding difficult to understand the concepts. Now that I look back

at this experience after having read Thornton’s book, I can see how social interaction encourages

development of problem-solving skills.

As Thornton argues that social interaction is the key factor in the development of

children’s problem skills, teachers can implement wise use of social interaction into their
pedagogy for effective instruction and support. Teachers can create a learning environment in the

class that promotes effective problem solving by partnering students so that students can stretch

their comprehension by working collaboratively. Also, it is important for teachers to provide

adequate scaffoldings that suits each individual student. As Thornton argued, it is effective when

teachers provide verbal instructions and show demonstrations while also adjusting their

instructions to meet the needs of individual students. As a future teacher, I plan to adopt

Thornton’s ideas into my own teaching by using the methods of group or partner activities and

make clear what the purpose is in learning each lesson so that students are motivated to persist in

solving problems and understanding the abstract concepts that are difficult to understand.