Beans

Have you heard the story about the dad who let his 9-year-old daughter struggle for 6 hours to open a can with a can opener? He wouldn't let her eat until she figured it out on her own. This dad's philosophy resembles the results of a 2013 survey, where 82% of teachers endorsed the statement that “Students learn best by finding solutions to problems on their own.” That sounds plausible, but the reality is that the best solution is a healthy balance of detailed instruction with as much help as possible followed by implementing that instruction with practice and repeating what your teacher taught you. The idea that we need to figure things out on our own with little to no instruction is out of touch with best practices and reality.