Difficult puzzle, scaffolding & automatisation

Difficult puzzles need a strategy to be able to solve them. Smart children just try solving them, trusting their solving skills rather than a strategy. This works until they face a puzzle that seems not to work in that way. Then they have to try something called multilayered strategy. This is exactly the aim of scaffolding, getting insight in structure of solution, rather than being able to just solve the puzzle without having to worry how they did it.
In the midst of this comes emotions that are new to smart children: failure, frustration, stress... These emotions are often successfully avoided because smart children often can solve problems easily. When the puzzle is difficult enough, they get the chance to experience these emotions. A good teacher knows that emotions are a part of education. It is good to reflect on the emotions. What happened? How did you feel?
Then the child has to finish the task anyway. This means perseverance. The more perseverance, the better the child will feel when it does succeed to solve the problem in the end.
When they succeeded to solve the difficult puzzle, accompanied with the necessary frustration, the next step is to teach the child to automatize the puzzle.

extra something

Now on Serendip an article on Howard Hoffman. This veteran is a painter, a teacher, a psychologist, a physicist or a mathematician in one person. It's a highly inspiring person, only by reading about him. His method is use of humour and observation. There is some extra thing that survivors have... Is it more taste for life? Was he obliged to think deeper because of his experience? I recognise the ''extra something" from some other veterans / war survivors I know. A certain passion for living, for making living worthwhile?

true and false in teaching

It is paradoxical that a teacher who uses lies in his lesson might actually teach best thinking about true and false. Read an inspiring essay of Pjammer about his teacher and his style of teaching critical thinking by experience. I actually use this method with my two year old. I say some statement that cannot be true and then say: "That cannot be true, can it?". I then enjoy the pensive expression on the little face.