In trying to solve a problem, especially one that is new or slightly more complex, a child usually gets frustrated and becomes upset. One very important role a daycare teacher plays in that situation is helping the child cope with the challenge rather than rushing in to “rescue” them by showing them how it should be done. In doing so, we might have increased the child’s exposure to how the problem can be overcome but fail to develop a child’s problem solving skills to its potential.
Using Prior Knowledge in Problem Solving
A child, despite his/her young age, possesses a certain level of prior knowledge. To ensure that a child capitalise on the problem solving opportunity, the daycare teacher can assist the child to see how the new problem relates back to some knowledge which he already possess (prior knowledge) or is familiar with. Following that, the daycare teacher can then help him to think about how he can leverage on that prior knowledge to solve the new problem.
In doing so, not only is the daycare teacher teaching the child to break a complex problem into easier and more manageable parts, the child also learns to see the relationship between the present skills and past knowledge.
Limitation of Using Prior Knowledge in Problem Solving
However, whilst the use of prior knowledge is key to problem solving, it is important for the daycare teacher to note that, sometimes prior knowledge can also stand in the way of the acquisition of new knowledge.
A daycare teacher should be aware that in certain situations, the solution to solving a problem can conflict with the solution of a problem of a similar nature. For example, the mathematical rule for natural numbers cannot be applied to fractions. Although this issue seems more prevalent in problems of mathematical and scientific nature, it can also occur in problems of all subject areas.
Overcoming the Limitations of Prior Knowledge
The daycare teacher must facilitate the child’s problem solving skills in those situations by acknowledging the prior knowledge that they currently possess and build up on that knowledge to restructure or re-address the problem. The child should be provided with ample opportunities to explore and better understand the conflict. The process of having the child understand the conflicting problem and reconcile the prior knowledge with the new knowledge that he has gathered could take time and therefore provision must be made to allow that additional leadtime, else it could lead to confusion for the child.
