What parents can take from this research
Trying, comparing and even failing at plausible approaches can prepare learners to understand later explanation more deeply when the task is well designed.
What the research found
In the studied mathematical setting, students who first generated and explored solution attempts before instruction developed stronger conceptual understanding and transfer on later assessments.
Full citation
Manu Kapur (2010). Productive failure in mathematical problem solving. Instructional Science. DOI: 10.1007/s11251-009-9093-x.
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