ABSTRACT
Solving problems is possibly the hottest topic in education at the moment. It forms the basis of a number of constructivist approaches to teaching and learning such as problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, discovery learning, experiential learning, and constructivist learning. Teachers might choose to use a problem-solving strategy that they have used before, but only after determining its similarity to the problem at hand and, thus, whether that strategy is relevant. There is significant evidence that the main distinguishing factor between experts and novices in problem-solving is domain-specific knowledge. There is also emerging evidence that conventional problem-solving skills are not effective in acquiring schemata. Inquiry-based instruction is demanding on working memory inquiry-based instruction requires the learner to search a problem space for problem-relevant information. A simple example of categorisation based on deep or surface-level structures is how an expert baker may see a problem as opposed to a novice.
