ABSTRACT
Real problem solving aims to build up the confidence and ability of children to solve just the kind of problems that are characteristic of a rapidly-changing society. Confidence in one’s ability to cope, as any adult knows, plays a large part in tackling important problems. Again, as any adult also knows, the important problems are the real ones that will not go away on their own. Real problems for adults are practical, immediate impediments to safe or satisfying living, and the successful resolution of such problems actually makes a difference to the life of the adult involved. Similarly, real problems for children are those that have an immediate, practical effect on their lives, and in which the children themselves can effect some improvement of the situation.
