ABSTRACT
This chapter brings together the key aspects of the teaching of problem solving. The best qualification for successful problem solving is an extensive knowledge of the appropriate field of study. Algorithms and heuristic devices are both extremely useful devices for problem solving. The chapter draws the main features of teaching activity likely to help pupils to develop the ability to solve problems. The nature of the problem is left obscure. In some cases, through faulty analysis of the topic being taught, the teacher himself has failed to identify the problem confronting the learners. An interesting example of this is the investigation by Reid into the problems faced by children beginning to learn to read. Whereas the teacher thought the problems were of the nature of distinguishing between different words, the problems the children were actually trying to solve were of the nature of what a printed word actually is.
