As educators, we often times have students ask us "Is this right?" and we typically respond with a proud 'yes' or a hesitant 'no' and then progress into showing the child how to do the problem "correctly". In the book of life, there is not always a "right" or "wrong" solution. More often than not, each situation holds a different "answer". Furthermore, solutions usually have to be investigated and validated before they are considered a solution. When educators respond to a student's "Is this right?" question with an immediate yes or no, they are unintentionally reducing the child's critical thinking opportunity.
In Rebecca Alber's November 12, 2010 article, When Teaching the Right Answers Is the Wrong Direction, Alber discusses how students often times learner better by not getting the correct answer the first time out. Alber suggests that educators promote critical thinking skills via open ended questions and by approaching new problems with more of a questioning approach instead of a demonstration approach. Students may find it more beneficial to discover the solution versus being told what the answer is from the beginning.
http://www.edutopia.org/lesson-planning-inquiry-modeling
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