Not a very encouraging thought for the beginning of the school year.

But, it serves to remind us of a key component of any instructional situation - "teaching to learn."

If you can be a problem solver, you can learn.

I had the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across the U.S. during an AdvancePath professional development session at Dundalk High School AdvancePath Academy (Baltimore County Public Schools) last week. AdvancePath Academy teachers shared current best practices and strategies. And one of our favorites is a fairly typical plea: Student: "I can't do this! Tell me the answer!"

This particular event occurred at Lansing's Woodcreek Achievement Center AdvancePath Academy, although I've seen, heard and felt it many times before. It provided a perfect example of the frustrations students (and teachers) may experience, at times, during self-paced learning segments.

With a little time, and some great leading questions, teachers can help the student walk through problem-solving steps, build self-confidence, and habituate the processes involved. Here's how this particular interface unfolded:

The "tell me the answer" student was extremely frustrated. She could not seem to resolve a math problem and felt a bit too comfortable not only seeking help, but seeking a "quick getaway" - where teacher was to supply the answer. Her teacher, Mrs. Ellis, started instead with a "let's take a breath," calming moment. And then the problem-solving began!

She asked the student to walk through the steps used to solve the problem. The student did so, thankfully, with minimal eye-rolling and a fairly rapid-fire delivery of the steps. The student actually had pretty much mastered the rote delivery of concept application, but did not yet comprehend the theory behind the solution steps. Now, the magic began with teacher-initiated questioning steps:

1. "Let's go over your notes and together we might catch where the snag is." While the student read aloud, her teacher asked a few questions along the way. The student taught the process to the teacher.

2. During the process, the teacher identified an error in the student's step and through directed questioning, helped the student to come to that realization. "I got it!" There was an "aha! moment" followed by , "Thank you Mrs. Ellis!" The student recognized the error and found the correct solution path through directed questioning by the teacher.

3. Before ending this coaching session, Mrs. Ellis asked the student to show her how she arrived at the "got it" and to teach the teacher through a similar problem. The student led this discussion, and completed the new exercise with confidence.

4. Lastly, Mrs. Ellis asked for a reiteration of the process, providing encouragement of the work the student had done to resolve the issue.

5. Mrs. Ellis also congratulated the student on finding a way to take a break, to find a calming moment and resume her problem-solving, and then and only then seek help, encouraging the student's appropriate response to frustration and problem-solving.

6. The teacher was also able to make note of the problem-area and see if there were others at this level in the course who might also benefit from a small group session drill-down, to assist in content mastery.