Helping Yourself

Today, I had a student ask me for help on their work. So, I asked him to read the question. Then I asked him what the question was asking. I then asked him what equation he would need and he said he didn't know. So I asked him where he could find it and told him to look it up. He got really upset with me because I wouldn't just tell him, I was actually going to make him look. Once, he found the information, he still wanted me to tell him what to do. It wasn't that he couldn't figure it out, he just didn't want to have to think about it himself, he wanted to simply be told what to do.

Here was my question to him: How does me giving you the answer help you learn? He didn't have an answer to that.

Now there are times, when giving the answer or a hint will help the person. Sometimes we just need to be pointed in the right direction or learn from those who came before us. However, I believe that in many situations, looking for the answer on our own helps us more than being told. We remember the things we do better than the things we are told.

I think its is important for us to learn to help ourselves by trying.

If trying by ourselves will cause loss of money, productivity, limbs, or life, please ask for help and gather all necessary information first :)