An Algebra teacher writes a problem on the board, one that the students have never seen before, and tells the class to solve the problem together in groups. Whenever someone asks a question, the teacher says things like "try something different," or "ask someone in your group."
In Algebra II (a rather difficult class, I might add), if a teacher introduces a problem, I believe that the teacher should explain how to solve a simple version first, and then send the students off to solve a more difficult version of the problem. If I were this teacher, having the students work out the problem on their own not only demonstrates good problem-solving skills, but allows said students to build up their group-working skills. Teaching students to work together to solve an unknown is a great way to prepare them for college and any career involving people.
On the other hand, students walking into the classroom will find that in order to pass that day's assignment and get participation points, they have to work with a group to discover the answer to a problem they've never seen before. To make matters worse, the teacher won't give any help-just cryptic clues like "try something different," or "ask someone in your group." I know from experience that a student in that situation will have already used as many resources as possible (i.e. flipping through notes, reading the glossary in the back of the math book, pounding fellow teammates for answers). In most students' point of view, this is a classic nightmare.
I've had a few of those nightmares, myself-oh, the horror! But a teacher like this, in my personal opinion, wouldn't be that bad. Does that mean I'd like a teacher like this? No, but even if I did, I don't think I'd complain. To me, it matters more about whether the teacher is nice about it, or if they explained it afterword.
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