A teacher’s attitude and the teaching strategies he/she uses
significantly influence educational outcomes, see e.g. (Švec,
2012). Observations from Czech schools suggest that pupils as
well as teachers prefer problems in whose case the algorithm
suitable for their solution is apparent, in whose case there are
no doubts about the choice of the suitable algorithm (Novotná,
2000). In that case the class does not have to undergo the
painstaking procedure of looking for this algorithm and can omit
the often lengthy and difficult journey to grasping of the problem.
The role of the teacher is simpler, he/she only has to detect the
place where pupils make mistakes and assess correctness of
their solutions. That is the reason why teachers often choose
problems in whose case the search for the appropriate algorithm
is easy and also often hint at the suitable solving procedure. This
means pupils instead of solving a problem simply apply some
algorithm chosen according to the signals from the assignment
or the teacher.