"Help! I don't know how to work this kind of problem! Somebody please explain!" Followed by a problem from the end of the chapter or online quiz.
I get this kind of "fishing" for answers frequently. Of course, it doesn't help the student very much if I just given them the solution, right? But how do I approach this to keep an open dialog with the student? My first attempt is usually something like this: "Can you explain how you are approaching the problem? What have you tried so far? If I know how you are thinking about the problem, I can probably help you find the trouble spot." If I can get the student to invest some time and effort in the problem, they have a better chance of understanding the solution when we finally get to it. Of course, he or she may have really tried to solve the problem, and I think this is frequently the case, but it helps both of us to have them explain what they've done so far.
Often, the reply is, "I just don't know how to even start it!" In that case, I'll offer a way to begin the problem. "Oh, well what I usually do when I start working a problem like this is to..." This gives them a chance to get the problem started and perhaps they will be able to take it from there. At least, I've kept the conversation going and hopefully helped them think through the solution.
If getting them started wasn't enough to get them finished, I will eke out steps in the process: "OK, next I usually do this...". At some point, the lightbulb turns on and they figure it out (or they just get tired of all the conversation :-). Most of the time, they give a positive confirmation that they "got" the problem at some point. This gives me a chance to then re-cap the process and summarize the way we approached and solved the problem. Sometimes, due to schedules and such, this process can take a few days, but if we both happen to be on line simultaneously, it could be just a few minutes.
In the long run, I think it's always better to be Socratic and ask the student to invest a few brain cells in thinking through the solution than to just give them a pat answer. Equally important, in my opinion, is to always be encouraging and welcoming so the students don't get the impression that they are being a nuisance -- even if they are!
I find that I sometimes have to remind students to use these same techniques in responding to fellow classmates' questions in the Q & A discussion area. In general, the students I've counseled about how to help classmates without "giving away the answer" have not only been very receptive, but have themselves learned a bit more about the content due to having to respond in this way.
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