How does one become good at problem solving?

In stuart Brown's book "Play" he talks about his research that found that successful retiring engineers who were good problem solvers had taken apart clocks to see how they worked, or made soapbox derby racers, or built hi-fi stereos, or fixed appliances in their youth. Young engineers who had done these things, who had played with their hands were also adept at the kinds of problem solving that management sought. Those who hadn't, generally were not.
Perhaps providing students with experiences that require them to be hands on will help them to go deeper with their learning and become better problem solvers.


TED video on the power of games to alter and grow the brain.