But if you present them with a small, easy-to-understand example before going into pondering mode, maybe you just saved yourself an hour.

It's the difference between having API documentation and having a quick start + API documentation.

I happen to agree. My post and my whole perspective comes as a teacher who has believed primarily for years that rote-learning stinks and critical-thinking and creativity should be the focus etc. And after years of pushing against the trends, I came to realize that the optimal balance is somewhere in the middle.

So, most of my students need me to be totally focused on critical thinking because so many other influences neglect it. But I still find there are times where it's just not the right approach.

Consider statistical learning and exemplar theory. Instead of learning principles, there's a strong argument that we learn by large quantities of examples until we naturally pick up the general patterns…

Also, dividing by ability levels. No one likes being constantly outdone, and will soon turn away from a subject they can't progress as fast on their own..