Do our learners have the knowledge they need to think deeply — and do we know where the gaps are that prevent them?
In schools, learners struggle to understand complex concepts because the basics are missing.
Thinking · Curriculum · Assessment
How well is your school developing thinkers?
Problem Solved helps schools strengthen teaching, assessment and learner thinking for an increasingly complex world.
We exist to
Get an honest picture of thinking across your school’s curriculum, teaching and assessment.
South Africa’s education story
We changed the curriculum.
We never fully rebuilt the conditions for thinking.
- 011954 – 1998
Education designed for inequality.
A system built to separate, with restricted curriculum and unequal opportunities by design.
- 021998 – 2002
A legacy inherited by classrooms.
New aspirations, but old habits, resource gaps and unequal foundations remained.
- 032002 – 2011
Difficult curriculum reform.
Although competence-based, this change caused confusion amongst teachers.
- 042012 – today
Coverage replaced transformation.
Accountability and syllabus coverage pushed out deeper thinking and disciplined inquiry.
While policy change took priority, cognitive development was side-lined.
AI can generate answers.
Schools must develop the people who can question them.
- 01
Interrogate claims.
- 02
Use evidence.
- 03
Think beyond recall.
Why maths?
Pattern, structure,
proof and reasoning.
Mathematics develops habits of mind that transfer across subjects and into life.
Mathematics is not one subject among many.
It is the platform thinking is built on.
Do our teachers have the subject and pedagogical knowledge to develop thinking, or are they teaching learners how to perform?
In classrooms, the teacher carries most of the cognitive load. Learners answer questions, but rarely explain, challenge or defend their reasoning.
Enabling deep thinking
Three conditions for a school that thinks.
- 01
Close the foundational gaps.
Ensure every learner has the essential knowledge they need to think.
Knowledge - 02
Change the classroom talk.
Shift from answer-getting to reasoning. Create classrooms where learners explain, challenge and build on each other’s ideas.
Understanding - 03
Re-engineer assessment.
Use assessment to reveal thinking, reasoning, misconceptions and judgement. Not only whether the expected answer was reached.
Wisdom
Do our assessments reveal how learners think, their reasoning, misconceptions and judgement — or only whether they reached the expected answer?
The finding
If those three questions were uncomfortable,
that is the finding.
A gap between the credentials your school issues and the thinking your learners can actually do is not a failure of leadership.
It is a systemic challenge and it is measurable.
Thinking School
Diagnostic™
The diagnostic profiles your school across ten dimensions of thinking, compares what leaders, teachers and learners each experience, tests that against real evidence from your classrooms, and returns three priorities with a 90-day plan.
- From R15 000
- Credited towards a subsequent audit
- 20 minutes
- Per participant
- 10 working days
- To receive your report
Report turnaround starts once all required submissions are complete.
Featured services
View servicesStart where your school is.
Every school’s challenges look different. Our services help you understand what is happening now, identify what is limiting progress and build the conditions for lasting change.
Thinking School
Diagnostic™
A clearer picture of thinking in your school.
Our diagnostic reveals how learners are thinking across curriculum, teaching and assessment, and identifies the biggest opportunities for progress.
Assessment &
Task Analysis
A clearer picture of thinking in your school.
We analyse tasks, tests and examinations to reveal whether they reward reasoning or recall.
Teacher
Development
Turn thinking into daily classroom practice.
We build teacher expertise in questioning, classroom dialogue, task design and pedagogical knowledge.
Thinking continues beyond the classroom
Thinking in practice
View more insightsIdeas for schools navigating an AI-shaped world.
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Meet Sandi Bota
Curriculum insight.
Classroom reality.
Sandi brings 12+ years across curriculum, teaching, assessment and teacher development.
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively & to think critically.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
In their own words
What people say.
“What stood out to me was the way Sandi approached school improvement by starting with the learner & then working backwards to the systems, teaching & culture needed to support them.”
Joanne GlendinningHeadmistress, Auckland Park Prep
“I would recommend Sandi without hesitation to any school or education leader seeking to develop a more thoughtful, reflective and intellectually engaging culture of learning.”
Dr Benadette AineamaniMaskew Miller Learning
“What makes her truly remarkable is her ability to transcend the boundaries between traditional wisdom and modern innovation. In an era where there is an increasing dependence on AI, Sandi reminds us that technology should enhance human intelligence, not replace it.”
Sylvia PoleEduPulse Africa
“You played a phenomenal role in her understanding maths and building a foundation for her. And it’s finally clicking — everything just clicks now.”
Irene Ferreira
“Caren’s mark has gone from 24% to 68%. I really, really appreciate what you’re doing for Caren.”
Carmen Webster
“You don’t just teach us maths, you inspire us to believe in ourselves and push beyond what we think we can do.”
Inga Makhubalo