What is missing in most curricula — from elementary school all the way through to university education — is coursework focused on the development of problem-solving skills. Most students never learn how to think about solving problems.
Besides being a lot of fun, a puzzle-based learning approach also does a remarkable job of convincing students that (a) science is useful and interesting, (b) the basic courses they take are relevant, © mathematics is not that scary (no need to hate it!), and (d) it is worthwhile to stay in school, get a degree, and move into the real world which is loaded with interesting problems (problems perceived as real-world puzzles).
