Yes, I don't disagree that sometimes toiling over a problem yourself is the most rewarding. I think most people have experienced this. This is the purpose of ex

Yes, I don't disagree that sometimes toiling over a problem yourself is the most rewarding. I think most people have experienced this. This is the purpose of exercises in textbooks. But most textbooks don't solely consists of exercises. I was responding to this idea of never giving direct answers, only always posing more questions, which I think has a high potential of backfiring. As another user pointed out in this comments thread, I believe the best approach to take is first get an understanding of what the student already knows and understands, how best they learn, and form your instruction around that.