You can’t just learn to be a generic problem-solver. The ability to spot patterns, argue well, and untangle messy problems is completely tied to how much actual, specific factual knowledge you have about that particular subject.
“The ability to plan a task, to notice patterns, to generate reasonable arguments and explanations, and to draw analogies to other problems are all more closely intertwined with factual knowledge than was once believed” (Erickson et al., 2009).
References
Erickson, B. L., Peters, C. B., & Strommer, D. W. (2009). Knowing, Understanding, Thinking, and Learning How to Learn: The Goals of First-Year Instruction. In Teaching First-Year College Students. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.