[n_e]

I'm not sure what approach you're suggesting?

Asking a more junior developer or someone who "show little interest in learning" to discuss their approach with you before they've spent too much time on the problem, especially if you expect them to take the wrong approach seems like the right way to do things.

Throwing out a PR of someone who doesn't expect it would be quite unpleasant, especially coming from someone more senior.

[ljm]

This is how I try to approach it. I don't think it's a new thing for a new hire to come in hot and try to figure things out themselves rather than spending time with the team. Or getting lost down rabbit holes.