Different people learn in different ways, and puzzle solving certainly works for some people. Sadly, I don’t include myself in that list. I don’t enjoy puzzles, particularly in an educational setting at all.

Looking through your process I’m concerned though. You have present a puzzle, have the students solve that puzzle, then you present your solution (as you characterize as possibly perfect.) This doesn’t seem, as you’ve described it, as a particularly positive experience for the student.

I do like the other parts of this though, around de-emphasizing the jargon and having somewhat more practical examples.

IMHO, you should have a look at constructivist teaching, which is the methodology behind Hackathons, Makeathons, FIRST robotics, etc. You explain the tools, then give the students an open ended prompt that involves using those tools to solve a practical problem. Then they go do that with your guidance on the side, and they get the pride of demonstrating the results. Done correctly it’s a rewarding experience for everyone involved and leaves a positive experience for the student around the activity and the topic.

The two big deltas between what you are proposing an a constructivist approach is trading puzzles for practical projects, and trading showing your solution for showing the students solutions.