Abstract:
Although problem-solving has been advocated in mathematics curriculum documents and supporting materials for decades, this vision has failed to be realised in the classroom. This study aimed to address this by examining the practices of classroom teachers.
A case study approach was used to explore problem-solving in mathematics in a Year 4 classroom and Year 5 and 6 classroom. The study found that teachers supported the planning and teaching of problem-solving using student choice, cooperative learning opportunities, a selection of problem-solving tasks, and the maintenance of cognitive challenge through teacher dialogue and growth mindset messages.
Although teaching mathematics for and about problem-solving was prominent within the case study classrooms, there was a significant lack of teaching mathematics through problem-solving. A strictly traditional mathematics lesson structure and a predominate focus on content outcomes was found to negatively impact opportunities for the implementation of teaching mathematics through problem-solving. The implication from this study is the more explicit teaching occurs later within a mathematical lesson structure and the more there is an increased focus on mathematical process outcomes, the more space is created for teaching mathematics through problem-solving and for further student autonomy, competence, and relatedness opportunities.
A case study approach was used to explore problem-solving in mathematics in a Year 4 classroom and Year 5 and 6 classroom. The study found that teachers supported the planning and teaching of problem-solving using student choice, cooperative learning opportunities, a selection of problem-solving tasks, and the maintenance of cognitive challenge through teacher dialogue and growth mindset messages.
Although teaching mathematics for and about problem-solving was prominent within the case study classrooms, there was a significant lack of teaching mathematics through problem-solving. A strictly traditional mathematics lesson structure and a predominate focus on content outcomes was found to negatively impact opportunities for the implementation of teaching mathematics through problem-solving. The implication from this study is the more explicit teaching occurs later within a mathematical lesson structure and the more there is an increased focus on mathematical process outcomes, the more space is created for teaching mathematics through problem-solving and for further student autonomy, competence, and relatedness opportunities.