Teaching problem solving in sixth form college
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Date
1980
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Publisher
UWI
Abstract
The author planned an ongoing study to find out whether it is possible to improve the problem-solving abilities of mature high school students of average and above-average mathematical ability by direct teaching, and if this can be done in a regular classroom following a prescribed syllabus. Work with two groups of pre-university level students (N=21 and N=26 respectively) led the author to advance tentative conclusions that: 1) gains in routine problem-solving sessions did not carry over to test conditions, and 2) in order to develop flexibility of approach in school mathematics, there is the need to start with inquiry type methods early, to foster development of the dualistic view of mathematics as a body of knowledge with algorithms for applying it, and processes for originating knowledge