Academia.eduAcademia.edu

Learning via problem solving in mathematics education

2009, South African Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Learning via problem solving in mathematics education Three forms of mathematics education at school level are distinguished: • direct expository teaching with an emphasis on procedures, with the expectation that learners will at some later stage make logical and functional sense of what they have learnt and practised (the prevalent form), • mathematically rigorous teaching in terms of fundamental mathematical concepts, as in the so-called "modern mathematics" programmes of the sixties, • teaching and learning in the context of engaging with meaningful problems and focused both on learning to become good problem solvers (teaching for problem solving) and utilising problems as vehicles for the development of mathematical knowledge and profi ciency by learners (problem-centred learning), in conjunction with substantial teacher-led social interaction and mathematical discourse in classrooms.