Developing a problem solving approach to primary mathematics teaching : a case study

摘要

According to recent research a focus in teaching mathematicsto children is the development of problem solving abilities.Problem solving means the process of applying mathematicalknowledge and skills to unfamiliar situations. A case study was done using a problem solving approach to the learning and teaching of mathematics with a sample of teachers registered at the Umlazi College For Further Education. These teachers were familiar with the traditional approach of teaching mathematics through drill and practice methods.The new syllabus that is to be implemented emphasises aproblem solving approach to the teaching of mathematics. This study set out to implement a problem solving approach with primary school mathematics teachers so that they would be someway prepared for the innovations of the new syllabus.Workshops were conducted using an action research approachwith discourse and practice leading to reconstruction withimprovements. Early theorists like Piaget and Bruner offered ways of understanding children's learning, to help the teacher develop his teaching. Dienes introduced an element of play and Dewey spoke of the importance of experience. Dienes and Dewey show the first positive signs of recognising the importance of social interaction in the learning situation. Social interaction lays emphasis on language and discussion in the mathematics classroom. A social constructivist model of teaching and learning was used for the research. This research includes a study of the established ideas on developing a problem solving approach to mathematics teaching. These ideas were incorporated into the workshops that the group of teachers attended. During the workshops teachers were gradually exposed to the essence of problem solving techniques through much group discussion and doing practical exercises,which they could then implement in their classes. The teachers reported back at each subsequent workshop. A non-participant observer evaluated the development at theworkshops. The workshops' success was evident from the change in the teachers' attitudes and behaviour as well as their feedback of what transpired in the classroom. They reported on the change in their roles as information suppliers to facilitators where the thinking process was focused on, rather than the importance of a correct answer. In the workshops the teachers themselves moved from passive listeners to active participants. It would appear from this preliminary investigation that through using a problem solving approach in workshops, inservice teachers can benefit constructively from this approach and will attempt to use it in their own teaching.