Increasing Mathematics Confidence by Using Worked Examples

Abstract

An important way to help our students learn and strengthen their knowledge of mathematics is by studying already-worked examples of problems. A considerable amount of evidence suggests that analyzing worked-out problems can be as conducive to learning as actually solving practice problems and that it may be more effective in helping students to recognize underlying similarities between problems (Sweller 1989; Zhu and Simon 1987; Sweller and Cooper 1985). Well-constructed worked examples do more than merely teach rote procedures; they illustrate mathematical principles and classes of problem situations