Abstract
We report on the results of a professional development programme involving four Hungarian teachers of mathematics. The programme aims to support teachers in integrating problem solving into their classes. The basic principle of the programme, as well as its novelty (at least compared to Hungarian practice), is that the development takes place in the teacher’s classroom, adjusted to the teacher’s curriculum and in close cooperation between the teacher and researchers. The teachers included in the programme were supported by the researchers with lesson plans, practical teaching advice and lesson analyses. The progression of the teachers was assessed after the one-year programme based on a self-designed trial lesson, focusing particularly on how the teachers plan and implement problem-solving activities in lessons, as well as on their behaviour in the classroom during problem-solving activities. The findings of this qualitative research are based on video recordings of the lessons and on the teachers’ own reflections. We claim that the worked-out lesson plans and the self-reflection habits of the teachers contribute to the successful management of problem-solving activities.
Highlights
Teaching problem solving in mathematics classrooms is not an unknown element of the tradition of teaching mathematics in Hungary and is closely related to Polya’s principle of active learning (Pólya, 1981)
Its effectiveness is scrutinised through the following two questions focusing on the participating teachers’ progression: Q1 Is the teacher completing the professional development (PD) programme able to incorporate a problem into the lesson plan that reflects a problem-oriented processing of the curriculum? Q2 Is the teacher able to organise classroom discussion so that the students explain and justify their ideas, while critically adapting to their own thinking and that of their classmates?
The first research question is answered by analysing the problem situation incorporated in the lesson plan according to the following aspects: whether the problem is in line with the theme and objective of the lesson, and whether it provides an opportunity for a problem-oriented approach as outlined in the PD programme
Summary
Teaching problem solving in mathematics classrooms is not an unknown element of the tradition of teaching mathematics in Hungary and is closely related to Polya’s principle of active learning (Pólya, 1981). One of the core principles of the programme is that we only want to make incremental changes in teachers’ practice, focusing on the problemoriented approach to learning mathematics. This principle appears in the research of Niss, who claims that “instead of making more radical changes in curricula, in teaching and learning materials, and in assessment, corresponding to the changes in the audiences, authorities have attempted to preserve the goals and the ethos of mathematics education of the past, at least in spirit, while making series of piecewise adjustments so as to avoid too drastic discontinuities in the transition from the past to the present” Concerning the second research question, we use a content analysis of the transcripts made from the video recordings and evaluate the teacher’s behaviour according to Rott’s grid
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
