MATHEMATICAL CREATIVITY AMONG EXCELLENT 8TH GRADE PUPILS

Abstract

Creativity is finding a new way within a given frame and it is the ability to connect between segments of information, materials and experience, which exists in their own right, or were previously connected with different patterns. The current research engaged in solving problems that can be resolved in various ways or that they have several solutions, by excelling students and this in order to measure the level of mathematical creativity related to solving mathematical problems, by measuring the three elements of mathematical creativity: flexibility (multiple solutions), fluency (time needed to solve the problem), innovation (originality of ideas). It is important to emphasize that the way of solving tasks by using as many ways as possible, considered to be as one of the most efficient ways to the discovering and development of mathematical creativity. In the current research, 24 8 th grade pupils from several schools have participated, every student received three diverse mathematical problems and was requested to suggest and raise as many solutions or ways to solve as possible for each problem without teacher intervention, while measuring the required time to solve every problem separately for every student by a stopwatch. Additionally, a semi-structured interview was held with each student separately regarding his or her approach to each problem, the interview focused on identifying the mathematical language, in the process of resolving and in the exposure of the pupil’s mathematical thinking process until he or she reached the solution. The research findings indicate that there are differences between the pupils regarding flexibility, as multiple solutions were suggested by the pupils for each problem individually. Differences were also found in the level of innovation among the pupils, hence original solutions and new ideas to solve problems have been received. Moreover, a difference in fluency has been found so that pupils solved in a different time rates, this is despite the fact that all pupils have a very high level of achievement. Article visualizations: