Raise the Bar on Problem Solving

Autor/in	Englard, Lisa
Titel	Raise the Bar on Problem Solving
Quelle	In: Teaching Children Mathematics, 17 (2010) 3, S.156-163 (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1073-5836
Schlagwörter	Diagnostic Tests; Problem Solving; Foreign Countries; Word Problems (Mathematics); Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics Achievement; Models; Elementary School Mathematics; Algebra; Singapore + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Diagnostic test; Diagnostischer Test; Problemlösen; Ausland; Textaufgabe; Mathematics lessons; Mathematikunterricht; Mathmatics sikills; Mathmatics achievement; Mathematical ability; Mathematische Kompetenz; Analogiemodell; Elementare Mathematik; Schulmathematik; Singapur
Abstract	In a 1981 diagnostic test, the Ministry of Education in Singapore found its country facing a challenge: Only 46 percent of students in grades 2-4 could solve word problems that were presented without such key words as "altogether" or "left." Yet today, according to results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2007), Singapore students continue to place among the best mathematical problem solvers in the world. How did this small country improve its students' performance? It all began with an approach, developed by a team of educators, which advocated a concrete-to-pictorial-to-abstract strategy. The "model method," as it is known in Singapore, has students draw a pictorial model to represent quantities and their relationships. The model puts the focus back on the relationships and actions presented in the problem, and helps students choose both the operations and sequence of steps that are needed to solve a problem. In this article, the author explores the possibilities of the model method in her third-grade class and discusses the results of this method. In conclusion, the Singapore model method provides a visual approach to help future astronauts, engineers, and other workers focus on mathematical relationships, operations, and actions. Posttest questions and an answer key are appended. (Contains 5 tables and 9 figures.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1502. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-3702; Fax: 703-476-2970; e-mail: orders@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10