Browsing by Subject "avoimet ongelmat"

Problem solving is important because it develops cognitive skills and creativity, and it motivates pupils to learn maths. Problem-solving skills are essential in our everyday lives. Open-ended problems are common in problem solving. The focus of this research is on open-ended maths problems in problem solving in primary school teaching. The inspiration for this research comes from national and international research that suggests that open-ended questions in problem solving improve cognitive skills, increase creativity and motivate pupils to learn maths. I am investigating the way pupils and teachers perceive open-ended questions and how they think they differ from ordinary maths questions. All the interviewees are participants in a development project regarding problem solving. Three teachers and three groups of pupils were interviewed in spring 2016. They were asked questions about the problem-solving tasks they had solved during the project. The answers were divided into different themes based on the research questions. Different themes from the research questions were found through the categorising process. Recurring themes were: multiple solutions, co-operation, reflection and changes in thought process. According to my findings the pupils were not used to solving problem based questions. However, most of them enjoyed solving the problems and felt a sense of achievement after solving them. The teachers understood the advantages of the problem-solving questions and felt that their own ideas about maths were developed during the project.