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http://dx.doi.org/10.7468/jksmed.2011.15.1.031

Mathematical Problem Solving for Everyone: A Design Experiment  

Quek, Khiok Seng (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University)
Dindyal, Jaguthsing (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University)
Toh, Tin Lam (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University)
Leong, Yew Hoong (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University)
Tay, Eng Guan (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University)
Publication Information
Research in Mathematical Education / v.15, no.1, 2011 , pp. 31-44 More about this Journal
Abstract
An impetus for reviving research in mathematical problem solving is the recent advance in methodological thinking, namely, the design experiment ([Gorard, S. (2004). Combining methods in educational research. Maidenhead, England: Open University Press.]; [Schoenfeld, A. H. (2009). Bridging the cultures of educational research and design. Educational Designer. 1(2). http://www.educationaldesigner.orgied/volume1/issue21]). This methodological approach supports a "re-design" of contextual elements to fulfil the overarching objective of making mathematical problem solving available to all students of mathematics. In problem solving, components critical to successful design in one setting that may be adapted to suit another setting include curriculum design, assessment strategy, teacher capacity, and instructional resources. In this paper, we describe the implementation, over three years, of a problem solving module into the main mathematics curriculum of an Integrated Programme school in Singapore which had sufficient autonomy to tailor-fit curriculum to their students.
Keywords
Problem solving; design experiment; mathematics curriculum; assessment; teacher development;
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