• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.533-551
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• 2015

Problem posing in school mathematics is generally regarded to make a new problem from contexts, information, and experiences relevant to realistic or mathematical situations. Also, it is to reconstruct a similar or more complicated new problem based on an original problem. The former is called as problem generation and the latter is as problem reformulation. The purpose of this study was to explore the co-relation between problem generation and problem reformulation, and the educational effectiveness of each problem posing. For this purpose, on the subject of 33 pre-service secondary school teachers, this study developed two types of problem posing activities. The one was executed as the procedures of [problem generation${\rightarrow}$solving a self-generated problem${\rightarrow}$reformulation of the problem], and the other was done as the procedures of [problem generation${\rightarrow}$solving the most often generated problem${\rightarrow}$reformulation of the problem]. The intent of the former activity was to lead students' maintaining the ability to deal with the problem generation and reformulation for themselves. Furthermore, through the latter one, they were led to have peers' thinking patterns and typical tendency on problem generation and reformulation according to the instructor(the researcher)'s guidance. After these activities, the subject(33 pre-service teachers) was responded in the survey. The information on the survey is consisted of mathematical difficulties and interests, cognitive and affective domains, merits and demerits, and application to the instruction and assessment situations in math class. According to the results of this study, problem generation would be geared to understand mathematical concepts and also problem reformulation would enhance problem solving ability. And it is shown that accomplishing the second activity of problem posing be more efficient than doing the first activity in math class.