Becoming a Better Teacher

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Becoming a Better Problem Solving Teacher One major goal of mathematics educators is to help students become good problem solvers. Problem solving is a critical component of learning mathematics in the early years. Young students who are engaged in meaningful problem solving develop basic skills, higher- order thinking skills, and a repertoire of problem- solving strategies (Lee). Children make sense of mathematical ideas by actively engaging in solving a variety of rich mathematical problems. However, worded problems are considered a source of much frustration for students, often resulting in their lack of understanding of how words and numbers relate to each other (Lee). Problem solving for young students, teachers should consider two purposes for embedding problem solving into mathematics lessons: (1) problem solving affords children opportunities to make sense of the mathematic concepts they are learning by using their own strategies as they decide how to proceed. (2) Problem solving can be solved in many ways and encourage students to think beyond applying their basic skills. This kind of teaching encourages a problem- solving disposition that will serve children well past the primary grades. Problem solving should be an integral part of a young child’s school experience. Many good problem solving opportunities can be created as students gather in the morning “to take attendance, get the lunch count, look at the calendar, or discuss the day’s schedule” (Hartweg and Heisler). Daily routines offer problem solving contexts in which students can explore new mathematical ideas, or practice and extend previously covered topics. There are a number of common strategies that children of primary age can use to help them solve problems: Guess, Act It Out, Draw, and Make a List. “Guess” has two strategies, guess and check and guess and improve. Guess and check is one
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