Options
Use of practical worksheet in teacher education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels
Citation
Toh, P. C., Toh, T. L., Ho, F. H., & Quek, K. S. (2012). Use of practical worksheet in teacher education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In D. Jaguthsing, P. C. Lu., S. F. Ng (Eds), Mathematics education : Expanding horizons: Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 736-743). Adelaide : Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.
Abstract
We have applied the ‘practical paradigm’ in teaching problem solving to secondary school
students. The key feature of the practical paradigm is the use of a practical worksheet to
guide the students’ processes in problem solving. In this paper, we report the diffusion of the
practical paradigm to university level courses for prospective and practising teachers. The
higher level of mathematics content would demand higher order thinking skills. Learners
without a model of problem solving would often revert to solving by referring to many
examples of the same ‘type’ of problem. Polya-type problem solving skills framed by the
practical worksheet was used as an attempt to elicit more effective problem solving
behaviour from them. Preliminary findings show that they were able to use the practical
worksheet to model their solution of problems in the courses.
Date Issued
2012
ISBN
9789810725273
Description
This paper was published in the Mathematics education : Expanding horizons: Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, held in Singapore from 2 – 6 Jul 2012