problem solving in the primary school

This article, written for primary teachers, discusses what we mean by 'problem-solving skills' and draws attention to NRICH tasks which can help develop specific skills.

Students should be provided with opportunities to discover and formulate new problems. In fact, problem posing positively influences students’ learning, skills, attitudes, and confidence when solving this type of task [14, 17, 23].

1. Link problem-solving to reading. When we can remind students that they already have many comprehension skills and strategies they can easily use in math problem-solving, it can ease the anxiety surrounding the math problem.

Problem-solving is a crucial skill that empowers students to tackle challenges with confidence and creativity. In an educational context, problem-solving is not just about finding solutions; it involves critical thinking, analysis, and application of knowledge.

This article forms part of our Problem-solving Classroom Feature, exploring how to create a space in which mathematical problem solving can flourish. At NRICH, we believe that there are four main aspects to consider: • Highlighting key problem-solving skills • Examining the teacher's role • Encouraging a productive disposition

To foster these skills, students should be provided with rich, meaningful problem-solving tasks already in primary school. Teachers have a crucial role in equipping students with a variety of tools for solving diverse mathematical problems. This can be challenging if the instruction is based solely on tasks presented in mathematics textbooks.

To fully understand creative problem solving in the primary school context, it is important to study to what extend creative problem solving outcomes overlap with outcomes from commonly used creativity tests and measures of academic achievement.

These three resources, from the National Strategies, focus on solving problems. Logic problems and puzzles identifies the strategies children may use and the learning approaches teachers can plan to teach problem solving. There are two lessons for each age group.

young pupils in primary schools were not developing the necessary mathematical skills and understanding and that teachers were relying too heavily on published schemes in their teaching. The report argued that ‘the ability to solve problems is at the heart of mathematics’ (Cockcroft, 1982, p. 249).

Elementary students practice problem-solving and self-questioning techniques to improve reading and social and emotional learning skills.