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Teaching mathematics through problem posing: insights from an analysis of teaching cases

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Abstract

In this study we aimed to understand teaching mathematics through problem posing based on an analysis of 22 teaching cases. Teaching mathematics through problem posing starts with problem-posing tasks. This study provides not only specific examples of problem-posing tasks used in classrooms but also related task variables to consider when developing problem-posing tasks. This study also contributes to our understanding of how teachers can deal with student-posed problems in the classroom. In these 22 teaching cases, there was a typical pattern to how teachers dealt with the students’ posed problems in the classroom according to the instructional goals. For future research, we need to accumulate additional teaching cases and explore possible discourse patterns concerning how teachers handle students’ posed problems, as well as identify the most effective discourse patterns when teaching mathematics through problem posing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southwest University, Chongqing, China

    Huirong Zhang

  2. University of Delaware, 437 Ewing Hall, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Jinfa Cai

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  1. Huirong Zhang
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Zhang, H., Cai, J. Teaching mathematics through problem posing: insights from an analysis of teaching cases. ZDM Mathematics Education 53, 961–973 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-021-01260-3

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