Abstract
It is generally said in Pakistani classrooms that students face problems in recalling facts in mathematics and it brings hardship for students to understand mathematics meaningfully. Thus, most of the concepts and procedures of mathematics are difficult to understand for many students because rules and algorithms dominate. The purpose is to suggest the ways that might help to improve education in mathematics in developing deeper understandings of mathematical ideas, problem-solving being a possible way forward. The study uses a questionnaire to investigate perceptions of teachers (N=100) and also interviews conducted with 10 mathematics teachers. Overall, teachers were very positive, agreeing it was a useful approach and seeing numerous benefits, including making the learners more skilled and confident. However, they recognised practical difficulties both in terms of preparation and implementation. The resource demands are high, especially in rural schools. They were not confident that the approach helped in meeting diverse abilities. Furthermore, they perceived that problem solving method does not properly fit with a curriculum that over-relies on the text book and an assessment system overloaded with formal examinations which reward recall skills. In simple terms, although teachers are enthusiastic, the method will NOT be implemented and, indeed, cannot be implemented until the curriculum, the text-books and, especially, the assessment system reflect the value of this approach. Resource limitations and lack of training opportunities also are hindrances. Teachers have very limited opportunities to influence any of these areas.
Nasrin Akhter, Mumtaz Akhtar, Muhammad Abaidullah. (2015) The Perceptions of High School Mathematics Problem Solving Teaching Methods in Mathematics Education, Bulletin of Education & Research, Volume 37, Issue 1.
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