Premium
Systems thinking and mathematical problem solving
Author(s) -
Salado Alejandro,
Chowdhury Ahsan Habib,
Norton Anderson
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
school science and mathematics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 1949-8594
pISSN - 0036-6803
DOI - 10.1111/ssm.12312
Subject(s) - mathematical problem , set (abstract data type) , mathematics education , word problem (mathematics education) , word (group theory) , computer science , systems thinking , mathematics , artificial intelligence , geometry , programming language
Problem solving lies at the core of engineering and remains central in school mathematics. Word problems are a traditional instructional mechanism for learning how to apply mathematics to solving problems. Word problems are formulated so that a student can identify data relevant to the question asked and choose a set of mathematical operations that leads to the answer. However, the complexity and interconnectedness of contemporary problems demands that problem‐solving methods be shaped by systems thinking. This article presents results from three clinical interviews that aimed at understanding the effects that traditional word problems have on a student’s ability to use systems thinking. In particular, the interviews examined how children parse word problems and how they update their answers when contextual information is provided. Results show that traditional word problems create unintended dispositions that limit systems thinking.