Search results for " Problem Solving"
showing 10 items of 53 documents
Teacher Guidance in Mathematical Problem-Solving Lessons: Insights from Two Professional Development Programs
2019
When implementing a problem-solving lesson, the teacher needs to provide students appropriate guidance during problem solving. This demanding task requires understanding students’ work in progress and giving them necessary help without constraining their thinking. In this article, we share insights from two professional development programs on how teachers guided students’ problem solving and how they reflected on these instances. One of the programs included Finnish pre-service teachers, while the other program included US in-service teachers. We analyzed video-recorded problem-solving lessons from 16 Finnish and 2 US teachers in grades 6–9. We found two themes about teacher guidance of st…
The what and how of observational learning
2007
Abstract Neuroimaging evidence increasingly supports the hypothesis that the same neural structures subserve the execution, imagination, and observation of actions. We used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to investigate the specific roles of cerebellum and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in observational learning of a visuomotor task. Subjects observed an actor detecting a hidden sequence in a matrix and then performed the task detecting either the previously observed sequence or a new one. rTMS applied over the cerebellum before the observational training interfered with performance of the new sequence, whereas rTMS applied over the DLPFC interfered with performa…
Arithmetic Problems Formulation and Working Memory Load
1987
First, third, and fifth graders (French children in American-numbered grades) were asked to solve arithmetic problems in which an initial state was modified by two successive transformations. Three independent variables were manipulated systematically. First, the unknown state was either the final state (Sl) or the initial state (S2). Second, either the known state (01) or the transformations (02) appeared in the first place in the problem wording. Third, the question was either located at the end (Ql) or at the beginning (42) of the problem text. As anticipated, these modifications strongly affected the performances at every age: S1 appears clearly easier than S2; 0 1 leads to a better per…
Modeling the insect mushroom bodies: application to a delayed match-to-sample task.
2013
Despite their small brains, insects show advanced capabilities in learning and task solving. Flies, honeybees and ants are becoming a reference point in neuroscience and a main source of inspiration for autonomous robot design issues and control algorithms. In particular, honeybees demonstrate to be able to autonomously abstract complex associations and apply them in tasks involving different sensory modalities within the insect brain. Mushroom Bodies (MBs) are worthy of primary attention for understanding memory and learning functions in insects. In fact, even if their main role regards olfactory conditioning, they are involved in many behavioral achievements and learning capabilities, as …
Child-centered and teacher-directed practices in relation to calculation and word problem solving skills
2019
Abstract This study examined transactional associations between classroom-level math skills and teaching practices. Participants were 523 children from 31 classrooms. Math skills were assessed three times. Teaching practices were observed in Grades 1 and 3. Child-centered practices promoted subsequent calculation skills whereas teacher-directed practices were associated with a lower level of calculation skills. Higher problem-solving skills at Grade 2 predicted more child-centered practices and less teacher-directed practices in third grade. Moreover, calculation skills mediated the effect of child-centered practices on problem-solving skills. The results suggest that teaching practices and…
Live Action Role Play and the Development of Teacher Competences: Evaluation of “Everyday Life in the Classroom”
2016
Building on Dörner’s (1996) theory of complex problem-solving, a learning scenario for teacher students was created and tested. Classroom management is interpreted as a complex problem, which requires the integration of competing interests and tackling multiple, simultaneous tasks under time pressure and with limited information. In addition, rising emotions are likely to impede thinking and the quality of decision-making. To prepare student teachers to understand and reflect the complex problem-solving challenges inherent in classroom management, we developed the live action role play “Everyday Life in the Classroom” which was embedded in a seminar structure to guide the development of ana…
A Similarity Evaluation Technique for Cooperative Problem Solving with a Group of Agents
1999
Evaluation of distance or similarity is very important in cooperative problem solving with a group of agents. Distance between problems is used by agents to recognize nearest solved problems for a new problem, distance between solutions is necessary to compare and evaluate the solutions made by different agents, and distance between agents is useful to evaluate weights of the agents to be able to integrate them by weighted voting. The goal of this paper is to develop a similarity evaluation technique to be used for cooperative problem solving with a group of agents. Virtual training environment used for this goal is represented by predicates that define relationships within three sets: prob…
Researching (Algebraic) Problem Solving from the Perspective of Local Theoretical Models
2010
Concepts such as Local Theoretical Model, Mathematical Sign System, logico-semiotic outline, analytical reading, and formal competence model, elaborated within long term research programs developed in Mexico and Spain, are presented. Empirical data from a study carried out in Spain with students of a teacher training school are analyzed using this theoretical framework. The cases analyzed show to which extent the logico-semiotic outline determines the arithmetic or algebraic nature of the entire problem solving process, even in the case of pupils which had been instructed in general problem solving heuristics, management and control, including the explicit training in changing the plan of s…
Avances de investigación en educación matemática
2020
El fomento de la flexibilidad y adaptabilidad en resolución de problemas matemáticos favorece el desarrollo de la competencia matemática. En este estudio se describe y justifica el diseño de una secuencia de tareas de modelización que permite analizar la flexibilidad inter-tarea en los estudiantes. El objetivo central del estudio es analizar si los estudiantes son capaces de adaptar sus planes de resolución según aspectos relativos al contexto de la tarea, cambiando de estrategia de una tarea a otra, si estos aspectos varían. En el estudio han participado 110 estudiantes del grado de Maestro/a en Educación Primaria; los resultados permiten conocer en qué medida son flexibles los estudiantes…
Reasoning with paper and pencil: The role of inscriptions in student learning of geometric series
2009
The purpose of this article is to analyse how students use inscriptions as tools for thinking and learning in mathematical problem-solving activities. The empirical context is that of learning about geometric series in a small group setting. What has been analysed is how students made use of inscriptions, self-made as well as those provided by text books and teachers, and the role these inscriptions played in the coordination of students’ learning/communication. Through the use of inscriptions (made on the chalkboard and with paper and pencil), the students externalised their thinking while engaging in mathematical reasoning on the topic of geometric series. The inscriptions were significan…