M, PS Mathematical Problem Solving in South Africa: Research and Practice
Synopsis
Mathematical Problem solving In South Africa: Research and Practice is written for scholars and mathematics education practitioners interested in quality research, methodological rigour, and potentially transformative implications to assist them in understanding the teaching and learning of mathematical problem solving in South Africa. As such, this book aims to present current research on problem solving in this Southern African context. Nevertheless, the latter part on context needs to be emphasised. The editors are excited about how much the research was context-bound, even if at times not overtly stated.
As a secondary aim to this book, the contextual nature of educational research is a focal point - in order to encourage others from different backgrounds to present what they observe, in this case, around mathematical problem solving. So, in reading this book, the most important message that we want to convey to the reader is how valuable ‘local’ research is and how much it can spark broader discussions on the subject matter.
With that in mind, we believe that the book presents ‘the state of the art’ of mathematical problem solving in South African education. The book also provides various perspectives to problem solving involving research-based approaches to instruction and content. After reading this book, readers will not only be informed about mathematical problem solving specifically in South Africa but also ideas to apply in the reader’s context. Specifically, this book provides insight into what mathematical problem solving means in a South African context and how it is being implemented in the classrooms, preservice teacher education, and in-service teachers’ professional development initiatives. On the other hand, the term problem solving has different meanings for different mathematics education practitioners. As such, it has been challenging to conclude what mathematical problem solving means in South Africa. This edited volume is compiled to make such an exposition and open up ideas about how we generally view problem solving in mathematics education research.
Mathematical Problem solving in South Africa: Research and Practice is an indispensable resource to people with research interests in mathematical problem solving and mathematics education at any level; mathematics education researchers; mathematics teachers; mathematics education students in higher education; mathematics education curriculum planners and policymakers. The current focus of mathematical problem-solving research is on what transpires in the classroom during its implementation. Besides giving empirical data on how mathematical problem solving is implemented in a South African context, this book gives insight into some of the different ways in which local mathematics teachers teach problem solving and use problem solving to teach mathematics. The book has many significant ideas to help teachers to implement problem-solving tasks into their classrooms. These significant ideas were tested in the classrooms by the authors. This means the book can be used by professional development practitioners interested in supporting in-service mathematics teachers in teaching problem solving.
The 14 authors of the nine chapters, who are from various South African institutions of higher learning, pay careful attention to the past, present and future directions of mathematical problem solving in South Africa and internationally. Consequently, this book is helpful for graduate courses on mathematical problem solving or mathematics teacher education.
The book also provides international researchers with insight into developments in South Africa regarding the teaching and learning of mathematical problem solving. The authors engage diverse conceptualisations of mathematical problem solving and, at the same time, offer a range of approaches for exploring aspects related to problem solving in mathematics classrooms. We intend that this more diverse view contributes to a broader discussion on how we approach the teaching and research of mathematical problem solving. The book aims to:
- Bring together recent work from researchers, and inform readers about mathematical problem-solving research in South Africa;
- To provide an updated overview of contemporary research on mathematical problem solving;
- Clarify what mathematical problem solving means in a South African context;
- Provide empirical data on how mathematical problem solving is implemented in the South African context;
- Give insight into some of the different ways in which South African mathematics teachers teach problem solving, thus drawing attention to successfully applied teaching practices; and
- Identify main directions for further research in mathematical problem solving in South Africa.
