Self-Directed Problem Solving: Idea Production in Mathematics

In order to achieve standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and other groups pressing for substantial change in instruction, students must confront the ways in which they approach learning. This book develops levels of self-direction in which students use problem solving to break through misconceptions. The outcome is increased expectations from both students and teachers, while student motivation is derived from curiosity, challenge and control. Components of the Self-Directed Mathematics Program develop strategies through which students initiate thinking and make connections that represent the construction of concepts and solutions to problems. When students see themselves as individuals in charge of their own thought process, they enrich themselves and are able to use mathematics to their advantage in the changing opportunities of the future. Contents: The Problem; A Program for Self-Direction; The Power of Self-Directed Thinking; Idea Listing: A Strategy; Word Problems and Other Problem Solving; Open Problems; The Assessment of Student Thinking; A Changing World.