Talking and writing about the problem solving process

This paper reports one aspect of a larger study which looked at strategies used by Grade six students to solve six non-routine mathematical problems. One focus of the study was the relative effectiveness of students ’ written and verbal communication in revealing their thinking during the problem solving process. The results suggest that students may benefit from instruction on communicating their thinking in writing and that emphasising writing as a guide to students ’ thinking may disadvantage lower ability students. Recent curriculum reforms in some Australian states (e.g. Department of Education Tasmanian, 2002) have highlighted the importance of thinking, communicating and instilling deep understanding in our students and have seen a re-emphasis on mathematical problem solving as an important mechanism for enhancing these skills. Problem solving is, of course, not a new idea in mathematics education. Over half of a century ago, the importance of problem solving was recognised (Brownell, 1942, cited in Suydam, 1980) and its importance was emphasised strongly throughout the 1980’s (Suydam, 1980). Polya (1949) and others (e.g. Branca, 1980; Schoenfeld, 2002) maintain that problem solving is the goal of mathematics learning while the National Council of Teachers of Mathematic