Polya’s legacy: Fully forgotten or getting a new perspective in theory and practice

Problem solving and student-centred learning have received a great deal of attention in mathematics curricula for schools and in some universities. Much of this emphasis developed from the pioneering work of George Polya in heuristics, problem solving and mathematics education. Polya’s work, and some of its later extensions, are reviewed in the light of current research findings. It is argued that, despite the attention it has received, problem solving remains a difficult skill, both to teach and to learn, and directions for future work are suggested