Enhancing Thinking Skills: Will Daily Problem Solving Activities Help?

In this action research study of my classroom of eighth grade general mathematics students, I investigated how addressing problem solving activities each day would affect the thinking and reasoning skills of the students. I discovered that the students became more adept at problem solving as they practiced various strategies. As students justified their answers, both orally and in written form, their understanding of mathematics and its applications to the real world improved. I discovered that students worked more diligently on problems of interest to them. Also, some problems are better solved individually, and some are more geared as a group activity. As a result of this research, I plan on allotting time for problem solving in all of my math classes next year. I will give students the opportunity to work in groups, but they will also be required to complete some problems individually