Mathematical Puzzles for the Secondary Mathematics Teacher : A Collection, Classification, and Evaluation

The purpose of this study is to provide secondary\ud mathematics teachers with a collection of classified\ud mathematical puzzles which when used in conjunction with\ud the appropriate level and concept in the mathematics\ud curricula, will serve to stimulate, illustrate, and\ud enrich the desired objectives of study.\ud As a basis for this study, three assumptions were\ud made: (1) attitudes are fundamental to, and contribute\ud to what students learn, (2) mathematical puzzles intrigue\ud and motivate students, and (3) the use of puzzles as an\ud integral part of the mathematics instruction is an\ud effective way to teach concepts and skills.\ud Teachers recognize that students' mathematical\ud achievement and interest has suffered, and that\ud recreational materials provide a welcomed relief from\ud the rigorous mathematics curricula. However, a brief\ud review of the literature will show that it does not\ud provide the secondary mathematics teacher with a practical,\ud effective classroom resource.\ud From the available literature on mathematics\ud recreations, the author made a final selection, edition,\ud and classification of the 117 puzzles in Chapter 3\ud according to four criteria: (1) clarity and understandability,\ud (2) time factor practicality, (3) motivational\ud value, and (4) illustration of a mathematical\ud concept.\ud An evaluation of the puzzles was made by five\ud secondary mathematics teachers. Each teacher rated each\ud puzzle with respect to the four criteria on a four-point\ud scale. An analysis of the data followed revealing that\ud nearly all of the puzzles were rated very highly. Hence,\ud the puzzle collection was judged to be an excellent\ud resource for secondary mathematics teachers by those\ud teachers who served on the evaluation panel