Teachers’ pedagogies and mathematical problem solving in classrooms

This paper attempts to address the question of the extent emphasis on mathematical problem solving as spelt out in the Singapore syllabus gets enacted in the classrooms of three primary 5 teachers. Through a video coding scheme, a glimpse into the teachers’ pedagogies and practices through a series of lessons is offered. Three conceptions of teaching problem solving: teaching about, teaching for, and teaching via problem solving (Schroeder & Lester, 1989) framed the analysis. The patterns that emerged from the findings suggest a somewhat limited focus on problem solving, and that teachers mainly teach for problem solving. They further suggest that the range of heuristics observed and types of problems used were also limited.