Problem Posing

Without posed problems, there are no problems to solve.

Frequently Asked Questions
Who poses mathematics problems?
For whom are mathematics questions posed?
What is Problem Posing?
Dunker described problem posing in mathematics as the generation of a new
problem or the formulation of a given problem. (Dunker, 1945).
Silver described problem posing as it is refers to both the generation of new
problems and the re-formulation of given problems, posing can occur before,
during or after the solution of a problem (Silver, 1993).
Stoyanova has defined mathematical problem posing as the process by which,
on the basis of concrete situations, meaningful mathematical problems are
formulated (Stoyanova, 1996).
Skills in problem posing
1) Use problem-solving strategies to investigate and solve the posed problems.
2) Formulate problems from every day and mathematical situations.
3) Use a proper approach for posing problems up to the mathematical
situations.
4) Recognize relationships among different topics in mathematics.
5) Generalize solutions and strategies to new problem situations.
6) Pose complex problems as well as simple problems.
7) Use different subjects' applications in posing mathematical problems.
8) The ability of generating questions to improve problem posing strategies like:
- How can I finish the problem?
- Can I pose another questions?
- How many solutions can I find?
HOW ARE PROBLEM-POSING SKILLS RELATED TO PROBLEM- SOLVING
SKILLS?
Silver and Cai found that students problem-solving performance was highly
correlated with their problem- posing performance. Compared to less

successful problem solvers, good problem solvers generated more, and more
complex, mathematical problems.
Benefits of Problem Posing

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frees learners from the one-answer syndrome.

enables learners to view common things in uncommon ways.
legitimizes asking questions.
fosters the predicting, conjecturing, and testing of hypotheses.
builds a spirit of adventure, intellectual excitement, and class unity.
demonstrates the spiraling nature of inquiry learning. No problem is

really solved.
It develops a sense of personal ownership and responsibility for
mathematical investigations.

Ways To Change A Problem

Some ways to change a problem to create new problems

Change the numbers.
Change the geometry.
Change the operation.
Change the objects under study.
Remove a condition, or add new conditions.
Remove or add context.
Repeat a process.

Change The Numbers

This is the most obvious way to change a problem. Give your students one or
more problems and ask them to identify any stated or implied numbers.
When considering numerical changes to a problem, many different domains
and representations can prove interesting.
Change The Geometry
Any problem with a geometric setting is ripe for new variants. The simplest
problem-posing maneuver is to change the shapes involved.
Different categories of shapes that suggest possible substitutions include
polygons and their number of sides, regular versus non-regular polygons.
Changes of dimension can yield exciting challenges and patterns.

Continuous and discrete spaces (e.g., the lattice of points with integer
coordinates) usually require distinct methods of solution and offer contrasting
conclusions
Change The Operation
Algebraic: We can switch between addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division, exponentiation, and roots. We can also change the order of operations.
Geometric: We can change between scaling, translating, rotating, and other
transformations. We can construct medians rather than perpendiculars. We
can trisect or n-sect rather than bisect an angle, segment, or area.
Analytic: We can change the function involved (example make it exponential
rather than linear)
Probabilistic: We can substitute a predictable behavior for a random one). For
example, Juancho, a fifth grader, altered the Connect the Dots problem so that
the jump size was chosen randomly for each step;
Start with a circle with 16 points, equally spaced:
You are going to make a shape by jumping around this circle. Pick a number, j
that determines how far you will move around the circle with each jump.
Start at the top point (labeled 0), and draw a segment to the point j steps away.
Begin each new jump where the previous one ends and continue this process
until one of your jumps returns to the starting point, 0.
Changes The Objects Under Study
Rather than just look at real numbers, we can consider vectors, matrices, or
functions (e.g., polynomials) as the operands.
For example, elementary school students often discover that 2 + 2 = 2 * 2, but
find no further examples (except perhaps 0 and 0).
Remove or Add Context
If a problem comes with a particular setting, we can make it abstract by
removing any non-mathematical details.
Alternatively, we can add a story to an otherwise abstract problem. For
example, it is easy to dissect a rectangle into four equal pieces, but when that

rectangle becomes a cake and there are four kids who each want their fair
share, a whole realm of new and difficult mathematics problems emerge
You can turn each problem-posing method into a practice activity. Ask students
to superimpose a story or context on an abstract problem of their choosing
(e.g., a geometric construction or a system of equations they find by scanning
through a textbook).
Repeat A Process
Iteration can lead to surprising and beautiful mathematical questions and
results.
We can repeat any operation, such as squaring a number, bisecting a side, or
rotating a figure, to yield ever more complicated objects or sequences for study.
With starting point in symbolic schemes
The teacher gives the formula a+b=x and requires as many examples of
exercises as possible. Then the teacher asks for the formulation of varied
problems. The position of the unknown is changed ( a+x=c; x=a+b ; x+b=c ; etc.)
with the same requirements (proposing various exercises and problems). The
same procedure is carried out, starting from one of the models a-b=x, a+b+c=x,
a-b-c=x, etc., or from graphical models, diagrams, tables.
Children were asked to do the tasks described above in a gradual progression
of internalizing, which emphasizes recurrent cycles of understanding: orally,
mentally, in writing (without or with minimum verbalization, and the result is
required for checking). Letters are to be used just accidentally, or gradually,
depending on the students level and teachers knowledge about their
appropriate use. Usually, instead of a,b,c,x, other symbols more familiar to
children were used as boxes or shells for the substitutions.
EXAMPLE 1
1+1=?
Assume the student has already figured out that the result is 2.
By increasing a term on the left by 1 the total on the left is increased.
In order to get the equality back, one should increase by 1 the right side as
well.
Applying the enlightening idea repeatedly, the student may even conceive of the
notion that adding any number on the left can be balanced by adding the same
number on the right. The left hand side is a sum of two terms.

A second observation can be made to the effect that it does not matter to which
of the terms the number has been added. And then a third one that the
number does not have to be wholly added to one of the terms - it can be split in
any way imaginable.
Example 2
One of two brothers is 7 years old while the other is only 5.
As you can see, the sum of their ages is 12.
Please invent another problem and solve it.
Even if the following was obtained as (7 + 1) and (5 - 1)
One of two brothers is 8 years old while the other is only 4. As you can see, the
sum of their ages is 12.
One of two sisters is 7 years old while the other is only 5. As you can see, the
sum of their ages is 12.
Different Kinds of Problem Posing
Problem
The mathematics teacher assigns an assignment to her students. The boy
asked the Monster to answer his assignments in his behalf.
Problem Posing with PLOT
Examples:

List actions in a logical order

Clues to identify a part of the story
Compare actions
Make predictions based on evidence
Connect the plot to a math concept
Redesign the plot to include mathematics
A math walk through the story
Explore conjectures, estimations, generalizations

Mathematical Task with PLOT

How many types of each problem did the Monster solve if the boys bill is

$15?
How many different solutions can you find?

Problem Posing with CHARACTER

Make the Character(s) come to life

Put the Character(s) in the students classroom, bedroom, kitchen, or

Community Park
Make the story real to children: what open-ended tasks can characters
face?

Mathematical Task with CHARACTER

Lets pretend that the Monsters Magic Calculator has broken.
Only the 5, the 2, the , the , and the = buttons work.
Problem Posing with ILLUSTATIONS
Illustrations can:

Capture students interest and imagination

Visualize the mathematics
Enhance the details of the narrative
Place mathematics in a meaningful context

Mathematical Task with ILLUSTRATIONS

How many different monster faces can you make from 4 different sets of
scary eyes, 3 different eerie noses, and 3 different sets of pointy teeth?
Problem Posing with SETTING

Consider how the students can relate to the setting.

Settings help to create integrated teaching units.
Students can begin to see the mathematics in the everyday.

Mathematical Task with SETTING

Respond to our class survey about the places where we do our math
homework.

At the kitchen table

In my room at home
At the library
At a friends house
Draw a graph to display the results.

Problem Posing with OBJECTS

Familiarity (and unfamiliarity) with objects in the story provide learning

opportunities.
Objects in stories can be compared, contrasted, sorted, and classified.

(Got Van Hiele?)

Objects in stories can be described or constructed with 2D and 3D
shapes

Mathematical Task with OBJECTS

To do the boys math homework, the Monster requires a very special type
of pen.
Pens-R-Us sells 2 pens for $1.40
Pen-Mart sells 3 pens for $1.99
Problem Posing with TIME FRAME
The TIME FRAME of a story:

Builds understanding of time measurements

Creates the necessity for standard units
Can bridge a students imagination and reality
Allows for comparisons and contrasts

Mathematical Task with TIME FRAME

Before the boys teacher realizes that the Monster is doing the math
homework, the Monster has spent 1,725 minutes doing homework.
Silver and Cai (2005) identified three criteria that are commonly applicable to
most problem posing tasks:
Quantity - refers to the number of correct responses generated from the
problem posing task.
Originality - is also another feature of responses that can possibly be used as
a criterion to measure students creativity.
Complexity - refers to the cognitive demands of the task. It can be categorized
as low, moderate, or high.
Task objective: From the information below, construct mathematical
problems, and solve them, to demonstrate your competency in using the basic
rules for manipulating inequalities to simplify and solve simultaneous
inequalities or inequalities involving linear, quadratic or modulus functions.
A gardener is planting a new orchard. The young trees are arranged in
the rectangular plot, which has its longer side measuring 100m.
Sample 1 of problems showing low mathematical complexity
If a fence around the orchard measures more than 330m, and the area of
the orchard is not more than 7000m2, find the range of values of the shorter
side.
Sample 2 of problems showing moderate mathematical complexity

The gardener decides to divide the plot of land into three sections for
growing three different types of plants. It is given that section C is
representative of a quadrant and the area of section C is bigger than that of
section A. The various sections require different types of soils of different
prices. If the gardener has a budget of $400 for buying soil for the orchard,
what is the maximum value of x?
Sample 3 of problems showing high mathematical complexity
It is given that the width of the orchard is 50m. Starting from point B, a
worker P walked along the edge in a clockwise direction and back to B at a
speed of 2m/s. Another worker, Q, started from point A and walked along the
edge in the clockwise direction and back to point A at a speed of 1 m/s. What
is largest possible area of triangle BPQ?
Example Problem
Ann has 34 marbles, Billy has 27 marbles, and Chris has 23 marbles.
Write and solve as many problems as you can that uses this information
students are able to pose problems such as the following:
How many marbles do they have altogether?
How many more marbles does Billy have than Chris?
How many more marbles would they need to have together as many
marbles as Sammy, who has 103?
Can Ann give marbles to Billy and Chris so that they all have the same
number? If so, how can this be done?
Suppose Billy gives some marbles to Chris. How many marbles should he
give Chris in order for them to have the same number of marbles?
Suppose Ann gives some marbles to Chris. How many marbles should
she give Chris in order for them to have the same number of marbles?
Mathematics content: Linear equation with one unknown
Situation: A factory is planning to make a billboard. A master worker
and his apprentice are employed to do the job. It will take 4 days by the master
worker alone to complete the job, but it takes 6 days for the apprentice alone to
complete the job.
Students Task: Please create problems based on the situation. Students
may add conditions for problems they create.

Problem 1. How many days will it take the two workers to complete the job
together?
Problem 2. If the master joins the work after the apprentice has worked for 1
day, how many additional days will it take the master and the apprentice to
complete the job together?
Problem 3. After the master has worked for 2 days, the apprentice joins the
master to complete the job. How many days in total will the master have to
work to complete the job?
Problem 4. If the master has to leave for other business after the two workers
have worked together on the job for 1 day, how many additional days will it take
the apprentice to complete the remaining part of the job?
Problem 5. If the apprentice has to leave for other business after the two
workers have worked together for 1 day, how many additional days will it take
the master to complete the remaining part of the job?
Problems 6. The master and the apprentice are paid 4500Pesos after they
completed the job. How much should the master and the apprentice each
receive if each workers payment is determined by the proportion of the job the
worker completed?
Problem 7. The apprentice started the work by himself for 1 day, and then the
master joined the effort, and they completed the remaining part of the job
together. Finally, they received 4900 Pesos in total for completing the job. How
much should the master and the apprentice each receive if each workers
payment is determined by the proportion of the job the worker completed?
Problem 8. The master started the work by himself for 1 day, and then the
apprentice joined the effort, and they completed the remaining part of the job
together. Finally, they received 4500 Pesos in total for completing the job. How
much should the master and the apprentice each receive if each workers
payment is determined by the proportion of the job the worker completed?