KMP6123

PROBLEM SOLVING IN PRIMARY

MATHEMATICS
(PENYELESAIAN MASALAH DI SEKOLAH RENDAH)
LECTURE 2
By:
Associate Prof. Dr. Norain Mohd Tajudin
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Tanjong Malim, Perak
norain@fsmt.upsi.edu.my

Part 1
What is a problem?

GROUP DISCUSSION
(30 minutes)
Create a problem and a non
problem questions in everyday life
situation .
Create a problem and a non
problem questions in
mathematics.
Discuss why do you call them a

WHICH ONE IS A
What is the value of eight times
fve plus ten?
How can you bring up from the
river exactly six liters of water
when you have only two containers,
a four-liter pail and a nine-liter pail,
with which to measure?
How am I going to pass this
examination?

Observe below
situations/questions:

Class discussion (10 minutes)

Problems listed above have

two things in common:
1. Specific goals to be determined
2. No immediate means to achieve
the goal lack of resources or
knowledge

SoWhat is a problem?

Greeno (1978) :
A problem is a situation in which you face a
given situation - the given state and you
want another situation - the goal state but
there is no obvious way of accomplishing your
GOAL.
Example: In learning mathematics no
knowledge on algorithm, rules, facts, theorem,
etc.

Krulik & Rudnick (1993): Problem Solving ~ three

criteria
Goal
Acceptance

Goal
Blockage

Goal
Exploration

Acceptance An indication that individual accepts the

problem. This shows personal involvement which
may be due to internal motivation or external
motivation, or simply the desire to experience the
enjoyment of solving a problem.
Blockage The individuals initial attempts to solve the
problem are fruitless. His/her strategies simply do
not work.
Exploration the individual is personally involved in
solving the problem which forces him/her to
explore new methods of attack.

Which of the above is a problem?

What is the value of eight times
fve plus ten?
How can you bring up from the
river exactly six liters of water
when you have only two containers,
a four-liter pail and a nine-liter pail,
with which to measure?
How am I going to pass this
examination?

(Back to the previous problem)

Observe this situations again:

Part 2
What is a
mathematical
problem?

What is a mathematical problem?

Look at below statements:
1. Reyes (1984) a problem involves a situation in which a
person wants something and does not know immediately
what to do it get it.
2. Posamentier & Stepelman (1986) Challenging if its
solution requires creativity, insight, original thinking, or
imagination

Kantowski (1977) a problem exists when

students encounter a difficult

mathematical question which they are
unable to answer within a short period of
time or unable to solve it at that point in
time due to lack of information.
Once students have developed
mathematically, what seem to be a
problem previously could turn out to be
just another routine mathematics exercise
today.

Lester (1977) points out that, a problem exists

when students wish to carry out a task but do

not have the appropriate algorithms to do so.
Perhaps the students are not familiar with the
algorithms or may be they are unaware of the
algorithms required to manage the task.

Krulik and Rudnick (1980) point out

that, a problem consists of a

situation, quantitative in nature or
otherwise, faced by the students that
require a solution but they do not
possess the necessary strategy or a
clear methods in order to solve it.

From a psychological point of view:

A mathematics problem consist of
phenomena or a mathematical situation that
triggers a cognitive conflict in a students
mine that tries to solve it.
The student will not be able to overcome this
cognitive conflict with just the action and
operational schemes that he or she possess.

Generally, a mathematical
problem is defned:
A problem is a task for which:
1) The person confronting it wants or
needs to find a solution.
2) The person has no readily available
procedure for finding the solution.
3) The person must make an attempt
to find a solution.

Group Discussion (15 minutes)

Compare these three problems. Which is

more difficult to teach and why?
Q-1. 5 x 2 = ?
Q-2. 812 x 3 4 = ?.
Q-3. Jason jogs around a rectangular field of
60m long and 16m wide. How many
meters does he jog in two rounds?

Group Discussion (30

minutes)

How to teach
mathematical
problem solving?