MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM SOLVING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL – AN EXPERIMENT IN TWO CLASSROOMS

Abstract

The problem-based learning is not popular in teaching mathematics in primary schools in Bulgaria. In the traditional method, the problem situation is used to introduce new knowledge, which the teacher demonstrates afterwards. Confronting students with learning situations, in which they explore the possible solutions strategies individually or in small groups, is a powerful tool for enhancing the quality of the educational process. In view the advantages and disadvantages of this method to be studied, an experiment was conducted in two classes, in a traditional and in an alternative school, at the end of the 2020/2021 school year. The results support the idea of looking for opportunities research in this direction to be expanded and pedagogical models, including problem solving as an integral part of the teaching and learning process, to be suggested.