Initial Perspectives of Teacher Professional Development on Mathematical Modelling in Singapore: Problem Posing and Task Design

Abstract

The Singapore Mathematics Curriculum is often referred to as the Problem Solving Curriculum. Despite two major reviews, it has remained largely unchanged. Consequently, teachers are familiar with problem solving but not problem posing, a key feature in mathematical modelling, an addition to the curriculum since 2003. As mathematical modelling is context based, teachers expressed concern with the availability of appropriate relevant tasks and the sustainability of mathematical modelling. This chapter is the second in a series of three on initial perspectives of teacher professional development on mathematical modelling in Singapore. It captures the readiness of participants in a relevant professional development event in designing modelling tasks and the value they attached to problem posing as part of the total student mathematical learning experience.