Pre-service teachers' interest in posing mathematics problems to teach students to solve them

Abstract

Skills of posing math problems are related to problem-solving skills. This research aims to know if pre-service teachers consider problem-posing skills are useful to teach problem-solving, starting from the hypothesis that there is little practice in problem-posing. The participants were 94 pre-service teachers of the University of Barcelona. This study points at the most important characteristics of mathematics problems for them, the relations between problem-posing and problem-solving, and which problem-posing skills they have developed. First findings show they do not know relevant characteristics of mathematics problems, they do not consider posing and solving problems two different processes, and they think they are well prepared to pose problems. An educational tool is introduced to show the usefulness of problem-posing to teach students problem-solving. Second findings show a lack of practicing in problem-posing and that teachers do not know how to pose problems for educational purposes. So, pre-service teachers do not consider problem posing a tool to teach problem-solving due to lack of practicing.