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Fostering creativity through instruction rich in mathematical problem solving and problem posing

Kreativität fördern durch einen Unterricht, der reich ist an Situationen des mathematischen Problemlösens und Aufgabenerfindens

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Abstract

Although creativity is often viewed as being associated with the notions of “genius” or exceptional ability, it can be productive for mathematics educators to view creativity instead as an orientation or disposition toward mathematical activity that can be fostered broadly in the general school population. In this article, it is argued that inquiry-oriented mathematics instruction which includes problem-solving and problem-posing tasks and activities can assist students to develop more creative approaches to mathematics. Through the use of such tasks and activities, teachers can increase their students’ capacity with respect to the core dimensions of creativity, namely, fluency, flexibility, and novelty. Because the instructional techniques discussed in this article have been used successfully with students all over the world, there is little reason to believe that creativity-enriched mathematics instruction cannot be used with a broad range of students in order to increase their representational and strategic fluency and flexibility, and their appreciation for novel problems, solution methods, or solutions.

Kurzreferat

Kreativität wird oft im Zusammenhang gesehen mit Begriffen wie “Genie” oder außergewöhnliche Fähigkeiten. Demgegenüber kann es für Mathematiklehrer jedoch produktiver sein. Kreativität als Orientierung für mathematische Aktivitäten zu nehmen, die auf diese Weise bei der Allgemeinheit der Schüler breit gefördert werden kann. In diesem Beitrag wird gezeigt, daß forschender Mathematikunterricht, der Aufgaben zum Problemlösen und zum Aufgabenerfinden beinhaltet, Schüler dabei unterstützen kann, mehr kreative Zugänge zur Mathematik zu entwickeln. Durch solche Aktivitäten und Aufgaben kann der Lehrer die Fähigkeiten seiner Schüler im Hinblick auf die Kernaspekte von Kreativität erweitern, nämlich Gewandtheit, Flexibilität und Neues. Die hier diskutierten Unterrichtsmethoden wurden weltweit erfolgreich angewendet, so daß es keinen Grund gibt, daran zu zweifeln, daß, solch em kreativitätsfördernder Mathematikunterricht nicht auch bei einem großen Teil aller Schüler eingesetzt werden kann, um ihre Gewandtheit und Flexibilität im Hinblick auf Darstellung und Strategien sowie ihr Interesse an neuartigen Aufgaben, Lösungsmethoden oder Lösungen zu fördern.

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  1. University of Pittsburgh, LRDC 729, 3939 O’Hara Street, 15260, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Edward A. Silver

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Silver, E.A. Fostering creativity through instruction rich in mathematical problem solving and problem posing. Zentralblatt für Didaktik der Mathematik 29, 75–80 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-997-0003-x

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