Description of the course
This ten-week online course guides educators in learning how to restructure their lessons and curriculum to make problem-solving the primary way students learn new procedures.
In Teaching Through Problem–solving (TTP), a lesson begins by challenging students to solve a problem independently without knowing the procedure beforehand. By skillfully leading a discussion built on student ideas, the teacher leads all students to understand a new concept or procedure.
The course will showcase several TTP lessons for the elementary and lower secondary levels, including how teachers can create their TTP lessons and units using techniques adapted from Japanese resources. Although these methods and lessons can be used in any country, they will be discussed in the context of the Common Core State Standards to better suit the primary US audience: practicing teachers and administrators.
The course consists of a one-hour synchronous meeting using Google Meet weekly on a weekday, e.g., Monday early evening (5:00 pm-5:45 pm), and asynchronous activities, including lecture videos, reading assignments, and classroom video analysis. The asynchronous portions may require about three hours per week.
The course includes the following contents:
- What is “Teaching Through Problem-Solving?” (TTP)
- Developing number sense as the foundation for understanding basic operations (1) Addition and Subtraction
- Developing number sense as the foundation for understanding basic operations (2) Multiplication
- Developing number sense as the foundation for understanding basic operations (3) Division and Multiplicable Comparison
- TTP for teaching geometry using the hands-on, open-ended approach
- Learning progression of measurements – Focusing on Geometric Measurements
- Developing Conceptual Understanding of Fractions
- Neriage, the heart of TTP
- Neriage Map as a tool for planning TTP lessons
Textbooks
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2014). Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. Reston, VA.
- Takahashi, A. (2021). Teaching Mathematics Through Problem-Solving: A Pedagogical Approach from Japan. Routledge.