New WWC Practice Guide on Improving Mathematical Problem Solving Added to ERIC

June 22, 2012

A new practice guide from the What Works Clearinghouse, Improving Mathematical Problem Solving in Grades 4 Through 8, is now in ERIC. The practice guide recommends five teacher strategies for improving students' mathematical problem-solving skills:

Prepare problems and use them in whole-class instruction
Assist students in monitoring and reflecting on the problem-solving process
Teach students how to use visual representations
Expose students to multiple problem-solving strategies
Help students recognize and articulate mathematical concepts and notation

The document describes each recommendation in detail, including implementation of ideas and examples, summaries of supporting research, and solutions to common roadblocks.

The What Works Clearinghouse, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, is a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education. For more information about the clearinghouse and its publications, visit http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/.