Your students need to be able to apply their maths knowledge to a wide variety of problems. And most problems we meet in real life are quite complicated. They have more than one step to their solution. Yet in school we regularly give students problems that require only one step to answer. Challenge your students to accept this challenge. If they give up at the slightest hint of being unable to solve a problem immediately then they won’t be prepared to accept similar challenges as they grow into adulthood.
My latest book, Blake’s Guide to Maths Problem Solving has over 120 problems with detailed suggested solution strategies to help students get started in their thinking. And it spotlights 7 famous problem solvers to inspire your students to take on a problem solving mentality.
It is available in most newsagents and educational bookstores. Great for use with students in Years 4 – 6.
