October 3, 2009

The Art of Problem Posing - 10 Questions

How much time should be devoted to trying to actually answer the questions posed?

Is there a distinction between posing problems that test knowledge and posing problems to gain knowledge?  Should there be?

If a student asks an insightful question that can only be solved using mathematics well beyond his/her background, should the teacher answer the question without justifying it?

Does problem posing by students tend to lend itself to a less linear style of teaching?

How can classes be kept focused when asking such broad and unrelated questions?

Do students benefit from brainstorming questions with peers or is a more solitary approach generally best?

Do more academically talented students tend to ask questions that are more or less insightful than their peers?  Do they think of problem posing as a useless exercise when they already understand the material?

Does it get overwhelming for students to have more questions than answers?

Have any in-depth studies been done on the effectiveness of students using these problem-posing techniques to increase mathematical understanding?

How can we assess how well a student problem-poses? Should we assess it at all?

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