This article reports partially a research whose main goal was to understand which classroom interactions occur in the problem solving activity that are able to develop in 4th grade's pupils the ability to communicate. It was used a qualitative-interpretative methodology. The data collection was made by interviews, problem solving classroom observations, pupils' records and field notes. Problem solving activity allowed that pupils developed the aptitude to explain orally their used reasoning and to represent by writing their mathematical ideas, creating opportunities to pupils communicate among them and with the classroom teacher. It was verified that the nature and the quality of communicative interactions varied with the way of approaching problem solving in classroom. The vertical interactions as well as the horizontal ones were decisive to the pupils' involvement into the activity, the creation of pupils' investigative spirit and the development of pupils' communication ability.
problem solving; communicative interaction; communication; learning; teacher's role; pupil's role
