Promoting Creative Thinking in Mathematics Classes: two case studies in primary classrooms

Abstract

The way in which the mathematics classroom can contribute to the development of students’ creativity has been a problem of great interest in recent years. This article set out to understand the way that teaching practices, characterized from the analysis model of didactic environments, acted enabling or inhibiting the emergence of creative mathematical thinking in the classroom. A case study was carried out with two 5th grade courses in Chilean schools: one course characterized as an active didactic environment, and another characterized as reproductive. The cases were analyzed from a priori categories that described the teaching practices and creative productions of the students. The dimensions of the classroom studied were found to act in an integrated way to encourage or limit creative thinking in math class. Specifically, the implementation of challenging tasks followed by sufficient time for resolution, an institutionalization focused on students’ ideas, validations that promote an active disposition, and communication between peers and with the teacher all act together to favor the emergence of creative mathematical ideas in the classroom.

Keywords:
Mathematical creativity; Primary education; Teaching