Matematisk problemlösning i grupp

Sammanfattning: This study illuminates one part of the mathematic teaching in school, which is mathematical problem solving in groups. It examines teacher’s and student’s ideas about what conditions it takes to be able to learn in groups. Further on, it studies the importance of group structure when it comes to working with mathematical problem solving in groups from a process focused and/or a product focused learning. Through observations of student groups and interviews with the students and the mathematic teachers, the material has been compiled and analysed under three different headings: conditions for learning in a mathematical problem solving situation, importance of group structure in a mathematical problem solving situation and process versus product. These headings follow as a main theme throughout the whole work. The result shows the importance of a good group structure concerning mathematical problem solving. It appears that it takes a lot of awareness from the students to be able to work with mathematical problem solving in groups and that the students must get the knowledge about what it means to work along this method. Earlier, we have seen that the intellectual differences among the students as important, but after this study we can see that the social differences are just as important.