Technological devices in the development of pupils’ expertise in the use of selected heuristic strategies

Abstract

This paper shows how technological devices can be integrated into the pupils’ use of four selected heuristic strategies in mathematical problem solving: Systematic experimentation, Introduction of an auxiliary element, Analogy, Solution drawing. Our research examined change in the pupils’ success rate and their attitude to problem solving as a consequence of being taught the four selected heuristic strategies while using technological devices actively. A statistically increased success rate of problem solving and a statistically significant decline in the frequency of the number of ‘no response’ cases (the solver does not start to solve the problem) were expected.

The study was carried out about by 342 pupils from the 13-17 age group in the Czech Republic. The results of the study show the pupils’ success rate in the solution of problems effectively solvable using the strategies systematic experimentation and solution drawing improved significantly if the use of these strategies went hand in hand with the active use of technological devices. The number of ‘no response’ decreased significantly.