Heuristic literacy development and its relation to mathematical achievements of middle school students |
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| Authors: | Boris Koichu Abraham Berman and Michael Moore |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Education in Technology and Science, Technion - Israel, Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel;(2) Department of Mathematics, Technion - Israel, Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel |
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| Abstract: | The relationships between heuristic literacy development and mathematical achievements of middle school students were explored
during a 5-month classroom experiment in two 8th grade classes (N = 37). By heuristic literacy we refer to an individual’s capacity to use heuristic vocabulary in problem-solving discourse
and to approach scholastic mathematical problems by using a variety of heuristics. During the experiment the heuristic constituent
of curriculum-determined topics in algebra and geometry was gradually revealed and promoted by means of incorporating heuristic
vocabulary in classroom discourse and seizing opportunities to use the same heuristics in different mathematical contexts.
Students’ heuristic literacy development was indicated by means of individual thinking-aloud interviews and their mathematical
achievements – by means of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. We found that heuristic literacy development and changes in mathematical
achievements are correlated yet distributed unequally among the students. In particular, the same students, who progressed
with respect to SAT scores, progressed also with respect to their heuristic literacy. Those students, who were weaker with
respect to SAT scores at the beginning of the intervention, demonstrated more significant progress regarding both measures. |
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| Keywords: | classroom experiment heuristics heuristic literacy mathematical problem solving mathematical achievements thinking-aloud interviews |
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