ON THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS IN MATHEMATICS AND LOGO PROGRAMMING

Using the fields of mathematics and LOGO programming as examples, this paper documents the claim that recent research on learning and instruction has started to produce a reasonably sound knowledge base for the development of powerful learning environments for the acquisition of problem-solving skills. The components of skilled problem solving are briefly described, and it is shown that current educational practices fail to achieve them in students. It is argued that this failure is largely due to the fact that instruction is not designed in accordance with basic characteristics of effective learning processes. A few major characteristics are then described, focusing on the constructive and contextualised nature of such acquisition processes. A LOGO-study is then reported, in which an attempt was made to design a powerful learning environment. Some critical reflections in the final section point to the need for continued research.