Rethinking Problem-Solving Teaching Strategies in the Primary Sector for both Face-to-Face and Online Delivery

Abstract

This paper reports on a review of a series of video tutorials that were developed for offering at a distance to primary school students of Trinidad and Tobago during the pandemic. The materials selected for the review focused on the teaching of problem-solving skills based on topics drawn from the mathematics curriculum.  The tutorials were developed and presented by primary school teachers with support from the Ministry of Education. The main purpose of this review was to assess the instructional strategies employed in the delivery of the video tutorials. An inductive-deductive approach was employed for this purpose. The review also sought to examine the effectiveness of video broadcast to support instructional delivery. The reviewer’s overall conclusion was that greater attention should be paid to formulating strategies specifically for the task of solving a given class of problems rather than simply relying on the procedures derived from the underpinning mathematical operations.  The reviewer made some brief recommendations about the development of a technology-use policy intended to deploy educationally-appropriate modern technology to support the learning of primary school students.