Solving Problems – Models, Strategies and Potential Implementation in Mathematics Education of 9 – 10-Year-Old Students

Abstract

The recent reforms in the educational system in Bulgaria aimed to provide the development of transversal skills and competences established in the state educational standards and curricula in all academic disciplines at primary school. Mathematics is the discipline that develops abstract-logical connections and makes sense of the world in a symbolic way, while building up the ability of students to cope with tasks in unfamiliar situations, in other words – to solve problems. The present paper attempts to investigate the theory of solving problems in mathematics at primary school age searching for its potential implementation. Methods of the study include theoretical research in the field of problem solving, covering its levels, models and strategies for its application, as well as content analysis of educational documentation for the 3rd grade. As a result of the study, relevant models and strategies are presented that have the potential to develop students’ problem-solving skills, revealing the need for increasing the number of tasks in the textbooks, which provide opportunities for problematization.