A System that Facilitates Diverse Thinking in Problem Posing

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Kojima, Kazuaki | Miwa, Kazuhisa

Affiliations: Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan. E-mail: koj@aoni.waseda.jp | Graduate School of Information Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan. E-mail: miwa@cog.human.nagoya-u.ac.jp

Abstract: Problem posing is identified as an important activity in mathematics education. In problem posing, it is important but difficult for learners to generate diverse problems. In this study, we examine a method and implement a system for facilitating learners' diverse thinking in the task of posing mathematical word problems. Since we focus on an aspect of problem posing as a creative generation task, we utilize the presentation of problems as cases in supporting problem posing. We experimentally investigate the diversifying effect of presenting cases while controlling similarities and then implement a support system for problem posing that can present various cases. We also conduct experimental evaluations to verify the effectiveness of our system.

Keywords: Creative generation support, case presentation, problem posing, word problems, diverse thinking

Journal: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 209-236, 2008