Date of Completion

Spring 5-25-2016

Document Type

Open Access Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

First Advisor

Jeremy Szteiter

Abstract

I am a high school mathematics teacher who wants students to develop the thought process that allows them to uncover and use the patterns that are the heart of mathematics. Misconceptions belittle the subject, however, and disrupt the progress of my high school students because it disguises the purpose of studying math. My purpose in joining the Critical and Creative Thinking program at the University of Massachusetts Boston was to learn about the skills and methodologies that assist in the teaching and learning of thinking critically and creatively. This paper shows the progress and evolution of my capstone project—a set of lessons that explicitly teach useful thinking skills in a problem-solving context. This project combines aspects of my learning from various courses, personal experiences, and research. It follows me through developing and implementing a plan to create and teach the curriculum with special emphasis on reflection and learning from the experience in order to improve the lessons.

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