Complex Tasks: Potentials and Pitfalls

Nina Bohlmann and Ralf Benölken
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Nina Bohlmann: Faculty of Education, Leipzig University, Marschnerstraße 31, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Ralf Benölken: Faculty of Mathematics und Natural Sciences, University of Wuppertal, Gaußstraße 20, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany

Mathematics, 2020, vol. 8, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Life in today’s world is characterized by complexity and rapid change. Twenty-first century skills and especially mathematical understanding are supposed to crucially contribute to meeting the demands of our world since mathematics offers strategies to structure or simplify complex problems. An open question is which teaching practices are appropriate to provide all students with such skills and to broaden the participation of underprivileged students. The present article explores these aspects by focusing on complex tasks, a practice that can be considered highly accepted in the context of mathematics education all over the world. We will concentrate on the perspective of the German mathematics education community as the foundation of our considerations. Based on an analytical investigation of mathematical literacy and twenty-first century skills (such as creativity, critical thinking, or problem-solving), we will address central ideas and characteristics of complex mathematical tasks. To complement the analytical approach, we will illustrate their characteristics as well as possible intersections with twenty-first century skills by presenting an elementary school teaching experiment. Finally, we will critically discuss the potentials and pitfalls of complex mathematical tasks from an abstract perspective and conclude by debating practical consequences for organizing mathematical learning-teaching-processes.

Keywords: complex tasks; open-ended math activities; low floor; high ceiling tasks; open problems; mathematical literacy; twenty-first century skills (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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