With the rapid changes in the social, political, economic and technological landscape around the world, today's learners face a more globally competitive job market after leaving school. The 21st century, which is characterized by the emergence of knowledge-based societies, expects learners to be comfortable in dealing with ambiguities and complexities in the real world and to be able to use knowledge as a tool at their workplace. This book will help readers develop an in-depth understanding of authentic problem solving and learning, and how it can be used to make a difference in their school or learning communities for the development of 21st century competencies. Comprising 20 chapters written by Singapore-based and international authors, the book is organized into three themes: authentic problems, authentic practices, and authentic participation. It details innovative school practices (e.g. productive failure) concerning the design of problems, learning activities, learning environments, and ICT tools for authentic problem solving and learning. Along with theoretical explanations of authentic learning processes and outcomes, the book also elucidates how students learn by generating and exploring solutions to complex problems and which cognitive functions are needed at different stages of problem-based learning. Presenting coherent descriptions of instructional design principles, successful cases and challenges encountered in K-12 schools and learning communities, the book provides useful information, new insights, and practical guidance for school directors, parents, teachers and researchers seeking to develop authentic learning environments for 21st century learners.

With the rapid changes in the social, political, economic and technological landscape around the world, today's learners face a more globally competitive job market after leaving school. The 21st century, which is characterized by the emergence of knowledge-based societies, expects learners to be comfortable in dealing with ambiguities and complexities in the real world and to be able to use knowledge as a tool at their workplace. This book will help readers develop an in-depth understanding of authentic problem solving and learning, and how it can be used to make a difference in their school or learning communities for the development of 21st century competencies. Comprising 20 chapters written by Singapore-based and international authors, the book is organized into three themes: authentic problems, authentic practices, and authentic participation. It details innovative school practices (e.g. productive failure) concerning the design of problems, learning activities, learning environments, and ICT tools for authentic problem solving and learning. Along with theoretical explanations of authentic learning processes and outcomes, the book also elucidates how students learn by generating and exploring solutions to complex problems and which cognitive functions are needed at different stages of problem-based learning. Presenting coherent descriptions of instructional design principles, successful cases and challenges encountered in K-12 schools and learning communities, the book provides useful information, new insights, and practical guidance for school directors, parents, teachers and researchers seeking to develop authentic learning environments for 21st century learners.

This book is the first in the series of the yearbooks of the Association of Mathematics Educators in Singapore. It is highly unique as it addresses a focused theme of mathematics education. The chapters of the book, illustrate the immense diversity within the theme and presents research that translates into classroom pedagogies.

The thirteen chapters of the book illustrate how mathematical problems may be crafted and infused in classroom teaching. Several novel pedagogies, such as learning mathematics through productive failure, problem posing and generative activities are presented in the book. The chapters are comprehensive and laden with evidence-based examples for both mathematics educators and classroom teachers of mathematics. The book is an invaluable contribution towards the already established field of research of mathematical problem solving. It is also a must read for graduate research students and mathematics educators.