Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association
Volume 35 Issue 1, February 1998
17 -19
Increasing Mathematics Confidence by Using Worked Examples
William M. Carroll
An important way to help our students learn and strengthen their knowledge of mathematics is by studying already-worked examples of problems. A considerable amount of evidence suggests that analyzing worked-out problems can be as conductive to learning as actually solving practice problems and that it may be more effective in helping students to recognize underlying similarities between problems (Sweller 1989; Ahu and Simon 1987; Sweller and Cooper 1985). Well-constructed worked examples do more than merely teach rote procedures; they illustrate mathematical principles and classes of problems.
