IMP uses a problem-based approach to instruction that grows out of the work of George Polya (How to Solve It, 1949). Students learn how to understand problems mathematically, develop a solution strategy, implement the strategy, and evaluate the reasonableness of its solution.
Content is organized in units that focus on a situation that provides a central, novel problem that lacks a readily apparent solution. Units take six to eight weeks to complete and integrate content from other subject areas. For example, Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Pit and the Pendulum,” provides the context for a unit addressing statistical inference and mathematical modeling. Each week of the unit, students work on an open-ended, engaging Problem of the Week, or POW, and smaller, related problems that address concepts and skills integral to solving the overarching unit problem. Through their work, students discover the strategies needed to solve the larger problem.
About It’s About Time*
It’s About Time® is unique because all our curricula are based on the latest research from the cognitive and learning sciences on how people learn. These programs have been mostly funded through National Science Foundation support and are produced through the rigorous, iterative, research-based cycles established by the NSF development process.
*The content provided here was provided by or adapted from It’s about Time.
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