Looking for creativity in primary school mathematical tasks

The purpose of this study is to explore the features that primary school teachers consider appropriate when choosing tasks intended to promote mathematical creativity. 26 prospective and 48 in-service teachers completed a questionnaire whereby they were asked to choose a mathematical task and explain why it fosters mathematical creativity. Interviews were also conducted with 2 prospective and 2 in-service teachers to further investigate their perceptions of creativity in mathematics as well as issues related to teaching mathematics using creative problems. Disparate views were revealed between the two groups: prospective teachers mostly connect mathematical creativity to arousing student interest whereas in-service teachers connect it to book-oriented problem posing indicating their narrow and blurred perceptions. Outcomes highlight the need for educating teachers about creativity in mathematics.