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    What Is Mathematical Investigation

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    bj mandia
    Mathematical investigation refers to the open-ended exploration of a mathematical situation, unlike problem solving which has a definite goal. The document discusses how mathematical investigation allows students to develop independent mathematical thinking as they pose their own problems and explore patterns. It emphasizes systematic exploration, formulating conjectures, and justifying ideas. While students may approach investigations differently, the key processes are exploration, problem-forming, and attempting justification. Teachers play an important role in discussing results and helping students synthesize their findings.

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    What Is Mathematical Investigation

    Uploaded by

    bj mandia
    530 views1 page
    Mathematical investigation refers to the open-ended exploration of a mathematical situation, unlike problem solving which has a definite goal. The document discusses how mathematical investigation allows students to develop independent mathematical thinking as they pose their own problems and explore patterns. It emphasizes systematic exploration, formulating conjectures, and justifying ideas. While students may approach investigations differently, the key processes are exploration, problem-forming, and attempting justification. Teachers play an important role in discussing results and helping students synthesize their findings.

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    What is Mathematical Investigation

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    What is Mathematical Investigation

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    Mathematical investigation refers to the open-ended exploration of a mathematical situation, unlike problem solving which has a definite goal. The document discusses how mathematical investigation allows students to develop independent mathematical thinking as they pose their own problems and explore patterns. It emphasizes systematic exploration, formulating conjectures, and justifying ideas. While students may approach investigations differently, the key processes are exploration, problem-forming, and attempting justification. Teachers play an important role in discussing results and helping students synthesize their findings.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    530 views1 page

    What Is Mathematical Investigation

    Uploaded by

    bj mandia
    Mathematical investigation refers to the open-ended exploration of a mathematical situation, unlike problem solving which has a definite goal. The document discusses how mathematical investigation allows students to develop independent mathematical thinking as they pose their own problems and explore patterns. It emphasizes systematic exploration, formulating conjectures, and justifying ideas. While students may approach investigations differently, the key processes are exploration, problem-forming, and attempting justification. Teachers play an important role in discussing results and helping students synthesize their findings.

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    What is mathematical investigation?

    092010

    Mar

    Mathematical investigation refers to the sustained exploration of a mathematical situation. It distinguishes itself
    from problem solving because it is open-ended.
    I first heard about math investigations in 1990 when I attended a postgraduate course in Australia. I love it
    right away and it has since become one of my favorite mathematical activity for my students who were so
    proud of themselves when they finished their first investigation.
    Problem solving is a convergent activity. It has definite goal the solution of the problem. Mathematical
    investigation on the other hand is more of a divergent activity. In mathematical investigations, students are
    expected to pose their own problems after initial exploration of the mathematical situation. The exploration of
    the situation, the formulation of problems and its solution give opportunity for the development of independent
    mathematical thinking and in engaging in mathematical processes such as organizing and recording data,
    pattern searching, conjecturing, inferring, justifying and explaining conjectures and generalizations. It is these
    thinking processes which enable an individual to learn more mathematics, apply mathematics in other
    discipline and in everyday situation and to solve mathematical (and non-mathematical) problems. Teaching
    anchored on mathematical investigation allows for students to learn about mathematics, especially the nature
    of mathematical activity and thinking. It also make them realize that learning mathematics involves intuition,
    systematic exploration, conjecturing and reasoning, etc and not about memorizing and following existing
    procedures. The ultimate aim of mathematical investigation is develop students mathematical habits of mind.
    Although students may do the same mathematical investigation it is not expected that all of them will consider
    the same problem from a particular starting point. The open-endedness of many investigation also means
    that students may not completely cover the entire situation. However, at least for a students own satisfaction,
    the achievement of some specific results for an investigation is desirable. What is essential is that the students
    will experience the following mathematical processes which are the emphasis of mathematical investigation:

    systematic exploration of the given situation

    formulating problems and conjectures

    attempting to provide mathematical justifications for the conjectures.

    In this kind of activity and teaching, students are given more opportunity to direct their own learning
    experiences. Note that a problem solving task can be turned into an investigation task by extending the
    problem by varying for example one of the conditions. To know more about problem solving and how they differ
    with math investigation read my post on Exercises, Problem Solving and Math Investigation.
    Some parents and even teachers complain that students are not learning mathematics in this kind of activity.
    Indeed they wont if the teacher will not discuss the results of the investigation, highlight and correct the
    misconceptions, synthesize students findings and help students make connection among the math concepts
    covered in the investigation. This goes without saying that teachers should try the investigation first before
    giving it to the students.

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