Strategy for Math Problem Solving

Strategy for Math Problem Solving (Student handout), helps students tackle word problems systematically and consistently. The strategy consists of eight steps that can help students become actively engaged in problem-solving. The steps are as follows:

1. Start by reading the entire problem aloud or silently.

2. Do not start solving the problem until you understand generally what problem is being posed.

3. Identify and highlight or circle all numbers – including hidden numbers (i.e., numbers written as words). If you can't write in your textbook, write all numbers on a piece of scratch paper.

4. Read the problem again. This time, try to draw a picture of the problem.

5. Read the problem once again. This time, think: What is the problem asking for? What should my final answer be? What form should my final answer take?

6. Inquire – ask yourself: What operation do I need to use to find the answer (add, subtract, multiply, or divide)?

7. Guess, to estimate what the answer should be. Should I end up with a larger number or a smaller number?

Ham it up! Act out the problem if necessary. Try to make it real. Use manipulative if necessary.

Take a pencil and calculate the answer. Double check your answer to make sure it makes sense Pedagogical approach.

Teachers who adhere to learner-centered classrooms are influenced strongly by constructivism. Constructivism holds that prior knowledge forms the foundation by which new learning occurs (Piaget and Inhelder, 1969). Because people and their experiences are different, they arrive at school with varying levels of proficiency. A student is challenged according to his or her individual zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1986). The difference between a student's actual developmental level and his or her potential is the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Good instruction matches each child's ZPD.

Teachers who adhere to curriculum-centered classrooms are influenced greatly by the standards-based movement. All students are taught the same body of knowledge. Regardless of variations in developmental levels, all children are exposed to the same content in the same time period. The objective is to ensure that there will be no academic gaps in what is taught.