Routine Problem Problems that can be solved by calculating the given numeric information using one or more operations.
. Problems that follow predictable pattern and can be solved without actually reading the whole problem situation.
Many Possible Answers
Problems that produce more than one answer.
Puzzles
Game-like problems. Problems that may not require any mathematical knowledge.
Multi Step Word Problem
Problems that require more than one step operation. It is required to read the context carefully to make a plan of solution. Operation with the given numeric data only can result partial results.
Contain Extra Information
Problems that have unnecessary information in producing the answer.
Algebraic Expression
Problems that contain letter data, instead of numeric data.
Non-realistic Situation
Problems that can be calculated but the problem situation cannot be happen in real life.
Nonsensical Information
Problems that have contradictory information. Problems that have missing information.
Posing Problem
Problems that ask to pose the question.
Justification
Problems that require the explanation of why the particular decision was made. Non Routine Problems
Application
Problems that require gathering necessary data and making a decision base on the data.
What is mathematical problem solving?
Mathematical problem solving is a complex cognitive activity involving a number of processes and strategies. Problem solving has two stages: problem representation and problem execution. Successful problem solving is not possible without first representing the problem appropriately. Appropriate problem representation indicates that the problem solver has understood the problem and serves to guide the student toward the solution plan. Students who have difficulty representing math problems will have difficulty solving them. One of the most powerful problem representation strategies is visualization. Developmentally, for most children, visualization matures somewhere between the ages of 8 and 11. Therefore, students in upper elementary school should be able to use visualization effectively to represent mathematical problems. Students with LD, however, who have been characterized as having a variety of strategy deficits and differences, usually have difficulties using visualization as an effective learning strategy for remembering information and representing problems. Many students do not develop the ability to use visual representation automatically during math problem solving. These students need explicit instruction in how to use visualization to represent problems. Teaching mathematical problem solving is a challenge for many teachers, many of whom rely almost exclusively on mathematics textbooks to guide instruction. Most mathematics textbooks simply instruct students to draw a picture or make a diagram using the information in the problem. Students with LD at the upper elementary level may be incapable of developing an appropriate representation of the problem for a variety of reasons. First, they are generally operating at a fairly concrete level. Second, they are poor at visual representation. As a result, symbolic representation may not be possible without explicit instruction that incorporates manipulatives and other materials that will help students move from a concrete to a more symbolic, schematic level. In other words, teachers must provide systematic, progressive, and scaffolded instruction that considers the students cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Students who have difficulty solving math word problems usually draw a picture of the problem without considering the relationships among the problem components and, as a result, still do not understand the problem and therefore cannot make a plan to solve it. So, it is not simply a matter of drawing a picture or making a diagram; rather, it is the type of picture or diagram that is important. Effective visual representations, whether with manipulatives, with paper and pencil, or in ones imagination, show the relationships among the problem parts. These are called schematic representations (van Garderen & Montague, 2003). Poor problem solvers tend to make immature representations that are more pictorial than schematic in nature. The illustration below shows the difference between a pictorial and a schematic representation of the mathematical problem presented at the beginning of the brief.
Other cognitive processes and strategies needed for successful mathematical problem solving include paraphrasing the problem, which is a comprehension strategy, hypothesizing or setting a goal and making a plan to solve the problem, estimating or predicting the outcome, computing or doing the arithmetic, and checking to make sure the plan was appropriate and the answer is correct (Montague, 2003; Montague, Warger, & Morgan, 2000). Mathematical problem solving also requires self-regulation strategies. Students with LD are notoriously poor self-regulators. During this developmental period, it is imperative that they be explicitly taught how to self-instruct (tell
themselves what to do), self-question (ask themselves questions), and self-monitor (check themselves as they solve the problem).
