GOODAFTERNOON

EVERYONE!!
PREPARED BY: JOSEPH B. GANDOL
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 CRITICAL THINKING
• ACCORDING TO BROOKFIELD (1987), TWO “CENTRAL ACTIVITIES” DEFINE CRITICAL THINKING:
“IDENTIFYING AND CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS AND EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF
THINKING AND ACTING”.
• JOANNE KURFISS (1988) “IN CRITICAL THINKING,” SAYS ALL ASSUMPTIONS ARE OPEN TO
QUESTION, DIVERGENT VIEWS ARE AGGRESSIVELY SOUGHT, AND THE INQUIRY IS NOT BIASED
IN FAVOR OF A PARTICULAR OUTCOME”.
• JOHN DEWEY (1916), WHO ROOTED CRITICAL THINKING IN THE STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT WITH A
PROBLEM. PROBLEMS, FOR DEWEY, EVOKE STUDENTS’ NATURAL CURIOSITY AND STIMULATE
LEARNING AND CRITICAL THOUGHT. “ONLY BY WRESTLING WITH THE CONDITIONS OF THE
PROBLEM AT FIRST HAND, SEEKING AND FINDING THEIR OWN WAY OUT, DOES THE STUDENT
THINK”.
 STRATEGIES IN DEVELOPING CRITICAL
THINKING SKILLS IN MATHEMATICS TEACHING:

1. PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION FREQUENTLY EMPHASIZES PROBLEM-SOLVING, WITH STUDENTS
PRESENTED WITH REAL-WORLD OR ABSTRACT PROBLEMS THAT REQUIRE THE APPLICATION
OF MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS TO FIND SOLUTIONS. ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO
INVESTIGATE VARIOUS PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES, FORM HYPOTHESES, AND JUSTIFY
THEIR SOLUTIONS PROMOTES CRITICAL THINKING.
2. OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
TEACHERS ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS THAT CHALLENGE STUDENTS TO THINK BEYOND
SIMPLE CALCULATIONS. THESE QUESTIONS ENCOURAGE MATHEMATICAL EXPLORATION,
ANALYSIS, AND JUSTIFICATION, THEREBY DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS.
3. MATHEMATICAL REASONING
EMPHASIZING MATHEMATICAL REASONING ENTAILS GUIDING STUDENTS
THROUGH THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND RELATIONSHIPS IN
MATHEMATICS. THIS INCLUDES BOTH DEDUCTIVE REASONING (DRAWING
LOGICAL CONCLUSIONS) AND INDUCTIVE REASONING (GENERALIZING FROM
OBSERVED PATTERNS).
4. EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY
PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY
ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH MATHEMATICAL
CONCEPTS. INVESTIGATIONS, PUZZLES, AND GAMES PROMOTE CURIOSITY,
CREATIVITY, AND INDEPENDENT THINKING.
5. SCAFFOLDING
TEACHERS PROVIDE APPROPRIATE SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE TO STUDENTS AS
THEY GRADUALLY DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. SCAFFOLDING
TECHNIQUES INCLUDE DEMONSTRATING PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES,
PROVIDING HINTS OR PROMPTS, AND FACILITATING PEER COLLABORATION.
6. REFLECTION AND METACOGNITION
ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO REFLECT ON THEIR PROBLEM-SOLVING
PROCESSES AND METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES INCREASES THEIR
UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR THINKING. REFLECTIVE PRACTICES ASSIST
STUDENTS IN IDENTIFYING STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES IN THEIR APPROACH,
WHICH LEADS TO IMPROVED CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS.
7. MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES
PRESENTING PROBLEMS FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES OR USING DIFFERENT
REPRESENTATIONS (E.G., VISUAL, SYMBOLIC, VERBAL) ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO
THINK CREATIVELY AND CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES. THIS PROMOTES A
DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS AND IMPROVES CRITICAL
THINKING.
8. REAL-WORD CONNECTIONS
RELATING MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS TO REAL-WORLD CONTEXTS ALLOWS STUDENTS
TO SEE THE RELEVANCE AND APPLICABILITY OF MATHEMATICS. STUDENTS DEVELOP
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS WHILE LEARNING ABOUT THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF
MATHEMATICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE BY TACKLING AUTHENTIC PROBLEMS.
9. ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
USING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES SUCH AS QUIZZES, DISCUSSIONS,
AND PEER EVALUATIONS GIVES STUDENTS FEEDBACK ON THEIR CRITICAL
THINKING ABILITIES. TEACHERS CAN USE ASSESSMENT DATA TO TAILOR
INSTRUCTION TO INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS' NEEDS.
10. PROMOTING CURIOSITY AND INQUIRY
ENCOURAGING CURIOSITY AND INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING FOSTERS STUDENTS'
NATURAL DESIRE TO INVESTIGATE AND QUESTION MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS.
TEACHERS CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH STUDENTS FEEL COMFORTABLE
ASKING QUESTIONS, MAKING HYPOTHESES, AND INVESTIGATING MATHEMATICAL
PHENOMENA.
 PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGY

• IS AN APPROACH FOR DECISION-MAKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING WHICH

EMPHASIZES IDENTIFYING, ANALYZING, AND ADDRESSING SPECIFIC ISSUES
OR CHALLENGES.
 PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGY THAT
ENHANCES LEARNING MATHEMATICS:
1. CONTEXTUAL LEARNING
PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING STRATEGIES FREQUENTLY PRESENT MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS
IN REAL-WORLD SETTINGS OR SCENARIOS. THIS ALLOWS STUDENTS TO SEE THE APPLICATION
OF MATHEMATICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE, WHICH MAKES IT MORE ENGAGING AND MEANINGFUL.
STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO STAY MOTIVATED AND ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN LEARNING
WHEN THEY SOLVE PROBLEMS BASED ON THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES OR INTERESTS.
2. CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS
MATHEMATICS IS MORE THAN JUST MEMORIZING FORMULAS AND PROCEDURES; IT IS ALSO
ABOUT IMPROVING PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITIES AND LOGICAL REASONING. PROBLEM-BASED
LEARNING STRATEGIES ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO THINK CRITICALLY, ANALYZE
INFORMATION, AND DEVISE SOLUTIONS TO COMPLEX PROBLEMS. BY TACKLING DIFFICULT
PROBLEMS, STUDENTS LEARN TO APPROACH MATHEMATICS WITH CURIOSITY AND
PERSISTENCE, RESULTING IN RESILIENCE AND CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITIES.
3. CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING
RATHER THAN RELYING SOLELY ON ROTE MEMORIZATION OR ALGORITHMIC PROCEDURES,
PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGIES PRIORITIZE UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS AND
PRINCIPLES OF MATHEMATICS. STUDENTS' CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND MENTAL
FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE LEARNING ARE STRENGTHENED WHEN THEY ENGAGE WITH
AUTHENTIC PROBLEMS. THIS DEEP UNDERSTANDING ENABLES STUDENTS TO APPLY
MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS IN A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SCENARIOS.
4. COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGIES FREQUENTLY INCLUDE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES
IN WHICH STUDENTS WORK IN GROUPS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. THIS COLLABORATIVE APPROACH
PROMOTES COMMUNICATION, TEAMWORK, AND PEER LEARNING. STUDENTS GAIN A DEEPER
UNDERSTANDING OF MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS AND LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER'S INSIGHTS
AND MISTAKES BY EXPLAINING THEIR REASONING, LISTENING TO OTHERS' PERSPECTIVES, AND
COMPARING STRATEGIES.
5. PERSONALIZED LEARNING
PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGIES ENABLE DIFFERENTIATION AND PERSONALIZED LEARNING
EXPERIENCES. BECAUSE PROBLEMS VARY IN COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY, TEACHERS CAN
TAILOR THEM TO THEIR STUDENTS' READINESS LEVELS AND INTERESTS. THIS ALLOWS
STUDENTS TO WORK AT THEIR OWN PACE, CHALLENGING THEMSELVES APPROPRIATELY AND
GAINING CONFIDENCE AS THEY TACKLE MORE COMPLEX PROBLEMS.
6. INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES FREQUENTLY EMPLOY AN INQUIRY-BASED APPROACH, IN
WHICH STUDENTS ACTIVELY EXPLORE MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS, ASK QUESTIONS, AND
INVESTIGATE SOLUTIONS. THIS INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING APPROACH ENCOURAGES CURIOSITY,
CREATIVITY, AND DEEPER ENGAGEMENT WITH MATHEMATICS. PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGIES
FOSTER A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP AND CURIOSITY IN STUDENTS' LEARNING JOURNEYS BY
ENCOURAGING THEM TO EXPERIMENT WITH VARIOUS APPROACHES AND HYPOTHESES.
KEY FEATURES OF PROBLEM-SOLVING AND
PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGY:
PROBLEM-SOLVING
1. STRUCTURED APPROACH
PROBLEM-SOLVING TYPICALLY EMPLOYS A STRUCTURED METHODOLOGY THAT
INCLUDES STEPS SUCH AS PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION, ANALYSIS, SOLUTION
GENERATION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION.
2. SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS
IT ENTAILS BREAKING DOWN THE PROBLEM INTO SMALLER, MORE MANAGEABLE
CHUNKS AND SYSTEMATICALLY ANALYZING EACH COMPONENT TO DETERMINE THE
UNDERLYING ISSUES.
3. SOLUTION ORIENTATION
THE PRIMARY FOCUS IS ON RESOLVING THE SPECIFIC ISSUE AT HAND.
4. TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
PROBLEM-SOLVING FREQUENTLY EMPLOYS A VARIETY OF TOOLS AND
TECHNIQUES, INCLUDING BRAINSTORMING, ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS,
DECISION MATRICES, AND SWOT ANALYSIS, TO INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL
SOLUTIONS.
5. GENERIC APPLICATION
IT CAN BE APPLIED IN A VARIETY OF DOMAINS AND CONTEXTS, RANGING
FROM PERSONAL ISSUES TO COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES.
PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGY
1. LEARNING-CENTERED APPROACH
THE PROBLEM-BASED STRATEGY IS FREQUENTLY USED IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS WHERE LEARNING IS
FOCUSED ON REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS RATHER THAN TRADITIONAL SUBJECT MATTER.
2. AUTHENTIC CONTEXTS
PROBLEMS ARE USUALLY PRESENTED IN AUTHENTIC, REAL-WORLD SETTINGS, ENCOURAGING STUDENTS
TO USE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO SOLVE THEM.
3. INQUIRY AND EXPLORATION
LEARNERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO INQUIRE, EXPLORE, AND DISCOVER SOLUTIONS THROUGH SELF-
DIRECTED LEARNING, WHICH IS OFTEN DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH PEERS.
4. INTERDISCIPLINARY INTEGRATION
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES FREQUENTLY COMBINE
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FROM MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES TO TACKLE
COMPLEX, MULTIFACETED PROBLEMS.
5. EMPHASIS ON PROCESS
WHILE FINDING A SOLUTION IS CRITICAL, PROBLEM-SOLVING
STRATEGIES ALSO VALUE THE PROCESS OF INQUIRY, CRITICAL
THINKING, COLLABORATION, AND REFLECTION.
 ARGUMENTATION
• MAKING CLAIMS, SUPPORTING THEM WITH EVIDENCE, EVALUATING THE REASONING OF OTHERS, AND MAKING
SENSE OF MATHEMATICAL IDEAS.

• IS A SET OF STATEMENTS CALLED PREMISES TOGETHER WITH A CONCLUSION. AN ARGUMENT CONSISTING OF

TWO PREMISES AND CONCLUSION IS CALLED SYLLOGISM.

EXAMPLE:

EITHER A LEOPARD IS A CAT OR A BIRD. (FIRST PREMISE)

IT IS NOT THE CASE THAT LEOPARD IS A BIRD. (SECOND PREMISE)

THEREFORE, A LEOPARD IS A CAT. (CONCLUSION)

 CONFLICT RESOLUTION

• IS A WAY FOR TWO OR MORE PARTIES TO FIND A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO A DISAGREEMENT AMONG THEM.

EXAMPLE:

TWO CO-WORKERS ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO FINISH A PROJECT BEFORE A TIGHT DEADLINE. CO-WORKER A
CREATES A TIMELINE FOR THEM BOTH TO FOLLOW TO ENSURE THAT THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED ON TIME. CO-
WORKER B DISAGREES WITH THE ORDER OF TASKS THAT MUST BE COMPLETED TO FINISH THE PROJECT AND
THINKS THAT THERE IS A MAJOR FLAW THAT WILL CAUSE MORE ISSUES AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE PROJECT.
EACH PARTY IS STEADFAST IN THEIR OPINIONS OF HOW THE PROJECT MUST BE COMPLETED, SO THEY BOTH TURN
TO A SUPERVISOR TO HELP THEM RESOLVE THE CONFLICT AND MOVE FORWARD ON THE PROJECT. THE
SUPERVISOR ACTIVELY LISTENS TO EACH PARTY AND THEN OBJECTIVELY VIEWS THE PROBLEM. THE SUPERVISOR
CAN RESPECTFULLY POINT OUT THE FLAWS IN THE ORIGINAL TIMELINE CREATED BY CO-WORKER A AND IMPOSES
A SOLUTION THAT ALLOWS ALL PARTIES TO RETURN THEIR FOCUS TO THE PROJECT AND WORK TOWARD MEETING
THE DEADLINE.
 CONJECTURE REASON

• IS A STATEMENT BELIEVED TO BE TRUE BASED ON OBSERVATIONS. IN GENERAL, A

CONJECTURE IS LIKE YOUR OPINION ABOUT SOMETHING THAT YOU NOTICE OR
EVEN AN EDUCATED GUESS.
EXAMPLE:
LOOKING THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS: 2,4,6,8,10,12. WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT
NUMBER?
YOUR CONJECTURE WOULD BE: THE NEXT NUMBER IS 14 BECAUSE THE LIST IS
COUNTING BY 2. YOU DIDN’T PROVE ANYTHING YOU JUST NOTICED THE PATTERN AND
FORMED CONCLUSION.
 PATTERNING

• PATTERN IS DEFINED AS A SEQUENCE OF REPEATING OBJECTS, SHAPES OR NUMBERS. WE CAN

RELATE A PATTERN TO ANY TYPE OF EVENT OR OBJECT. A PATTERN HAS A RULE THAT TELLS US
WHICH OBJECTS BELONG TO THE PATTERN AND WHICH OBJECTS DO NOT BELONG TO THE
PATTERN.
EXAMPLE:
DETERMINE THE VALUE OF D IN THE SEQUENCE OF NUMBERS: 11, 17, 23, 29, D, 41, 47, 53
SOLUTION: IN THE GIVEN SEQUENCE, WE CAN SEE THE PATTERN OF EVERY NUMBER IS INCREASING
BY ADDING THE NUMBER 6 TO OBTAIN THE NEXT CONSECUTIVE NUMBER.
11 + 6 = 17, 17 + 6 = 23, AND SO ON.
HENCE, THE MISSING NUMBER D IS 29 + 6 = 35.
THANK YOU!!