Lesson 10: Mathematical

Investigation

Dwight Julius D. Lesaca

Objective
Generate investigative tasks and anticipate
possible problems that may arise from the
task.
Introduction
Contemporary leaders in mathematics education
revolutionized the goal of mathematics teaching and
learning from a passive transfer of knowledge to an
active process where students are developed to think
like mathematicians. Mathematical investigation is a
strategy that may be implemented to achieve this.
Mathematical investigation is an open-
ended mathematical task that involves not
only problem solving, but equally
importantly, problem posing as well. In
this strategy, the word "investigation"
does not refer to the process that may
occur when solving a close-ended
problem but an activity in itself that
promotes independent mathematical
thinking.
 Example
Task A - Problem-solving
There are 50 children at a playground and each child high-fives
with each of the other children. Find the total number of high-
fives.
Task B- Mathematical Investigation
There are 50 children at a playground and each child high-fives
with each of the other children. Investigate.
What sets mathematical
investigation apart from other
strategies that have been discussed
in this unit by far is that the goal of
the investigation is not specified by
the teacher; the students have the
freedom to choose any goal to
pursue.
In problem-solving, the students
are encouraged to think outside
the box; in mathematical
investigation, there is no box to
start with. The students are placed
in a space where they can play
around whichever way they want.
This makes mathematical investigation a
divergent and learner-centered strategy.
Three Main
Phases of
Mathematical
Investigation
 • Problem-posing Phase

The students explore the given situation

and come up with a mathematical
problem that they would want to engage
in.
 2. Conjecturing Phase

Involves collecting and organizing data,

looking for patterns, inferencing, and
generalizing.
 3. Justifying Conjectures
Phase
The students are to justify and
explain their inferences and
generalizations.
Always remember that although
mathematical rules or theorems
may arise as results of the
mathematical investigation, they
are not the objectives of an
investigative lesson-the objective
is the investigation itself.
Mathematical investigation is not
after the teaching and learning of
some competency in the
Curriculum; it is about
developing the mathematical
habits of the mind.
Mathematical investigation is an open-
ended teaching strategy that capitalizes
on the students' ability to identify a
problem. Any word problem can be
transformed in to a mathematical
investigation by limiting the given
information and omitting the specific
question that it is asking.
Thank you!
What questions do you still have
your about the topic?