Sectors of Maths - Analyzing (Thinking part)

Analyzing Sector in this Thinking part is one of the important aspect in maths education.

This maths sector digs out all the factual part in complement with the relating sector skill to enhance or push up the learning level of maths solving and applications.

This analyzing skill helps to determine whether all the facts obtained through linkage are relevant to the solving process and whether they leads to the final solution.

Given a maths problem, the ability to analyze will determine the appropriate steps and maths solving tools to be used. If we can select the optimum method to solve a maths problem, we can solve the problem in a faster manner since less steps are used.

This is useful, for example, in computer porgramming where length of the software programme may decide the solving speed.

Sometimes, we are presented with alot of information to a problem.

The ability to analyze will allow us to dig out suitable facts to incorporate into the solving process.

As such, this analyzing sector is very closely related to the problem solving sector, which is the most important part of maths solving.

How then can we enhance this Analyzing skill in this sector of maths?

My suggestions are listed below:

1) Ask though provoking questions that may not have a direct answer. This forces the maths learners to think and analyze.

2) Do case studies on simple projects to find out their operating principle (if possible get some maths calculations done to prove the method)

3) Purposely create simple errors in work process to start them thinking.

Note: The outcome of the analysis is not important at this stage since the focus is on the analysis skill. Let them learn to think.

If this analyzing sector is carried out nicely, it can be very enjoyable and creates confidence boosting effect. The maths lessons will then be meaningful with positive results. This sector is to have a breakthrough in the thinking habit of the math learners which will greatly benefits anyone learning maths.

To read about other sectors of maths, and their relations to the maths education proper, you can check Sectors of Maths.
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