3-Phase Approach to Solving a Math Problem

 Hello my fellow math enthusiasts, today is a good day to learn about mathematics! As per usual, we will start our blog with the math joke of the week.

Although this is a different kind of math joke it really says a lot about the stereotypes surrounding mathematics. Many students have this mentality towards mathematics and it’s our job as future math teachers to change these stereotypes! So let’s dive right into the blog and discover how we can become better educators!

Phases of Work

The primary focus of today’s discussion was “How do students tackle a mathematics problem”. The chapter that directed our discussion broke it up into 3 phases. The three phases are listed as entry, attack and review. The entry phase is breaking down the question in a thorough manner to ensure the user knows what the question is asking them to do. Fully understanding the question allows them to think about the question in an alternative manner to solve the problem. The attack phase has the individual attempt one of their approaches until it satisfies the solution or is abandoned. The reflection phase involves considering the attack phase and reflection upon it. This will consist of asking questions such as “Where did I go wrong?” and “How can I change this to make it better”. Allowing them to improve their original attempt. 

As future educators it’s important to teach students this basic, yet effective approach. One way we can do this is by modeling this approach when working on problems as a class. By replicating this behavior students will pick up on it. Allowing them to create their own unique variety of this problem solving strategy. The additional benefits of introducing this strategy to students is its ability to be transferable. This strategy can be used in non-mathematics courses as well as real life applications when they arise. 

Another great implication about this 3-phase approach is it is extremely adaptable. Educators can modify this approach for individuals who have exceptionalities or a learning disability. Since every student is different, a simplified version may work depending on the exceptionality. A case where a simplified version may not work is if the student had a language based learning disability. This would cause you to create a modified version for phase 1 so the student can gather the necessary information to dissect the problem. A less wordy and more information based question could be used to accommodate the student. Demonstrating that the 3-phase approach is an effective and easily adaptable approach to use when problem solving.

My Personal Experience 

Prior to reading about and discussing the 3-phase approach I never considered how I tackled mathematics questions. Reflecting on my personal experiences, I engaged with the entry and attack phase but never the reflection phase. If I tried a particular approach and it failed I would abandon it and try something brand new. I think being exposed to the reflection phase would have helped me become a much better problem solver than I am today. As educators we have the opportunity to improve our students ability to problem solve and ensure they don’t miss out on these valuable lessons. 

Until my next blog, I want you to consider how you will implement this 3-phase approach into your classroom instruction!

Till next time,

Mr. Salmond