Strategies on mathematical problems-solving

Abstract

The mathematical problem solving depends in great measure on the amount of knowledge, mental operations and cognitive development the student possesses to infer, to relate and to make the accurate decisions about what strategy to use to solve the different problems that are presented. The purpose of this article is to present a referential system that allows teachers to identify the different mathematical problem solving strategies used by Basic Education students, with the intention of using this system in the design of didactic strategies that contribute to the improvement of the mathematical teaching and learning process. The strategies analyzed in this work include the heuristic methods, algorithms and the strategies classified by Campistrous and Rizo, these last based on the diverse forms in which people approach the problems depending on the interpretation assigned to the problem's statement.