Maths Assignment.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
INTRODUCTION
Mathematical skills are conceptualized as a separate area that includes verbal components (number knowledge, counting, computation, and reasoning) and nonverbal components (math notation, reasoning in time and space, and computation).
Improving your mathematical skills will increase your chances for professional success, no matter what career path you pursue.
Many professionals use mathematical skills directly in their day-to-day duties without realizing it.
Even for the rare jobs that never directly deal with numbers and figures, you’ll often need the same problem-solving and critical thinking abilities used in math to succeed.
In this article, we’ll cover the most important mathematical skills to master for the workplace. You’ll also learn how to improve your math skills and highlight them during the job-search process.
ARITHMATIC SKILLS
The basic arithmetic skills include addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Other arithmetic operations which are the basis for performing mathematical simplifications are fractions, decimals, percentages, fractions, square root, exponents, etc.
All these skills are necessary for doing numerical calculations accurately and efficiently.
ADDITION
It is a skill that allows you to connect, merge, or add two or more numbers. It’s also known as the total or sum. The sign “+” is used to represent it.
Example:
To determine the total of 4, 41, 64, utilize this skill and express it as,
4 + 41 + 64 = 105.
SUBTRACTION
This skill is used to show the difference between two numbers or to subtract specific numbers from a larger number. The addition is the polar opposite of subtraction. The symbol “-” is used to represent it.
Example:
To determine the difference between 64 and 32, utilize this skill and express it as,
64 – 32 = 32.
MULTIPLICATION
This skill is used to repeatedly add a number to itself. It’s also known as multiply or times, and it’s represented by the sign “×”.
Example:
To add 7 four times, 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 = 28, utilize this skill and find the answer by doing
7 × 4 = 28.
DIVISION
This skill permits us to split or share a number into pieces. It’s the polar opposite of multiplication. The symbol “÷” is commonly used to represent it.
Example:
To determine how 64 is equally distributed in 8 parts, utilize this skill and express it as,
64 ÷ 8 = 8.
GEOMETRIC SKILLS
The Word Geometry is a Greek word which means ‘Earth measurement’.
Geometry is the science of lines and figures or the sciene of space and extent. It
Deals with position shape and size of the bodies. It is the pictured arithmetic or
Algebra.
The three stages of teaching geometry are
1. Practical stage-It deals with common geometric concept.
2. Stage of reasoning-It involves solving of theorems and exercises
3. Systematic stage-It is the acquisition of mastery in reasoning.
Geometric skill is a basic skill because it gives valuable preparation for Courses in higher mathematics and the sciences and for a variety of careers Requiring mathematical skills. Hofter presents five basic geometric skills that are Important for students: visual skills, verbal skills, drawing skills, logical skills and Applied skills. Geometry allows students to connect mapping objects in the Classroom to real world contexts regarding direction and place. Understanding of Spatial relationships is also considered important in the role of problem solving and
Higher order thinking skills.
We can improve the geometric skills by
1. Use physical manipulative. The most difficult aspect of geometry is being Able to visualize the shape in 3d.
2. Avoid missing classes.
3. Join a study group.
4. Do a lot of practice.
5. Learn from prior mistakes.
6. Answer every question on the homework paper
INTERPRETATION OF GRAPHS
Graphs are useful for presenting quantitative data. A graph is a visual form of a table. They are ideal for communicating scientific information. A graph can make it easier to analyse and interpret the information that we have collected. A graph has a title, grid, horizontal axis or X-axis and vertical axis or Y-axis.
Different types of graphs.
1. Line Graphs-It shows how variable affects another. Line graphs are useful in showing relationship between two variables.
2. Bar and Column graphs-These graphs are used to show categories of data that has been counted. In a column graphs the height of the column shows the number of the individuals. In a bar graph, the length of the horizontal bar shows the number of the individuals.
3. Histograms-Histograms look similar to column graphs but are different since Each column represents a group of related data. The height of the column shows
The number of individuals counted, like a column graph.
4. Pie graphs-Pie graphs are useful for showing the percentage composition of various categories that are unaffected by each other. Computer programs can present piegraphs in many different, interesting shapes.
5. Scatter grams- Scatter grams are graphs that are used to find patterns in some kinds of data. The information about each individual or test is plotted as a separate point.Choosing a graph type Each time we need to draw a graph ,think about different kinds of graphs. Decide which graph will make our data the easiest to analyse and interpret. Sometimes there are several kinds if graphs that would be suitable.
For example-usually we can use a bar graph ,a column graph or a pie graph to present the same kind of information. A line graph and a histogram can show the same data.
Steps to in helping to better interpret Graphs
1. Identify what the graph represents. First, look to see if the graph has a title.
2. Check the units and scales on both x- and y- axis.
3. For one value of x, find its corresponding value for y.
4. Compare values of y.
5. Practice.
6. Wrap Up.
7. Resources.
HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS(HOT SKILLS)
Human thinking skills can be classified in to two major groups:
a. Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS)
b. Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
LOTS have three aspects-remembering, understanding, applying (the first three of Blooms taxonomy and HOTS have three aspects-analyzing , evaluating and creating (the last three of blooms taxonomy)
Higher-order thinking, known as higher order thinking skills (HOTS), is a concept of education reform based on learning taxonomies (such as Bloom’s
Taxonomy). The idea is that some types of learning require more cognitive processing than others, but also have more generalized benefits. In Bloom’s Taxonomy, for example, skills involving analysis, evaluation and synthesis
(creation of new knowledge) are thought to be of a higher order than the learning of facts and concepts which requires different learning and teaching methods.
Higher-order thinking involves the learning of complex judgmental skills such as critical thinking and problem solving.
As Pogrow said “Higher Order Thinking Skills are valued because they are believed to prepare students for the challenges of adult work and daily life and advanced academic work”. HOTS may also help raise
standardized test scores .
The revised secondary mathematics curriculum has shifted its emphasis to the fostering of HOTS. Higher order thinking skills is thinking in a higher level than memorizing Facts or telling someone exactly the way it was told us. HOTS are the highest part in Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domain.
There are five fundamental HOTS
1. Problem solving skills
2. Inquiring skills
3. Reasoning skills
4. Communicating skills
5. Conceptualizing skills
1. Problem solving skills
According to National Council Of Teachers Of mathematics(NCTM),”Problem Solving is a process of applying previously acquired knowledge to new and
Unfamiliar situation”. These include four phases-
• Understanding the problem
• Devising a plan of solving the problem
• Carrying out the plan
• Examining the reasonableness of the result and making evaluation
2. Inquring Skills
Inquiring involves discovering or constructing knowledge through questioning or Testing a hypothesis. The essential elements are
• Observation
• Analysis
• Summarizing
3. Communicating Skills
Communication involves receiving and sharing ideas and can be expressed in The forms of numbers ,models, symbols, diagrams, graphs and simulations.They can be of oral and written.There are three stages
• Construct
• Redefine
• Consolidate
4. Reasoning Skills
Reasoning is drawing conclusion from evidence, grounds or assumptions. They are of two types
• Inductive reasoning
• Deductive reasoning
5. Conceptualizing Skills
Conceptualizing involves organizing and reorganizing of knowledge through
perceiving and thinking about particular experiences in order to abstract patterns
and ideas and generalize from the particular experiences. The formation of concepts involves classifying and abstracting of previous experiences.
There are three components in HOTS
➢ Critical thinking skills
➢ Creative thinking skills
➢ Systems thinking skills
There are Nine Factors that comprises HOTS .They are
▪ The use of mathematical concepts
▪ The use of mathematical principles
▪ Impact of predicting
▪ Problem solving
▪ Decision making
▪ Working in the limits of competence
▪ Trying new things
▪ Divergent thinking
▪ Imaginative thinking.
Higher order thinking skills helps to manipulate information and ideas, to synthesis and generalize, explain, hypothesis or to arrive at some conclusion or interpretation, to solve problems and discover new meanings and understandings.
We can improve HOT skills in students by
Revise textbooks used in mathematics learning in primary and secondary skills.
The mathematics textbooks used should promote students critical and Creative thinking
- Examples and practice tests provided should be able to train students to
Think critically and creatively by using open ended tests.
- The open-ended tests is attest used as an instrument in this study to measure student’s HOTS
CONCLUSION
Mathematics is avital discipline in every person’s life .It enables one to have an open mind on how to solve problems because one can approach a problem in maths using very many different ways. By developing all those skills that are mentioned above we can study and solve maths easily. As we all k now maths is the door and key to the sciences. So without studying of mathematics we cannot study anything.
