Lesson 9

Concept Attainment

Objective
Plan a lesson that applies concept attainment strategy

Introduction
The inductive learning strategy in the previous lesson is most useful in discovering rules. In
mathematics, students do not only study rules, but they also need to remember and understand
many definitions of terms. For better retention, it is best for students to discover the meaning of
the different mathematical terminologies that they encounter. The concept attainment strategy is
useful for this purpose.

Discussion
Concept attainment is another instructional strategy anchored to the constructivist learning
theory. In this strategy, the concept is not directly taught to students. Instead, the students
understand and learn concepts by identifying common attributes through comparison and
contrast of examples and non-examples. Since concept attainment is used in understanding
meanings, it is often applied in English vocabulary lessons. However, it is also useful in learning
mathematical terminologies.

There are five simple steps in the concept attainment strategy:

(1) presentation of examples and non-examples,
(2) listing of common attributes,
(3) adding student-given examples,
(4) defining the mathematical term, and
(5) checking of understanding.

Presentation of examples and non-examples

Alternately give examples and non-examples. The students should be able to guess some
common attributes based on the examples alone so non-examples are given to confirm their
guesses.

Listing of common attributes

List the common attributes given by the students. This may be done as a whole class or by pairs
or traits first. Some listed attributes may later on crossed-out as the listing of examples and non-
examples go on.

Adding student-given examples

Ask students to provide their own examples based on the listed attributes. Then confirm whether
their suggestion is indeed an example. Based on the students' answers, some of the attributes may
be revised to make them clearer for the students.

Defining the mathematical term

Help the students come up with a word or phrase for the concept. The exact term may not come
from them, especially when it is too technical (e.g., polyhedron), but the etymology of the word
may be derived from them (e.g., many polygonal faces).

Checking of understanding
To verify that the students have understood the concept, give them a list and ask them whether
each item on it is an example or a non-example.

Example
Study the lesson plan below which applies the concept attainment strategy. The goal of the
lesson is for the students to define a prism. Instead of listing examples on the board, real object
examples and non-examples will be provided.
Topic: Square

Grade level: 2
Target learning competency: By the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to define a
square, draw examples of a square, and identify whether a given figure is a square or not.
Pre-requisite knowledge and skills:
Definitions of:
1. Straight and curvy lines
2. Plane figures
3. Solid figures
Identifying common attributes based on examples and non-examples:
Tell the students that they will be detectives for today. Their goal is to discover the common
characteristics of the figures which will be shown to them.

Give the following examples and non-examples by batch.

Batch Examples Non-examples

3
 4

Below are the expected common attributes that the students will provide, refined through the
batches. Ask guide questions if the students do not arrive at these.

Batch Common Attributes

1 Made of straight lines; no curvy lines
2 Has four sides
3 The sides have equal length
4 All the angles are right
5 It is a plane figure

In between batches, ask the students to look around the room and give examples of what they
think are squares. Classify the student-given objects as examples or non-examples of prisms.

Defining the mathematical term

Lead the students to agree that a square is a four-sided plane figure whose side lengths and
angle measures are equal.

Checking of understanding
Show 10 real objects and let the students identify each as a square or not.
Lesson 10
Mathematical Investigation

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 passive learning dictated by the curriculum to an active process where the
students are developed to think like mathematicians. Mathematical investigation is a strategy that
may be implemented to achieve this.

Discussion

Mathematical investigation is an open-ended mathematical task which 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 that in itself promotes independent mathematical thinking. To illustrate, consider
the two mathematical tasks below.

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.

In Task A, there is a specific problem to solve. Some students might attempt to solve it by
drawing diagrams for smaller numbers of children and then investigating the pattern that may
arise. This investigation is a process that may occur in problem solving. On the other hand, the
problem in Task B is not specified. Students may or may not choose to find the total number of
high-fives. Some students may want to investigate a more general case where they would want to
know how many high-fives mere would be given a certain number of children. Some may want
to find out how many high-fives there would be if instead of once, the children would high-five
each other twice or thrice. Some children may even decide to work on a problem that the teacher
has not thought of. This is investigation as an activity itself.

As illustrated, 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, So, like in the
problem-solving strategy, it is crucial that the teacher chooses or creates a situation that is
engaging and caters mathematical investigation. Tasks A and B show that a close-ended word
problem can easily be converted into an open-ended investigative task by simply replacing the
question with an instruction to investigate.

There are three main phases of a mathematical investigation lesson:

(1) problem-posing,
(2) conjecturing, and
(3) justifying conjectures.

In the problem posing phase, the students explore the given situation and come up with a
mathematical problem that they would want to engage in. The conjecturing phase involves
collecting and organizing data, looking for patterns, inferencing, and generalizing. In the final
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; the exercise of creative thinking and problem-solving that the students
underwent as they investigated. 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.

Example
The only planning that the teacher needs to do is to create or choose an appropriate task and
anticipate possible problems that the students would pose. Below is an example of a close-ended
word problem transformed into a mathematical investigative task and the problems that the
students would possibly come up to.

Close-ended problem:
Find the perimeter of the triangle whose side lengths are 3 units, 4 units, and 5 units.

Investigative task:
Distribute: 12 popsicle sticks per pair/group
Instruction: Investigate the following.

Possible student-generated problems:

1. What is the perimeter of the given triangle?
2. How many triangles can be formed using 12 popsicle sticks?
3. What types of triangles can be formed using 12 popsicle sticks?

ACTIVITY # 5

NAME: ______________________________ DATE: ______________

CONCEPT ATTAINMENT AND MATHEMATICAL INVESTIGATION

1. Write a lesson plan that allows the students to discover the meaning of a mathematical
term.

Topic:

Grade level:
Target learning competency: By the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to:

Prerequisite knowledge and skills:

Identifying common attributes based on examples and non-examples

Defining mathematical term:

Checking for Understanding:

2. In what ways does mathematical investigation develop students who think like
mathematicians?