Case study

Description

This Word Problem Challenge (WPC) will expand the student’s ability to critically analyze a problem and develop a reasonable approach to finding a solution.

The WPC will also allow students to gain an understanding of:

1. How to estimate and/or approximate unknown quantities in a problem. 
2. How to develop and test a possible solution. 
3. How to present data graphically. 
4. How to present the solution process(es) to a given problem.

Required Materials:

1. MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Word (the edition currently used by HPU). 
2. Access to HPU library (electronic) and/or the internet.

Optional Materials:

1. None.

Background:

Many problems we encounter in our math education may not adequately reflect the complexities and unknowns in real-world scenarios. Rarely do we have all the data at the accuracy (and format) we desire. That is why critical thinking is so important, we must be able to break down a problem and search for data we need to come to a solution that meets our needs. The following word problems are not easy, do not have one “right” answer, and require lots of thinking and research to develop a workable solution (one that meets our needs).

MLA format, double space, US writer, High school level