Strategic Competence involves using understanding and computing skills to solve non-routine mathematical problems. For young learners, it’s the ability to formulate, represent, and solve mathematical problems using appropriate concepts and procedures.
Examples for the Classroom:
- Solving Word Problems: Present students with word problems and encourage them to draw pictures or use physical objects to solve them.
- Estimation Jar: Have a jar filled with a certain number of objects (e.g. marbles) and ask the students to estimate how many are inside. Discuss the strategies they used to make their estimates.
- Pattern Recognition: Use pattern blocks or colored counters to create sequences and ask students to predict what comes next in the pattern.