Mathematical Thinking and Developing Mathematical Structure

Abstract

The mathematical thinking which transforms important mathematical content and developed into mathematical structure is a vital process in building up mathematical ability as mathematical knowledge based on structure. Such process based on students’ recognition of mathematical concept. Developing mathematical thinking into mathematical structure happens when different cognitive units are connected and compressed to form schema of solution, which could happen through some guided problems. The effort of arithmetic approach in problem solving did not necessarily provide students the structure schema of solution. The using of equation to solve the problem is based on the schema of building equation, and is not necessary recognizing the structure of the solution, as the recognition of structure may be lost in the process of simplification of algebraic expressions, leaving only the final numeric answer of the problem.