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© 2014 Pacific Crest
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4.1
The Problem Solving Methodology
P
urpose
The role this topic plays in quantitative reasoning
The ability to analyze process knowledge and learn to apply it in different contexts is enhanced with the
use of methodologies. In this course, as well as others, there will be key processes that you will learn.
Understanding how to learn processes as methodologies will serve you well through the rest of your life.
What is a methodology? First and foremost, a methodology is a model of a process. Methodologies serve
many purposes. They help us to,
● Analyze, understand and apply a specific process
● Assess performance to improve future performance of that process
● Make connections to other processes effectively
● Make sense of rubrics
An expert who has applied a process at a very high level (as an expert), across many different contexts,
can generalize his or her knowledge with a methodology so that others can use it to understand and apply
the same kind of expertise. Here are a few examples:
● Expert chess players have modeled chess openings and endings they can teach to novices
● In sports, processes such as pitching or returning a serve or taking a penalty kick are broken
down into specific steps by coaches so that new players can learn these processes
● In cooking or baking, a recipe is a series of steps, some of which might themselves be
methodologies (such as separating an egg yolk from the egg white)
● In medicine, there are thousands of specific process-based procedures such as Lasik surgery or
dialysis
● Dance teachers and choreographers teach dance by breaking it down into a series of often literal
steps
From this activity, you will gain knowledge about how to use processes and methodologies to increase
your understanding from an informational level of knowledge (Level 1) to a working expertise (level 4)
as quickly as possible. In the course, you will have the opportunity to advance your process knowledge
and your use of helpful methodologies in the areas of reading, learning, and problem solving, as well as
many specific areas of mathematics.
A quantitative expert builds their expertise by learning to analyze process knowledge through applying
and assessing performance with the methodology.
L
earning Goals
What you should learn while completing this activity
1. Parse a methodology into three stages: steps required to prepare for the process; steps to carry out
the process; steps for quality control and assuring process effectiveness