Routine and non-routine problem solving

We can categorize problem solving into two basic types: routine and non-routine. The purposes and the
strategies used for solving problems are different for each type.

Routine problem solving

From the curricular point of view, routine problem solving involves using at least one of the four arithmetic
operations and/or ratio to solve problems that are practical in nature. Routine problem solving concerns to a
large degree the kind of problem solving that serves a socially useful function that has immediate and future
payoff. Children typically do routine problem solving as early as age 5 or 6. They combine and separate things
such as toys in the course of their normal activities. Adults are regularly called upon to do simple and complex
routine problem solving. Here is an example.

A sales promotion in a store advertises a jacket regularly priced at $125.98 but now selling for 20%
off the regular price. The store also waives the tax. You have $100 in your pocket (or $100 left in your
charge account). Do you have enough money to buy the jacket?

As adults, and as children, we normally want to solve certain kinds of problems (such as the one above) in a
way that reflects an ‘Aha, I know what is going on here and this is what I need to do to figure out the answer.’
reaction to the problem. We do not want to guess and check or think backwards or make use of similar
strategies. Invariably, solving such problems involves using at least one of the four arithmetic operations (and/or
ratio). Being good at doing arithmetic (e. g. adding two numbers: mentally, by pencil and paper, with
manipulatives, by punching numbers in a calculator) does not guarantee success at solving routine problems.
The critical matter is knowing what arithmetic to do in the first place. Actually doing the arithmetic is secondary
to the matter.

A mathematics researcher interviewed children about how they solve routine problems. One boy reported his
method as follows: If there were two numbers and they were both big, he subtracted. If there was one large and
one small number, he divided. If it did not come out even, he multiplied. The other interesting aspect of all of
this is that the child had done quite well at solving routine problems throughout his school career. What does
this say about teaching practice? What does this say about assessing what children understand?

Is the case of the boy an isolated incident or is it the norm? Unfortunately, research tells us that it is likely the
norm. Not enough students and adults are good at solving routine problems. Research also tells us that in order
for students to be good at routine problem solving they need to learn the meanings of the arithmetic operations
(and the concept of ratio) well and in ways that are based on real and familiar experiences. While there are only
four arithmetic operations, there are more than four distinct meanings that can be attached to the operations. For
example, division has only one meaning: splitting up into equal groups. Subtraction, on the other hand, has at
least two meanings: taking away something away from one set or comparing two sets (refer to The meanings of
the arithmetic operations.)

Once students understand the meaning of an arithmetic operation they have a powerful conceptual tool to apply
to solving routine problems. The primary strategy becomes deciding on what arithmetic operation to use. That
decision cannot be made in the manner done by the boy of the research anecdote. The decision should be made
on the basis of IDENTIFYING WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE PROBLEM. This approach requires
understanding the meanings of the arithmetic operations.

The research evidence suggests that good routine problem solvers have a repertoire of automatic symbol-based
and context-based responses to problem situations. They do not rely on manipulating concrete materials, nor on
using strategies such as 'guess and check' or ‘think backwards’. Rather, they rely on representing what is going
on in a problem by selecting from a limited set of mathematical templates or models. Refer to Using arithmetic
operation meanings to solve routine problems for details.

Solving routine problems should at some point involve solving complex problems. Complexity can be achieved
through multi-step problems (making use of more than one arithmetic operation) or through Fermi problems. It
is advisable to do both.
Fermi problems are special problems that are characterized by the need to estimate something and the need to
obtain relevant data. They typically involve the application of the meaning of at least one arithmetic operation
and sometimes something else (e. g. how to calculate the area of a triangle). Here is an example of a Fermi
problem: About how many cars are there in Manitoba? Solving this Fermi problem about the cars would
involve matters like obtaining/estimating data about the population of Manitoba that might own a car and
making use of the ‘groups of’ meaning of multiplication. It could involve more matters. That would depend on
the degree of sophistication of insight into the problem.

In general, solving Fermi problems involves estimating where the exact value is often unknown, and perhaps it
is even unknowable. While the estimate may be considerably in error, the important matter is on describing how
the estimate was obtained. That requires students to justify their reasoning in terms of the meanings of
arithmetic operations and in terms of the relevance of the data they collected/estimated.

Non-routine problem solving

Non-routine problem solving serves a different purpose than routine problem solving. While routine problem
solving concerns solving problems that are useful for daily living (in the present or in the future), non-routine
problem solving concerns that only indirectly. Non-routine problem solving is mostly concerned with
developing students’ mathematical reasoning power and fostering the understanding that mathematics is a
creative endeavour. From the point of view of students, non-routine problem solving can be challenging and
interesting. From the point of view of planning classroom instruction, teachers can use non-routine problem
solving to introduce ideas (EXPLORATORY stage of teaching); to deepen and extend understandings of
algorithms, skills, and concepts (MAINTENANCE stage of teaching); and to motivate and challenge students
(EXPLORATORY and MAINTENANCE stages of teaching). There are other uses as well. Having students do
non-routine problem solving can encourage the move from specific to general thinking; in other words,
encourage the ability to think in more abstract ways. From the point of view of students growing to adulthood,
that ability is becoming more important in today’s technological, complex, and demanding world.

Non-routine problem solving can be seen as evoking an ‘I tried this and I tried that, and eureka, I finally
figured it out.’ reaction. That involves a search for heuristics (strategies seeking to discover). There is no
convenient model or solution path that is readily available to apply to solving a problem. That is in sharp
contrast to routine problem solving where there are readily identifiable models (the meanings of the arithmetic
operations and the associated templates) to apply to problem situations.

The following is an example of a problem that concerns non-routine problem solving.

Consider what happens when 35 is multiplied by 41. The result is 1435. Notice that all four digits of
the two multipliers reappear in the product of 1435 (but they are rearranged). One could call numbers
such as 35 and 41 as pairs of stubborn numbers because their digits reappear in the product when the
two numbers are multiplied together. Find as many pairs of 2-digit stubborn numbers as you can.
There are 6 pairs in all (not including 35 & 41).

Solving problems like the one above normally requires a search for a strategy that seeks to discover a solution (a
heuristic). There are many strategies that can be used for solving unfamiliar or unusual problems. The strategies
suggested below are teachable to the extent that teachers can encourage and help students to identify, to
understand, and to use them. However, non-routine problem solving cannot be approached in an automatized
way as can routine problem solving. To say that another way, we cannot find nice, tidy methods of solution for
all problems. Inevitably, we will be confronted with a situation that evokes the response; “I haven't got much of
a clue how to do this; let me see what I can try.”

The list below does not contain strategies like: ‘read the question carefully’, ‘draw a diagram’, or ‘make a table’.
Those kinds of strategies are not the essence of what it takes to be successful at non-routine problem solving.
They are only preliminary steps that help in getting organized. The hard part still remains - to actually solve the
problem - and that takes more powerful strategies than drawing a diagram, reading the question carefully, or
making a table. The following list of strategies is appropriate for Early and Middle Years students in that the
strategies involve ways of thinking that are likely to be comfortable for these students.

 Look for a pattern

It is important that students share how they solved problems so that their classmates are exposed to a variety of
strategies as well as the idea that there may be more than one way to reach a solution. It is unwise to force
students to use one particular strategy for two important reasons. First, often more than one strategy can be
applied to solving a problem. Second, the goal is for students to search for and apply useful strategies, not to
train students to make use of a particular strategy.

Finally, non-routine problem solving should not be reserved for special students such as those who finish the
regular work early. All students should participate in and be encouraged to succeed at non-routine problem
solving. All students can benefit from the kinds of thinking that is involved in non-routine problem solving.

Comparing routine and non-routine problem solving

To make clearer the distinction between routine and non-routine problem solving, consider the following two
problems. Both are suitable for grade 3.

Problem 1

My mom gave me 35 cents. My father gave me 45 cents. My grandmother gave me 85

Place the numbers 1 to 9, one in each

Notice that addition is required for both problems. In problem 1, you need to figure out that you need to add.
Understanding addition as modeling a ‘put together’ action helps you realize that.

In problem 2, you are told to add by the word ‘sum’. Understanding addition as modeling a ‘put together’
action does not help you with solving problem 2. Being good at arithmetic might help you a bit, but the matter
really concerns a search for strategies to apply to the problem. Guess and check is a useful strategy to begin
with.