Mathematical thinking is an important goal of schooling.
Mathematical thinking is important as a way of learning mathematics.
Mathematical thinking is important for teaching mathematics.
Mathematical thinking is a highly complex activity, and a great deal
has been written and studied about it. Within this paper, I will give several examples of mathematical thinking, and to demonstrate two pairs of processes through which mathematical thinking very often proceeds: Specialising and Generalising; Conjecturing and
Convincing. Being able to use mathematical thinking in solving problems is one of the most the fundamental goals of teaching mathematics, but it is also one of its most elusive goals. It is an ultimate goal of teaching that students will be able to conduct mathematical investigations by themselves, and that they will be able to identify where the mathematics they have learned is applicable in