IN THE OPEN-ENDED APPROACH the teacher gives the students a problem situation in which the solutions or answers are not necessarily determined in only one way. The teacher then makes use of the diversity of approaches to the problem in order to give students experiences in finding or discovering new things by combining all the knowledge skills, and mathematical ways of thinking they have previously learned. Classroom activities are structured to help students
mathematize situations appropriately;
find mathematical rules or relations by making good use of their knowledge and skills;
solve the problems;
check the results;
while
seeing other students' discoveries or methods;
comparing and examining the different ideas;
modifying and further developing their own ideas accordingly.