In attempting to warrant or reject Assertion 1, evidence from the multiple case studies is
presented here. To begin with, the responses to Benchmark Tasks 1 and 2 are considered. It
is apparent from a comparison of responses by the eight case study students to Benchmark
Tasks 1 and 2 that gains were made in terms of the various modes of thinking, that is,
mathematical, contextual, and strategic thinking. Mathematical thinking is characterised by
the recognition, reiteration, and/or application of specific mathematical information to
perform a mathematical operation. For example, a student working with an advertisement
showing a price reduction and “new” price for a sale item might use the information to
calculate the “normal” price of the item.