Improving students’ abstract thinking skills whilst studying mathematics disciplines at technical universities

The paper deals with the problem of developing abstract thinking in students undergoing mathematics education. In connection with the introduction of new professional programs, it has become particularly relevant because the modern content of the higher educational process assumes students to have developed skills in analyzing, synthesizing and comparing “ideal objects”. Overview of scientific research into the facilitation of abstract thinking whilst explaining particular sections of mathematics is outlined. Over the course of the experiment we tried to determine the level of abstract thinking skills of first-year students (yesterday's applicants) by varying the algorithm for presenting theoretical material and its presentation form. Observation results show that the presentation of basic information on the topic, illustrated with selected examples and practised by solving concrete problems, trains students to accept and understand abstract terms so that they can use them independently for solving problems. In general, the ability to think abstractly does not arise spontaneously, but needs to be shaped by available pedagogical means and by the systematic organization of the students' cognitive activities.