December 2011
Resource: What's Your Math Problem!?! by Linda Gojak
Reflection Question:
Chapter 3
How will these strategies help students with comprehending the problem they are trying to solve?
Resource: Strategies for Teaching Mathematics by Deborah V. Mink
Reflection Question:
Chapter 3
Which strategy or strategies do you currently use for building understanding? Which strategy or strategies will you implement as a result of this training?
I currently teach the students a similar method using a basic outline, where they have to write what is the question asking me to find?
ReplyDeleteInformation/key words given. What operation do I think I need to do, my work and solution.
It enables the students to overcome their hesistance when it pertains to problem solving.
I use basically the same strategy outlined in Chapter 3. First, I have students clearly state, in their own words, what the problem is asking them to do. Next, they are to identify the needed information with special emphasis being placed on key words that provide clues. Then, students should decide which strategy would be the best to use. I like to stress that they take a few moments and just think about these things before they start writing anything. This helps minimize wasted time due to misunderstanding the problem, or using less efficient ways to solve it.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Grant
Waddell Elementary
I believe it is so important that they can state the problem in their own words. Then, I like for them to show me how the problem can be written algebraically. Identifying a subgoal becomes the focus with more in-depth problems like "problem of the week" and as an intervention strategy for students who struggle with multi-step problems.
ReplyDeleteThe Strategies for Teaching Procedures chapter shows how to use alternative algorithms. This is important in building conceptual understanding. There has to be a connection that moves students from manipulatives to the abstract. This is an on-going struggle for some of our students.
Cheryl Hampel, St. Marys Magnet Academy
The strategies mentioned in Ch. 3 of "What's Your Math Problem!?!" by Linda Gojak will help students understand what is being asked of them in a word problem. Many times students struggle with word problems as they don't know what they are being asked to do. When students can restate the problem in their own words, identify needed information in the problem, figure out a way to solve the problem, then solve it successfully they then have a better understanding of what they are being asked to do. The steps presented in this chapter will definitely help students understand the problems that they are trying to solve.
ReplyDeleteThe Strategies for Teaching Procedures section stresses the importance of teaching the procedure as well as understanding why students are following a certain procedure. In order to build understanding, teachers need to use content standards to guide instruction, assess prior knowledge, build understanding for new procedures, practice each new procedure taught and assess students for understanding of the new procedure taught. I could really relate to this section as I learned in school that pi=3.14. I never knew why till I took a graduate level teaching math class where the teacher had us do an activity with a coffee can lid and yarn to figure out why pi=3.14. It was an eye-opening experience.
Amy Patrick and Diane Ventimiglia
Forrest Road Elementary
I know for myself, that when I approach a problem, I must break it apart and then attack each part in an organized manner. Children need the same thing. I have been working with the teachers at my school to help children find the question, and then turn it in to a fill in the blank sentence. This helps them understand what the problem is asking. Next they need to identify important information and discard unnecessary. Once they have done this, then it is possible to decide on an appropriate notation. An estimate is always valuable and a step that is often left out. Students need to understand once they have an answer whether it is reasonable and their estimate aids in that.
ReplyDeleteThe section on Strategies of Understanding Problem Solving gives students additional tools for their "tool box." It is important for teachers to stress to children that they can attack a problem from many different ways and still come up with the right answer. Making sure to go through the Summarize portion of the instructional model allows students to share their thinking and gives students the "power" to try other strategies.
Jean Skibbe
Fox Elementary
How will these strategies help students with comprehending the problem they are trying to solve?
ReplyDeleteBasically, students can have something to relate to in the real world that is comfortable or easy for them. The strategies give students diverse ways to figure things out that are better for them. Many times teachers get stuck in teaching things our way. Instead of letting our students find their own ways of learning math.
Which strategy or strategies do you currently use for building understanding? which strategy or strategies will you implement as a result of this training? Restating the problem is your own words is one that I found to be the most effective. As I have stated before, many times teachers get caught up in teaching the same way the same way. Students need to make the problem theirs in order to solve it. The strategy that I currently use in my class is identifying wanted, given and needed information. It is so vital that they distinguish between what they need and don't need to solve problems.
Stenson
Muscogee Elementary
These strategies help students break down and disect the problem they are working on. Often, students become overwhelmed and begin to shut down. Providing them with tools and strategies can give them confidence and a path to begin understanding and solving problems.
ReplyDeleteIn our school, the strategies we most often use are drawing a diagram, looking for a pattern, and guess and check. They are used in most classrooms regularly. As a result of the training, we are hoping to implement several new stratgies including acting it out and using concrete materials. Hopefully these new strategies will enable us to better reach students who learn kinesthetically.
Caitlyn Garner and Patti Pratt-King
Hannan Academy
I always tell me students that there are not numbers dancing around asking to be solved. In life we encounter problems that must be solved. The strategies included in What's Your Math Problem? help the students dissect a problem and gives them an arsenal of strategies to be successful. I have instituted many of the problems and strategies so far and have found the students feel non-threatened in trying to solve them. The template allows them to express themselves and thoughts without being locked into a preset teacher presented idea or process. I am finding the students more open to experimenting to solve the problem presented. Having students identify important and unimportant information has improved. Helping students identify a subgoal has also been helpful. I agree with Ms. Garner and Mrs. Pratt-King that drawing a diagram, looking for a pattern, and guess and check are the strategies most teachers use. We are currently trying our hand at Acting It Out which has been fun for the students and me. This strategy has let me witness how they are thinking and their cooperation and team building. In general, they are more cooperative and receptive to new ideals. Life lessons!
ReplyDeleteLonnie Brady
Wynnton Arts Academy
We already use a lot of the strategies in Chapter 3 when solving problems. Each week we do a problem of the week and pull the problem up on the Smartboard. We read it a few times and then highlight and underline information we need to know and cross things out that aren't important to helping solve the problem (fluff).
ReplyDeleteThe students then have to respond the the problem with 3 paragraphs. The first states the name of the problem and what they are supposed to find. The second gives the steps to which they planned and solved. The third gives their answer and their reasoning to why they believe their answer is correct.
Though this process I have seen the students really slow down and try to understand what they are working with in order to really piece through possibly methods of coming to a solution.
Ian Allen
River Road Elementary