Make Instruction More Effective Part 2.

 

Last Friday, we started looking at ways that help students learn more in math class.  Today, we'll finish the suggestions since I didn't want to overload brains.  The last part of Friday's column was discussing ways to use mistakes in class to help improve student knowledge and we'll continue that today.

One important step is to have students slow down and really think about what they are doing. Create four incorrectly solved problems and place them around the room.  Have the students rotate around the room, stopping at each problem where they must discuss the error and write down using complete sentences, why the error occurred and how to correct it. As they rotate around the room, students are engaged in conversations on what other students have written and they write down whether they support the answers or if they disagree with the thoughts, they need to write down their evidence.

Furthermore, use math journals where students can record thoughts on concepts that they are having difficulty with,  They can talk about where they are getting tripped up, work the problem from start to finish, reflect on different strategies they used when they tried to solve it, or talk about other approaches they could have used.  This type of journaling helps synthesis learning while looking at unanswered questions.

We want students to develop methods of solving complex problems rather than just mimicking the teachers method. One way to nudge students in this direction, is to give students a thinking task and ask them to work in small random groups.  Thinking tasks are problem solving activities or mental puzzles designed to challenge thinking.  Have students stand while they work on these problems and do calculations, writing, etc on surfaces like white boards, blackboards, or windows where they can easily erase ideas that are not working out.  Teachers circulate but do not answer questions such as "Is this right?" so as not to stop their thinking processes.

The idea behind this is to encourage perseverance, collaboration, and explore their curiosity. Rather than assessing them on being right or wrong, assess them on their perseverance, collaboration, and thoughts on how to solve problems. Take it a step further by letting students know where they are and where they are going in their learning through the use of frequent checks, observations, and unmarked quizzes.  

Furthermore, summative assessments should focus less on answers and more on the process of learning.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.