Wow, Erica and Karla, I had to reread Dylan's process several times, too. The amount of time I spent reading and then rereading it seems impossible to implement in the classroom. I was also struck, Karla, by what you said about coaxing an oral explanation that would be understood, but went way beyond what was on the paper. It seems sad that our district wants this "evidence" that we are teaching common core math, but what we should really do is take video and post a QR code on the wall for higher ups.
I feel somewhat trained in presenting problems to students at the beginning of a new unit to get them to creatively come up with a solution without using a standard algorithm, The problem is when a few of the students (probably more of a problem at my school than others) have already learned algorithms way beyond second grade in after school programs or from their parents, and then they don't see any point in solving it any other way. Once other kids see that there is an "easy" way they don't want to spend time figuring it out either. This hasn't stopped me, it just makes it more challenging. I often have to group my students and give really challenging problems and easier ones.
The part of creative problem solving that I think is truly beneficial is when they have to apply some skills to those "real world problems" If they are designed carefully it puts every student back on a level playing field.
Donna,
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. Whenever I pose a word problem to my students there are always a couple that go straight to the algorithm and don't want to do anything else. One thing, I've done that's helped a little is to ask them to solve a problem a different way or periodically ban the algorithm.
For example, in my classroom we do a math warm-up called, "How Many Ways?" were I give the students a number and they have to find as many ways as they can to represent the number (with manipulatives, coins, drawings, etc.). However, I noticed that I was getting a lot of addition and subtraction and nothing else, so I banned the use of math symbols and I started to see more variety in their responses which has remained even after I allowed the use of math symbols again.
Victoria and Donna,
ReplyDeleteI am on the same boat with you guys. I feel this wave of kids have been exposed to only find the proper algorithm to solve the problem. The idea of the students constantly outside thinking while trying to solve math will not start until we find textbooks and district backing in order to take those types of approaches. The idea of letting our students problem solving has more advantage then just telling and showing the students to solve the problem algorithm. I am guilty of being that teacher of just showing how to solve using algorithms, but know after reading this article I feel that I need to start guiding my students to start problem solving a little better.
In the private school I worked at where we taught in constructivist ways, we had lots of meetings and newsletters to educate parents as to how we were working and showing the parents how we let the kids construct their own understanding. Most of the time we got compliance, and they did not tutor or spill the beans, but every now and then I had a parent give it away before..so their kid was 'ahead'....and later the parent might say "I did not think they would get it!"
ReplyDeleteThe truth is, if a child comes to it on their own or sees someone else 'get it', the kid usually gets it and retains 'it'. It is when it is given, that it is forgotten.