Bonnie Palmer 10/22/12 Ch. 2 (Gr.

3-5) Teaching Mathematics through Problem Solving Teaching through Problems Solving solving problems to learn new math rather than applying math after it has been learned What it accomplishes
Focuses students attention on ideas and sense making Emphasizes math processes and practices Develops students confidence and identities Provides a context to help students build meaning for the concept Allows entry and exit points for a wide range of students Allows for extensions and elaborations Engages students so there are frew discipline problems Prides formative assessment data Is a lot of fun!!

Classroom discourse
Have students share ideas with their peers and teacher Clarify students ideas in a variety of ways Emphasize reasoning What to tell students Introduce mathematical conventions Discuss alternative methods Clarify students methods Make connections between ideas

Representations
Encourage students to choose the type representation they use, create their own representations, and use a variety of representations Encourage a particular type of representation if it would be helpful for a student having difficulty Make connections between different types Manipulatives and concrete objects Visuals- graphs, tables, diagrams, symbols, pictures, etc.

Problems and tasks should

engage students where they are in their current understanding The problematic or engaging aspect of the problem must be a result of the mathematics that the students are to learn require justifications and explanations for answers and methods be a productive struggle Have a high level of cognitive demand Be able to be approached in a variety of ways Have a relevant and exciting context

Lesson format
Before- activate prior knowledge, be sure the problem is understood, establish clear expectations During- let go, notice students mathematical thinking, provide appropriate support, provide worthwhile extensions After- promote a community of learners, listen actively without evaluation, summarize main ideas and identify future problems

Ch. 3 (Gr. 3-5) Assessing for Learning

-assessment should enhance students learning and be a valuable tool for making instructional decisions -assessment is not separate from instruction -summative assessment- cumulative evaluations -formative assessment- assessments that are used to determine the point-intime status of students understanding, to preassess, or to attempt to identify students nave understandings or misconceptions; used to make decisions about instructional steps -observation data gathered systematically can be combined with other data and used in planning lessons, providing feedback to students, conducting parent conferences, and determining grades -can record using anecdotal notes or checklists -question students and probe into student thinking -diagnostic interview- used to understand a students thinking about a particular concept or process -assessment opportunities, not teaching opportunities -helps you plan your next instructional steps or assess the effectiveness of your instruction -should be about understanding student thinking, not instructing them or telling them whether they are right or wrong -tasks- should allow all students to demonstrate their knowledge, regardless of ability -problem-based- find what students do know -focus on a central math concept or skill aligned to value learning targets -stimulate the connection of content a student knows to new content -allow multiple solution methods or approaches with a variety of tools -offer opportunities along the way for students to correct themselves -confront common student misconceptions -encourage students to use reasoning and explain their thinking -create opportunities for observing students use of math processes and practices -generate data for instructional decision making as you listen to your students thinking -translation tasks- use more than one representation to demonstrate understanding of a single problem -rubrics- consists of a scale based on predetermined criteria that permits the student to see what is central to excellent performance and provides the teacher with scoring guidelines that support analysis of students work -generic rubrics- identify categories of performance instead of specific criteria for a particular task and therefore can be used for multiple assignments -task-specific rubrics- include indicators (specific statements that describe what performance looks like at each level of the rubric -students self-assessment with rubrics- make sure students know what the rubric is, let them self-assess using the rubric

Lesson Planning Chapter: The 5 Practices

1. Anticipating 2. Monitoring 3. Selecting 4. Sequencing 5. Connecting The five practices build on each other.

Teaching through problems solving, knowing how to properly assess learning, and practicing the 5 practices are all important components to teaching mathematics.