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Grades 3-8 essay
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Susann
Palmerchuck. Email: Spalmerchuck@liberty.edu
Grades 3-8 and cases
Summary
The cases this week showed how important it is to evaluate how well your task
worked with the first group and being able to adjust for the next period. The first case
was about a set of co-teachers who were having their students complete a task on
measures of central tendency. Trina taught her class first, and used note cards that
contained a set of data along the mean, median, mode and range. The students were to
work together and determine what the definition of a mean, median, mode and range
was based on the information on the note card. Many students struggled with
determining the definition due to not knowing how to go about analyzing the information
they were given. At the end of the time, most groups had only been able to come up
with an accurate definition of range and median. The two teachers discussed what
happened during Trina’s lesson, due to Ursula being a new teacher and not as familiar
with this kind of task. They discussed that for the task to be successful Ursula would
need to be circulating and asking guiding questions. Ursula set up the task in a similar
manner. The main difference between the two lessons is that since Ursula did have
fewer English language learners in her room she did not start with an example. As the
students started the task, they were confused so she stopped and did an example with
them at that point. Both teachers had comparable results. Trina’s class had a higher
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Grades 3-8 essay
task demand than Ursula's due to building on prior knowledge, Trina did more
scaffolding of the task and the demand for explanation that Trina required.
The second case we looked at was Monique was using algebra tiles to teach
multiplying monomials and binomials. The teacher passed out the group assignment
cards and went over one problem on the board with them as an example. The students
built the outside of the model but struggled to determine how to fill the inside. As hands
started to go up for assistance, the teacher directed them to go back to the model they
had done together. Some students had stopped participating in the activity. Many
groups had the correct products done, but had not completed it as a rectangle. The
teacher ended up pushing the pieces they had together to form a rectangle for them. At
the end of the activity Monique was not happy with how the activity went. One of the
main problems of the task is procedures without connections. The students were
unaware of how the symbolic expressions related to the dimensions.
Practical Application
After Trina’s lesson, the issue she faced was that in the class they were given to
figure out mean, median, mode and range, the students had only successfully figured
out range and median. Trina was not frustrated or upset because she had planned for
two days for this activity. Her concern was that the students were struggling to figure out
the meaning. Several of the groups had figured out some type of definition but would
need additional data to finalize a correct definition. There were two main factors that
were occurring during the task that allowed the students to be engaged at a high-level.
First, the students were put in groups where they could discuss the tasks with other
students to gain understanding. All the information that was needed was provided.
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Grades 3-8 essay
Second, the two teachers were circulating during the lesson to guide students through
questioning when they got stuck. The teacher also stopped the entire class to bring
them together to share information to help those that were still struggling. Stein et. Al.,
(2009) explain criteria for high-level tasks by stating “assisting student thinking by
asking thought-provoking questions that preserve task complexity” (p. 18).
I utilize board tasks often in my classroom. I find that, like Trina, I often end up
thinking that students will be able to find a solution to a task in a shorter amount of time
than what they actually need. I find that if I do not put a time limit on the task the
students will often work better. I think if I were to do this task, I would give the students
some suggestions as to a way to find the solution, since most of the students were not
proficient in English. A bible verse that came to mind was Galatians 6:4, “But let each
one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in
his neighbor” (NIV, 2011). This reminds me of how students should be thinking about
their work on tasks.
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Grades 3-8 essay
References
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles and standards for
school mathematics - with CD. NCTM
New International Version Bible. (2011). The NIV Bible. https://www.thenivbible.com .
Stein, M. K., Smith, M. S., Henningsen, M. A., & Silver, E. A. (2009). Implementing
standards-based mathematics instruction: A casebook for professional
development. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. ISBN
978087749579.
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