Stage 4 Math Reflection

     Reflecting upon Stage 4's lecture slides, in-class and online activities, I determined that to make my math teaching effective, it is important for me to provide students with rich tasks to develop concepts and encourage flexibility with numbers.  I appreciated the handout of rich task criteria features; should be engaging and grounded in problem-solving, have a meaningful mathematical focus, provide opportunities for connections to life experiences and for the use of multiple forms of representation, allow for differentiation and support positive attitudes.  Looking at the all the attributes of rich tasks (Slide 3) makes me believe in this powerful quote by Pigott (2011). 

Retrieved from Slide 3 of Lecture 4, September 28, 2017

     It is so true that I have to put a lot of thought into my tasks and instruction so that I can make mathematics make sense to students and capture their interest.  Consider the first and second rich tasks within class; Which One Doesn't Belong (WODB)? and the Finger Counting Problem.

Retrieved from Which One Doesn't Belong, September 30, 2017

Photo taken by myself September 28, 2017

     I have seen both of these tasks introduced and practiced as a pre-activity in my placement and at an elementary school that I volunteered.  I like how the tasks have the potential to spark math talk, curiosity, critical thinking and mathematical "play" and allows for students to make connections among strategies and patterns.  This activity permits students to be engaged in math without realizing that they are doing math.  My favourite feature of (WODB) was that the questions are open-ended and all answers are right.  I think it encourages the freedom of expression (reasoning, conversation) that many students do not always experience in math.  There were plenty of opportunities for creativity in this task activity because it can be used when teaching geometry, shapes, 3D shapes, number sets, graphs and patterning.  I could do something similar with language and apply the task to any grade level in both subjects.  After initial responses, I would encourage students to work on their mathematical flexibility and find multiple responses.  More importantly, I would give students space and time to determine their different solutions and act on number flexibility.

     This brings me to my last point that I want to highlight, the value of mathematical flexibility, another strategy for success.  As a teacher, I must provide students with opportunities to build this flexibility.  After watching one of the videos, Dr. Boaler emphasized that those who are successful in math interact with numbers flexibly.  Upon further investigation, it was evident that it can help students solve problems and understand that there is more than one way to do this.  Flexibility helps with the comprehension of abstract math concepts.  How will I demonstrate and communicate to my learners about number flexibility?  It was suggested that one builds a culture of sharing and reflection in the classroom, encourage students to use different strategies and then analyze other students' problem solving methods.  Bringing attention to concrete, representational and abstract ways of problem solving work for me personally.  I am hoping that when I show my students a method, they can apply flexibility and show me what they know using more than my method. 

Boucher, D. (2015). Flexibility with place value. Retrieved from http://www.mathcoachscorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Flexibility-with-PV-650x276.jpg


Hope everyone enjoys their flex week!
Until next time.