I chose to enact my teaching experiment, “Pass the Problem”, as a review to conclude our unit on linear and inverse variation. This task seemed particularly well suited to a review activity for several reasons. First, I have observed that these students seem to have a reasonably good understanding of linear and inverse variation, but are often inclined to confuse the two, attempting to write a linear equation for inverse variation or vice versa. The students have demonstrated that they can successfully work with either when used in an isolated context, but this confusion seems to arise when the students are looking at both types of relationships in close succession. As such, the two- question structure of this activity enabled me to have students engaging in both types of problems in quick succession. Second, the activity can be completed individually or in pairs, which gave me flexibility with how many students were in attendance, while also giving the vast majority (all but either one or two, depending on the hour) a partner with whom they could discuss ideas and process how to work through the task. Third, the structure of a “Pass the Problem” task requires that students interpret the work of other students and analyze how to proceed from where the others had left off. As a result, the cognitive demand of the task is raised, helping students to build connections between different strategies and advance their understanding of the mathematical concepts.
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Teaching ExperimentsExperimental lessons used to assess students' mathematical understanding and make instructional decisions. Archives
March 2016
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