PCMI 2010 SSTP: Reflecting on Teaching Day 3: Using student work to prepare for discourse

Find the handout entitled “Orange Juice Problem” Work through the problem. Then check in with a partner… did you do it the same way? Are there other approaches? What problems might students face in doing this problem?

Two take handout A , Two take handout B, Two take handout C. It’s time to pull off your “student” hats, and put on your “teacher” hats! Look carefully at the solutions provided by two student teams in the handout. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each solution? What misconceptions seem to emerge? Record your observations on a sheet of paper. (10 minutes)

Now, debrief with your table: (10 min) Each pair shares findings with the other members of the table. In ten minutes, all members of the table should : Know the different approaches and misconceptions students brought to the task . Identify the strengths and weaknesses of all six solutions.

Table Discussion: Prepare for a rich classroom discussion about this problem. (15 min) 1) What mathematical ideas are important to surface in your discussion? 2) How would you have students discuss their work? Would you have students present their solutions in any particular order? Justify your decision. 3) What special steps would you take to address misconceptions / errors in student thinking? Record answers to all three on Poster Paper.

Whole group Discussion: 1)Important Mathematical ideas 2) Using Student work: How? Why? 3) Special steps would you take to address misconceptions / errors in student thinking

Wrap up: What did you learn about managing a discussion about student work from this task?

Preparing for Tomorrow We will think a bit more about the different ways to bring student thinking out in the open in a classroom. One example of this is how to use a blackboard. Homework: Read the Makoto Yushida Article about blackboard use. Be prepared to discuss in class tomorrow. Note: We will use our laptops in the second part of class tomorrow, so be sure at least 2-3 of you can access the Internet before class.