Mathematically Powerful Task Design Anne Watson & John Mason Matematikbiennalen 2008 Stockholm

Teaching context All learners generalise all the time It is the teacher’s role to organise learners’ experience It is the learners’ role to make (mathematical) sense of their experience

What do you know about …? 143 Factors Place value … 1.43 Position on numberline Approximation … Take two sub-domains that are often seen as separate; Choose an object in one which with the slightest of alterations becomes an object in the other; Thereby prompt richer connections between the subdomains

Find a number half way between: 28 and and and and and and.0064 Provide a context in which ‘questions’ vary a little, but suitable methods may vary a lot

Reflective questions What generalisations are available to be made? What expectations (conjectures) and surprises are possible? What conceptual understandings might be induced?

Find a number half way between: 28 and 34 and Seems like the previous type of task, but this time the teaching intention is to reject limited methods and ‘need’ for a general method

Reflective questions What generalisations are available? What habits might be developed (practised)? What extensions of experience might be induced?

Construct a … … pair of straight lines whose x-intercepts differ by 2 … pair of straight lines whose y-intercepts differ by 2 … pair of straight lines whose slopes differ by 2 … pair of straight lines satisfying all of the above! Ask learners to construct an object according to constraints, chosen to encourage them to focus on particular aspects of the object

Reflective questions What generalisations are available? What habits might be developed (practised)? What concepts might be thought about?

Variation theory (Marton) What variables are controlled? What variables are allowed to vary? How do they vary? What can be perceived? What do we see as being the same and being different? If all varies, little can be perceived beyond the immediate If all is the same, attention is drawn nowhere

An Interpretation of Variation Theory 4 pens plus 5 pencils cost £ pens plus 2 pencils cost £ oranges plus 3 apples cost £ oranges plus 1 apple cost £ stamps plus 5 envelopes cost £ stamps plus 4 envelopes cost £3.60

An Interpretation of Variation Theory 4 pens plus 5 pencils cost £ pens plus 1 pencil cost £ pens plus 5 pencils cost £ pens plus 2 pencils cost £2.00 Start from questions which are easy to solve using ad hoc methods, then vary in controlled ways so learners can adapt their methods to develop more general methods, and to understand conventional methods

Reflective questions What generalisations are available? What habits might be developed (practised)? What concepts might be thought about?

14 More Or Less Altitude & Area Draw a scalene triangle moresameless more same less are a altitude Same alt more area more alt same area more alt more area less alt more area less alt less area more alt less area same alt less area less alt same area

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New Summary of task design questions What varies? What is invariant? What generalisations are available to be made? What generalisations are prerequisites of the experience? What expectations (conjectures) and surprises are likely? What habits might be developed (practised)? What conceptual understandings might be induced?

Watson & Mason (1998): Questions and prompts for mathematical thinking. (ATM: Derby) Bills, Bills, Watson & Mason (2004): Thinkers. (ATM: Derby) Watson & Mason (2005): Mathematics as a constructive activity. (Erlbaum: Mahwah,NJ)