As I was reading this chapter, I reflected on the math tasks I provide to my students and wondered if they met the criteria of a rich task as provided by Jo Boaler. Another question that came into my head is, what do students think a rich, engaging task is. Is it enough for teachers of math to know the criteria of a rich, engaging task? Shouldn't students opinions about a task matter? If we want a growth mindset in the math classroom, the criteria for an engaging task should come from the students. If students create criteria for what an engaging task in math is, then they can easily start any math task, they think is engaging, with a positive mind, ready for struggle, arguments, multiple perspectives and approaches.
This was our math lesson today:
This was our math lesson today:
We listed some math tasks we have already worked on that we found engaging. Yes, Ms. Powell, a lot of my students thought that the Chocolongo Bar problem was an engaging task!
Next we worked on the following engaging task from the book.
As students worked on the task, I asked them to think about two things: Is this task engaging? If yes, why? I walked around and started recording some math talk.
Then, in groups students created criteria for what makes a math task engaging.
We started to look for similarities we looked for similarities and co-created criteria as a class
Now compare what students came up with, with Jo Boaler's criteria...there are marked similarities.
it is imperative to know what students think is engaging. After all they are the ones who have to be engaged in the task and it is their engagement that would lead to a positive learning experience. This activity was also a good exercise in metacognition. Students had to think about their thinking.
Engaging math task is important at all ages but lately I've been noticing how much more it is needed at the older grade levels. Students need to see the relevance, the purpose, and the real life applications. The grade 7/8 math class I was in on Friday were design three containers to store the scrap wood from the S.T.A.C room. They had to essentially apply their knowledge and understanding of volume, surface area, and a few other concepts to address a real-life problem. They also had to justify and prove why one design would be a better choice than the other. Student were completely engaged in the task and were confident to share their ideas and strategies.
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