Chapters 3-4
Real math should celebrate the process that mathematical mindsets go through as they engage in rich, real-life, meaningful math tasks and not just the end result. When students continue to focus on the right 'answer' in math, they completely miss the thinking that happened before getting to the answer. Is this because, as teachers, we continue to focus on and reward the right answer and are at a loss about what to do with students whose answer is incorrect even though they used some thinking strategies to get to this incorrect answer? As I read this book, I want to apply what I am reading to real classroom contexts and record the change, growth or not, in the way my students are beginning to think about math. I would like to share some strategies I have been trying in class and their impact on student thinking and attitude. My hope is to build a repertoire of strategies from my own experiences and others' blogs or responses that can be used as concrete examples of how we create a growth mindset. It was interesting when Ms. Gelinas mentioned to me the question that was asked in the recent IB test. The question showed two bags of apples and asked, which one is more, 2/3 or 2/5? The interesting part was that students were told that the test did not care about the answer of this question but how students problem-solve.
These are the strategies I tried, to focus on process not product:
1. Students were asked to use the word 'solution' not answer for any math task they were doing. Just a little change in language changed the connotation and expectations associated with the task for many students. The word 'answer' has a connotation that there can be only one right answer but the word solution, for some reason focuses on the problem and the task more than the end result.
2. I assigned a test to the class and told them that they would only be marked on the thinking and communication and can receive an 'A' even if their solution is not correct. This really amazed some of the students. They actually asked me how this was possible. A lot of our students truly believe that if their answer is incorrect, all is lost. Unfortunately we have instilled this feeling in their minds. In this assessment, students were asked to spend all their time in communicating about their thinking and not worry about the solution.
1. Students were asked to use the word 'solution' not answer for any math task they were doing. Just a little change in language changed the connotation and expectations associated with the task for many students. The word 'answer' has a connotation that there can be only one right answer but the word solution, for some reason focuses on the problem and the task more than the end result.
2. I assigned a test to the class and told them that they would only be marked on the thinking and communication and can receive an 'A' even if their solution is not correct. This really amazed some of the students. They actually asked me how this was possible. A lot of our students truly believe that if their answer is incorrect, all is lost. Unfortunately we have instilled this feeling in their minds. In this assessment, students were asked to spend all their time in communicating about their thinking and not worry about the solution.
Great post Monica! You present some really interesting points about students focusing on the right answer. In a recent math network I went to with the 7/8 teachers, one of the speakers said that if we are assessing the students' ability to reason and prove how they got a particular solution then it might be useful to tell them the answer which would take away some of the anxiety about getting the right answer. I think it's a great idea. I have done that in the past where I ask students to decide if they agree or disagree, but I don't do it often enough. W hen I taught grade 5, I would only give students feedback on their assignments and ask what grade they think that should be. Eventually, they valued the comments more than the marks.
ReplyDeleteRear ideas! I will try both of those strategies you mentioned, giving students the answer to the problem and asking them to reason their way to the answer as well as giving feedback and asking them the grade. I do give feedback but I am also giving the grades. I am sure they as well as their parents still think the grades are worth more than the feedback. Your idea of giving them the feedback and asking them to assign themselves a grade will give them a purpose to analyze and evaluate their feedback based on the criteria.
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