STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS

Student Thinking Analysis

Courtney Boettger MIAA 340 Veronica Tigert January 21, 2014

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS Abstract This paper relates my own findings while questioning students to the reading Determine What Children Know: Dynamic vs. Static Assessment from the book Models of Intervention in Mathematics: Reweaving the Tapestry by Catherine Twomey Fosnot. I

explore what I uncovered in my own student questioning and how that relates to Fosnots book. I take a deeper look into how to facilitate dynamic questioning across the grade spans.

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS Student Thinking Analysis After reading the excerpt Determine What Children Know: Dynamic vs. Static Assessment from the book Models of Intervention in Mathematics: Reweaving the

Tapestry by Catherine Twomey Fosnot, I found myself wondering if my questioning as a teacher was leading or misleading my teaching. As a teacher, I feel that I ask a lot of questions, in fact, maybe too many. My questioning needs to develop into ones that will bring out student thinking and to then support development (Fosnot, 2010, p. 46) and I need to know what to celebrate (because it is a landmark step forward) and how to challenge students to support further development (Fosnot, 2010, p. 46). I hope that through my reflective thinking, I can better learn how to create dynamic assessment. I feel that my strength of dynamic questioning comes from my 8th grade transcription. In this session, I worked with an individual on her Algebra 1 homework assignment that focused on direct variation. Since I taught this subject last year, I felt fairly confident in my questions. I started off the questions slow, going back to the basics of algebra and finding patterns. (Patterns are important people, from Kindergarten to Calculus!) The questioning began by looking at patterns and guiding the answers to reveal direct variation without simply giving a definition and a formula. I could tell the student was struggling because when I first asked her what she was working on, she simply said chapter 5, no topic. As our conversation grew, I began to see what the student knew. I immediately started thinking about a situation from our reading and how the teacher found students strengths to build their self confidence but also find entry points to help them build understanding (Fosnot, 2010, p. 46). I felt like I was able to question to find out what the

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS student understood as well as help guide through questions to help her understand the concepts. For example, I asked her about relationship with the two numbers and when I was given a relationship that did not relate to direct variation, I gave her another set of numbers to help her see that her addition relationship was not what we were looking for. She was then able to see that direct variation is the relationship of a constant being multiplied by x to get y. Finally, when she was having trouble with another set, I reviled that direct variation can be found by doing y/x but I used questioning to have her reveal this on her own. I knew she has a strong understanding of how numbers work within multiplication and division. I was confident that she could see that 10 divided by 2 is the inverse operation of 5 times 2. This helped her discover the formula of direct variation. In my work with the 4-7 grade span, I worked with a high leveled mathematics student from the 5th grade. The students had been working on a project where they designed t-shirts, collected survey data, and then applied the information to pricing their shirts. I worked with this student because I noticed that he was pricing his shirts

differently than other students. I had a suspicion that he missed some of the directions so I took upon the opportunity to question. By conferring one on one I was able to unveil Fosnots point that Children do not always speak about what they do not know. They have worked hard to solve a problem and their answer makes sense to them. They may be unaware that their answer is incorrect of that there is something they do not understand (2010, p. 57) This was clear with the student I was working with. He had priced his t-shirts how he thought was correct but through my questioning, I was able have him reflect and change

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS his pricing. Although, in this problem there is no right or wrong answer, he was able to give me stronger reasoning once certain limitations were presented. Before I began to question, it did not appear in his reasoning that he had considered other information that might change his thinking. This was an eye opening process to see how one on one time

can influence students to see what they might need to know to better answer the question. Finally, in my K-3 grade span, I felt like I was asking many static questions. Although I was working with a high 3rd grade mathlete I felt like my questions were too guiding and gave up the answers fairly quickly. They were reveilig what the student didnt know instead of what they did know. In this task, the student was working with compasses to create snowmen with specific radii. The student was not familiar with the terms but my questioning quickly reviled the answers. I feel that because I had a lack of a clear idea of the developmental pathways on the landscape and the mathematical goals of the activity (Fosnot, 2010, p. 46) my questioning was not as strong. I look back and wish I had a rewind button so I could have had better conversation with the student. If I could go back and do it again, I would have developed questions that would have led more insight to what the student already knows. I do not feel very confident with my questioning for the younger students since I have never taught below 5th grade. I feel that my best questioning occurred during the 8th grade work because the content was deeper. I really struggled with asking questions in the younger grades that did not prompt the correct answer. In the end, I found that using static assessment on myself though this assignment, I was able to figure out what I dont know so that I can better see how to create dynamic assessment. A goal I am setting for myself is it journal and document more of my students work. Often times we only keep tests, where other

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS work along the way can highlight each landmark as children reach them, producing a trail of the development (Fosnot, 2012, p. 68). In conclusion, I feel like Fosnot sends a

powerful message when she says Teachers and students can take many paths toward the horizon (2010, p. 68). As long as teachers can see the journey with their students, any mathematical development is possible.

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS References Fosnot, C. T. (2010). Models of intervention in mathematics: reweaving the tapestry. New York: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS

Transcription K-3rd: Teacher: Can you tell me what this is? (holding compass) Student: No Teacher: Play around with it and see if you can make a prediction Student: I think it makes circles Teacher: nicely done, yes it makes circles. It is called a compass. Today we are going to make a snowman using the compass. Teacher: The directions say to make the base circle have a 5 cm radius, middle 4 cm radius and head 3 cm radius. Student: What is a radius? Teacher: Well take a look at this circle I am going to draw. What ways could we measure it? Student: uses ruler. I am noticing that across the circle is 10 cm. Can I see the compass?.... the length of the compass that you just used is 5 cm so radius must mean the length of the compass. Teacher: I like you thinking. Can you describe the relation ship of the 5 cm of the compass to the 10 cm across? Student: Well 5 cm is half of 10 so maybe the radius is from the middle of the circle to the end. Teacher: Very nice. Yes, from the middle to the edge of the circle is call the radius which is half of the diameter. Student: student works. I am having trouble lining up my circles, the snowman isnt connecting. Teacher: can you position the compass somewhere else? Student: Well, the pencil is on one side so may I should line up the pencil with the last circle. Hey I got it! Transcription 4th-7th: Teacher: Tell me about how you are pricing your t-shirts Student: Well I am making my swirls shirt 20 dollars, my dot t-shirt 10 dollars and my stripes t-shirt 5 dollars. Teacher: How did you decide on these prices? Student: Well, based on my data, the swirls t-shirt got the most votes for people choosing to buy it first. Dot got the most for bought second and stripes got the last pick the most often. Teacher: Is there any thing else we can look at from the data? Student: Well. I could look at how many people voted certain ways. Teacher: Can you give me an example? Student: Well 7 people said they would buy the dot shirt second and 6 people said they would buy the stripes shirt second. Teacher: does that different support your pricing?

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS

Student: Now that I think about it I should probably price the dots and stripes shirt the same since there is only a 1 person difference in the voting. I dont think that is a big enough difference to have pricing different. Sounds risky. Teacher: Now, I told you that shirts can be priced $5, $10, $15, and $20. What is some other information that would help you more accurately price your shirts? Student: Well how many shirts can they buy? Or how much money do they have? Teacher: ok. What if I told you that the buyers only have 20 dollars. How would this change your thinking? Student: IF they only get $20 then my swirls shirt is way to high. I think people are going to want to buy as many shirts as they can, not just one. I am going to change my prices now. I think my swirls shirts should be $15 and I will make both the dots and stripes $5. That way I have the potential of one person buying two shirts. Teacher: I am learning a lot from your thinking. Thank you.

Transcription 8th: Teacher: What are we looking at when we discuss this problem? Student: how we change the numbers? Teacher: Yes, we are looking at how these two numbers relate. Lets look at this problem. Student: (2,10) Well we could add 8. 2 + 8 = 10 Teacher: Ok, if that is true would (3, 15) work? Student: Well no because 3 + 8 = 11 Teacher: Can you think of some other relationship? Student: (thinks and plays with numbers) Oh, 2 times 5 = 10 and 3 times 5 equals 15. Teacher: Can you put this is broader math terms? Student: Multiply the first number to get the second number Teacher: Does this relate to algebra? Student: um. Im not sure Teacher: how about this algebraic equation, what does this say to you? (shows y = 5x) Student: y, equals 5 times, x Teacher: Can you define y and x as something else? Student: 5 times a number give you y, a different number. Teacher: Can you explain to me what changes in y = 5x Student: Well, x and y are different numbers but in this situation, they are always multiplied by 5. Teacher: What do we call something that never changes in math Student: a constant Teacher: so if we have discovered the constant of how to variables are related, what did we just find? Student: We found the direct variation. Teacher: Great. Can you play around with the ordered pairs of (2,10) and (3,15) to see if there is another way to find the direct variation? Student: After working I can divide y by x to get the direct variation.

STUDENT THINKING ANALYSIS

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.continued on with next problem. Teacher: It seems like you are stuck on (1.5, 6) Student: Yes, I cant figure out what to multiply 1.5 with to get 6. I am going to try dividing. (student divides 6/1.5) oh, its 4. Teacher: Correct. What if I said 1.5 times 2 is 3. Would that help you more quickly find the answer. Student: Yes, since 3 is half way to 6, it must take 4 times 1.5 to equal six since 1.5 times 2 is 3. Teacher: Very nice. Teacher: What are we looking at when we discuss this? Student: how we change the numbers? Teacher: Yes, we are looking at how two variables relate and the constant ratio. This is how we have direct variation.