Practices that create a
Less effective practices
When students are presented with a
problem solving situation, the teacher:
 Saves time by having one student
solve the problem while other
students watch.
 Begins by modeling for students
how to solve the problems in a
uniform way.
 Provides a list of steps for students
to follow that focus on procedures:
(i.e., circle the numbers, underline
the question, etc.).
 Has students only solve with
numbers.
 Focuses on whether or not each
student got the right answer.
 Skips having student share
strategies or has one student share
his/her solution.
 Leads students to believe that there
is one right way to solve.
 Has 1 or more students share but
does not discuss the strategy.
 Skips the “Open-Response” or open-
ended problems because they are
“harder” or just has the most
advanced students do them.
 Believes that because the students
in his/her school have been “lower
achieving”, we should spare them
from higher level thinking and just
teach procedures.
PROBLEM SOLVING ENVIRONMENT
When students are presented with a problem solving situation, the
teacher NOW:
 Gives all students time to solve the problem.
 Knows that with true problem solving, there will be some
struggle.
 Knows that if the teacher does the modeling and students
copy it, it’s not really problem solving!
 Encourages students to make sense of the problem and
solve it in a variety of ways. Math is supposed to make
sense.
 Helps students focus on the COMPREHENSION of what is
happening in the story situation by asking them to:
o Act out the problem [Story Problem Theater].
o Retell the story in their own words.
o Discuss the type of problem and use situation
diagrams to consider what information is known
and what is unknown.
 Provides students with various materials for solving:
manipulatives, paper or whiteboards, number grids,
number lines, etc.
 Knows that the more ways students have to model their
thinking and the more solution strategies they have, the
stronger their math sense will become.
 Knows that when the sharing of solutions is skipped, up to
50% of the learning is lost!
 Carefully observes the different types of solutions students
are using, and then chooses a few students with different
strategies to explain their thinking.
 Engages students who are listening to a peer’s strategies by
asking them to: re-tell what they heard in their own
words, reflect on how strategies are the same or different,
pose questions of their peers.
 Celebrates students using a variety of methods to find
solutions.
 Asks probing questions.
 Validates that there are many ways to arrive at a solution.
 Has all students complete these problems.
 Provides enough scaffolding when introducing the problem
to help students comprehend the problem.
 Supports students by posing questions when they get
stuck.
 Believes that it is exactly these types of higher level
thinking opportunities that will raise achievement for
students.
 Believes that all students deserve the opportunity to learn
math at high levels.