Jeremy Combs EDUC 6607

Module 6: Scaffold 3
Week 3 Results:
This week, we began by reviewing Polya’s method for problem solving. We reviewed
the previous week’s assignment, and I showed some student samples on the board.
We discussed which parts of Polya’s method were done well, and which could be
improved upon. Since planning was the step that needed the most improvement, I
taught a mini lesson on what steps should be done as part of “planning.” I then gave
them a follow-up assignment to practice translating verbal sentences into mathematical
equations, so we could focus specifically on that skill.
Our group met on Friday, March 5th to discuss progress and what scaffolds we will be
choosing next. Based on the results of this week’s activity, my students have
demonstrated mastery of understanding, planning, and solving. Where they are
struggling, continues to be with checking their work. Several students reported incorrect
answers, and had they checked their work, they would have seen it and gone back and
reworked their problem. This will be the focus of next week’s scaffold.
Scaffold 3:
The first scaffold I used this week was to interest the students in the task. Since the
problems were brain teasers, the students enjoyed the effort it took to figure them out
and the satisfaction they felt from getting them correct. Second, by showing student
work and discussing what went well and what needed to be improved, I not only
demonstrated an idealized version of the act to be performed, but I also showed the
discrepancies between what the students produced and the ideal solution. Finally, I
controlled frustration and risk by constantly circling the room during the task. If it looked
like a student had reached a standstill with a particular problem, I asked some open-
ended questions to help spur some new thinking.