12 ◆ Real Stories, Deep Understanding
are guilty of overscaffolding. Don’t overscaffold. Let your students think.
Let them wrestle with the problem. Let them figure out that they can
figure it out!
Key Points
- Daily Practice
- Guided Math Groups
- Math Workstations
- Process:
Visualize
Summarize
Make a Plan
Solve One Way
Check Another
Double-Double-Check
Explain - Templates
Summary
Problem solving is about helping students to see how math is part of our
everyday lives. The goal is to foster flexibility, competence and confidence.
Since the process is involved, problems should be initially scaffolded with
templates that are eventually internalized so that students can organize
their thinking. Problem solving should be done throughout the workshop
from routines, through guided math lessons and in math workstations.
Teachers should use questions as powerful tools to scaffold student work
around problem solving.
Reflection Questions
- Do you teach real-life problems or problems that students
actually live? - Do you do problem-solving daily with an emphasis on building
the habit of mind rather than on getting the answer? - Do you use templates to scaffold the process?
- What is your big takeaway from this chapter? What one thing in
your teaching will you start or expand?