Miaa 320 Question Analysis

Question Analysis, Design, and Implementation
By Caroline Butler

Essential questions for the entire math curriculum:
1. What do effective problem solvers do to be successful?
2. What can I do to increase the number of problems solved correctly before I turn
in my work?
3. How can my understanding of mathematical language help me to interpret the
directions and questions correctly?

Summary
These are essential questions that apply to students at all levels of
mathematical proficiency. It is expected that older students will have the skills of
the younger students so they will not be repeatedly listed through grade spans.
Question one is perhaps the most important question for students to
examine because it reveals the procedures that lead to successful problem solving.
It asks them to think about what they are going to do before they begin. At the K-3
grade span this will include things like reading the directions, looking for numbers,
and explaining why their answer makes sense. At the 4-7 grade span students will
be able to not just read the directions, but also explain what they mean. They will be
able to identify a greater range of numerical expressions (mixed numbers, decimals,
quotients with remainders, etc.) and defend the procedures they chose to solve a
problem with a higher level of mathematical vocabulary. When we get to the level of
Algebra this question can be posed directly to the students to make them identify
what they do, and recognize things that others do, to improve understanding and
therefore increase accuracy. It also helps them accept the idea that most people
dont magically get it when doing math; actually, most people must learn the
different processes of thinking about and analyzing numerical information from
teachers (parents and peers included) or experience.
The second question will seem easy to answer but will be difficult to perform
for most students. Discussing this question with students of any grade level should
lead to answers like: double-check your work, look at the example and then look to
see if your work is similar, look at the question and think about whether your
answer makes sense. I would hope this kind of discussion would help children to
develop an awareness of how much control they have over their own success. The
challenge is not whether the students are capable of editing their numerical work, it
is actually getting children (who like to move at the speed of light) to take the time
to do it. Primary-aged students should be thinking about what operation they used
and if that means their answer should be more or less than what they started with.
Intermediate students should be checking to see whether they followed all the steps
in the solution procedure, if their answers are logical and presented in the expected
form. Algebra students should be able to explain why and how their answers
actually answer the question according to the directions. They should know a
process that can be used to confirm their answer. It may be necessary to perform
this double check step with a partner at all ages so that they do not have the
option of skipping it. I believe that this step, if done frequently in a positive
environment, may have a direct correlation with mathematical comprehension at all
grade levels.
When we fail to use correct and adequate mathematical vocabulary we make
all of our students second-language learners. We need lessons filled with
mathematical vocabulary at all grade levels so that students learn the language to be
able to understand and explain the operations they are performing. In the K-3 grade
span students would be able to identify the operation they are using and explain
why. They would be able to identify the numbers and symbols in an equation. In
the 4-7 grade span they would be able to explain the operations and properties they
are using, the connections they make between concepts, and the different processes
they might use to solve a problem. Students at the algebra level would be able to
use their vocabulary to confirm their approach to a problem, explain their solution
process, and present the answer in the appropriate form. Being able to
communicate ideas and understanding effectively is what knowing-the-language can
do for students of all ages.

Essential questions for Topic 6-Mental Addition:
1. How does my knowledge of place value to help me to add large numbers?
2. How does my understanding of multiple representations of numbers (expanded
form, word form, standard form, graphs, pictures) help me to add large numbers?
3. How does my knowledge of a hundred chart help me to add large numbers?
4. How does my understanding of even and odd numbers help me to check my
answers?

Summary
When students understand how place value works in a pattern they can use
that to help them set up a problem correctly, and to anticipate what their answer
may look like. An example of this would be learning to line up the ones and tens
places vertically when you add, or understanding that when you add a one-digit
number and a two-digit number you will get a 2 or 3 digit number for your answer.
This may connect across grade spans as students advance to larger and larger
numbers used in computation.
Being able understand multiple representations of a number helps children
to identify different methods by which they can combine amounts of things. It might
look like students writing numbers in expanded form, combining the ones, tens, and
hundreds separately, and finally writing the sum in standard form. This concept
should connect across grade spans by providing the foundation of number sense
that applies to all mathematical concepts.
It is important for primary students to understand the structure of the
hundred chart as ten rows of ten. It allows them to add large numbers by moving
down the chart by rows instead of one by one. It allows them to connect isolated
math facts into patterns and connect base-ten concepts. This may not be as
important a tool for older students.
Beginning math students need to have a solid understanding of even
and odd numbers because these patterns connect to all other mathematical
patterns. It also is a method for them to use to check their answers for accuracy.
Two even numbers add to form an even number, two odd numbers add to form an
even number. The only way to get an odd numbered sum is to add an odd and even
number. This is a basic skill that can lead to greater mathematical comprehension.

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Question Analysis, Design, and Implementation

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