It was now time for me to present a perplexity problem to my entire class. Having worked with a small group of similar math ability, I knew that it was important to use the feedback and observations that I noticed to make this question accessible to all.
I presented the 3 part problem Sharing a Pancake to the class and, once again, there was a buzz of excitement about a having a new way to look at math problems. This year in grade 3, my colleagues and I have been focusing on word problems and encouraging the students to use a variety of ways to express their mathematical thinking. Because of this, when presented with any type of problem solving question, I have noticed an increased willingness to try the problems presented and a marked improvement in how they are expressing their thinking using words, charts, diagram and number sentences.
After my experience with the first problem that I presented to the small group, I decided for this example, not to use the estimate (on, high and low) to make the first class problem as accessible as possible. After watching the video, the students were full of questions and then, when the were ready to work, they were all so engaged on working on the problem. It was incredible to see them motivated and interesting to note that they all chose to work by themselves to solve the problem.
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Looking around the room, I could see the various strategies that the students were using. It was fantastic to watch third graders able to show their thinking in a variety of ways and when we came to the solution, the students were eager to share their ideas. I feel that it’s important that all students have the chance to share their thinking with others but realize that they are not always comfortable to do this in a whole class setting. By offering the students an opportunity to share in their table groups, I find that that they then have more confidence to share as a whole class. I think that I had more students ready to share their answers with the class than I ever had before.
Once again, after the perplexity problem, I asked the students for their feedback on what they liked and the problem and what the would like to change. You can read their feedback here. What continues to stand out for me is the need for differentiation in the classroom. Although, I didn’t direct the students they had to work on their own, that’s what they chose to do. For the next problem, I will let them know that they are welcome to work with another person or group. The choice often helps students at various levels. I am hoping that as we continue with these problems (the goal is to keep them going once a week) that I will be able to under direct the students and they will feel comfortable working in a style that suits them best.