Julie Grinwis Research Ideas by Julie Grinwis

Logistics

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 13:13:16 UTC

- What prior instruction have students received in problem solving?

- How will I build on this prior instruction?

- How will this unit fit into our already filled curriculum?

- Will I make this unit alone or will I collaborate with Mike (co-worker)?

- How long will the problem solving unit be?

- What will the time frame be?

Things to Consider

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 13:13:50 UTC

Data Gathering

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 13:17:32 UTC

- Who will the control group be? Will there be one? Can I use last year's students as a control group?

- What will the data look like? Qualitative vs. Quantitative? (both would be best)

- Survey, Pre-Assessment/Post-Assessment, marking period grades, Observations of Perseverance (Field Notes), Past Math Grades

Unit Layout

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 13:25:30 UTC

When to teach it?

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 13:25:48 UTC

- Not taught like a traditional unit.

- While teaching other units (functions, linears, quadratics, etc) this unit will be interspersed.

- Taught whenever there is "extra time" in an hour (after an Objective test - these are once a week) or when the Learning Target is really short and does not take the whole hour, etc.)

***Will this take to long for this class?

What will the unit look like?

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 13:37:16 UTC

Students will have guided notes that will be added to their binders.

The notes will contain different problem solving strategies that we will work through together.

Students will receive smaller problems to solve using these strategies in warm-ups. These will offer guided practice/individual practice opportunities.

Students will receive bigger problems to solve using these strategies, and these problems will relate directly to our first semester content (functions, linears, quadratics). This will reinforce both problem solving as well as our actual Algebra 1 content.

Unit Resources

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 13:41:16 UTC

I will create the notes.

Use EMATHS for bigger problems (Macomb Intermediate School District, 2014).

I will create warm-ups for smaller problems.

Padlet Resources

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 14:29:59 UTC

Macomb Intermediate School District. (2014) EMATHS: A Formula for Success. Retrieved from http://emathsmi.com/resources.php

Tentative Notes I created for Problem Solving Unit

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 16:48:25 UTC

jgrinwis — 2015-07-06 17:34:22 UTC

Scholarly Articles of Interest

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 18:11:08 UTC

Sowing Seeds of Hope

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 18:11:34 UTC

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/jun15/vol72/num09/Sowing-Seeds-of-Hope.aspx

This article discusses the importance of hope for combating a sense of learned helplessness in at risk students. It explains how hope and optimism are key factors in motivating students and helping them persevere.

The Case for the Missing R

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 18:28:55 UTC

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/jun15/vol72/num09/The-Case-for-the-Missing-R.aspx

The author argues that in addition to rigor, relevance, and relationships, shared responsibility is an important element that empowers students to engage and become active participants in their education. This, in turn, increases their academic achievement.

The Role of Problem Solving in High School Mathematics

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 18:45:08 UTC

http://assets.pearsonschool.com/asset_mgr/current/201033/ProblemSolvingResearch.pdf

This article describes the importance of teaching new concepts through problem solving instead of teaching for problem solving. In order to ensure that students have a deep understanding of the content, we foster the students' thinking and reasoning skills so that they can solve problems in new contexts. This is the heart of problem solving.

Fostering Motivation and Perseverance

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 18:49:52 UTC

Importance of Problem Solving

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 18:50:28 UTC

Things to Consider when Teaching Problem Solving

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 19:09:37 UTC

Mathematical Conversations to Transform Algebra Class

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 19:10:48 UTC

http://www.nctm.org/Publications/Mathematics-Teacher/2015/Vol108/Issue9/mt2015-05-656a/

This article provides three conversation topics that should be addressed in order to create a more inclusive classroom. These conversations will help students communicate with each other more effectively and open the door to students that would not normally participate in the problem solving process.

Problem-Solving Time

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 19:22:44 UTC

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/nov07/vol65/num03/Problem-Solving_Time.aspx

In this article, the importance of explicitly teaching and emphasizing problem-solving is described. In order to be successful, students must be coached through the process and know the expectations (possibly using rubrics). When this is in place, students are able to become more successful problem solvers.

Assessing Creativity

jgrinwis — 2015-07-09 19:47:13 UTC

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb13/vol70/num05/Assessing-Creativity.aspx

In this article, the author proposes that if we only assess students on the correctness of their work or on their ability to meet assignment requirements, we are missing an opportunity to give feedback on an important aspect of their work. Creating an atmosphere where creativity is acknowledged and valued is important for a student's level of motivation and self-confidence because it sends the message that the process is valuable, and even if their answer is incorrect, they can learn from the process and think of new ways to solve a problem.

Assessing Pupil Progress (APP) and NRICH Resources

jgrinwis — 2015-07-10 00:31:04 UTC

http://nrich.maths.org/6834

This article asserts that problem solving is a separate skill to be taught outside of content knowledge because it requires overarching skills and ideas about oneself as a learner such as confidence, resilience, and creativity. It further

Even Geniuses Work Hard

jgrinwis — 2015-07-10 16:54:25 UTC

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Even-Geniuses-Work-Hard.aspx

This article explores the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. From there, the author describes the affects that each can have on a student's success and ways that teachers can foster a growth mindset in students.

Preparing Creative and Critical Thinkers

jgrinwis — 2015-07-10 17:07:40 UTC

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/summer08/vol65/num09/Preparing-Creative-and-Critical-Thinkers.aspx#treffinger2

This article describes the relationship between creative and critical thinkers, and discusses why both are a crucial part of problem solving effectively. It then describes tools what can be used in the classroom in order to teach students to be both creative and critical thinkers.

Energizing Learning

jgrinwis — 2015-07-10 18:05:00 UTC

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb08/vol65/num05/Energizing-Learning.aspx

In this article, the author describes the importance of teaching students how to make important decisions and then to think about their process in order to extend it to other similar problems.