Any time students work in a small group they are separated from the rest of their classmates. With flexible grouping, separation is temporary. Over the course of days, weeks, and months, students come together to work with a wide range of peers in new ways prevented by continuous whole-group work, independent work, or interaction in a static small group. Flexible grouping strengthens rather than threatens classroom camaraderie.

Like adults, children of all ages gravitate toward people who are like them–who share their points of view, have similar experiences and interests, and seem to value the same things. Wanting to stick with friends is normal, and sometimes helpful. But students can also get too comfortable or stuck in a rut working with the same peers day in and day out. Flexible grouping pushes them out of their comfort zones and into interactions with peers they might not otherwise choose or get a chance to learn from.

Teachers’ grouping decisions send powerful messages to students about their roles in and value to the classroom community. When they are put into a group, most students “size up” the learning situation (Who’s in my group? Who’s in that group? What are we doing? What are they doing?).

They are conducting a kind of status check, gathering clues about what the teacher believes about their abilities. Flexible grouping makes it difficult for students to pigeonhole one another (or themselves). Groups are sometimes based on students’ readiness or skill level, but they are interspersed with groupings based on interest, learning preference, experience, etc.
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/use-flexible-grouping-classroom/

Chapter 5: Write two examples of open-ended questions that you could use to self-assess student disposition and knowledge of mathematical concept.

From the classbook, page 99, questions 1 and 2.
1. Write two of the important things you learned in today's class.

2. Which two problems on this activity sheet you find easier? is there one too difficult? why?

This University of Kentuky publication contains many open-ended questions with possible answers for elementary grade levels.

https://www.uky.edu/OtherOrgs/ARSI/www.uky.edu/pub/arsi/openresponsequestions/mathorq.pdf


Chapter 8. Discuss why the concept "less" is more difficult than "more"

The class book states that the concept less probably is more difficult to children because they use it...less times. The "more" is a better word for them in daily life. I clearly agree with it, children always ask for more cereals, more milk, more, more , more. Usually they do not even use less until later years. During the first or four years they may say "I do not want it", it is too much, but very seldom they use the word "less". Also parents very seldom tells them "I am ging to give you less....", or drink less milk", parents usually says "here is more, eat it or drink it"

"Early experiences should focus on determining whether one set of objects is more than, less than or the same as the other set of objects. For example, when children see a plate of 5 apples and a plate of 2 apples, they are able to determine that the plate of 5 apples is more than the plate of 2 apples.  Once the children are able to determine that one set of objects is more/less than or the same as the other set of objects, the learning activities provided could focus on getting children to determine how many more or how many less objects there are.
Conservation "
Numeracy less more
https://www.moe.gov.sg/docs/default-source/document/education/preschool/files/nel-edu-guide-numeracy.pdf

Chapter 9: How do the commutative and associative properties relate to children's understandings

From classsbook, page
"Some children tend to overgeneralize the commutative property to subtraction. Use contextual situations or story problems to help children confront this misconception."
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https://www.google.com/search?biw=1536&bih=669&ei=dRnpWq31A-SHggeVqJQ4&q=misconceptions+of+commutative+law+in+primary+mathematics&oq=misconceptions+of+commutative+law+in+primary+mathematics&gs_l=psy-ab.3...39876.51367.0.53111.20.20.0.0.0.0.372.2700.7j6j4j1.18.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..2.5.473...0j0i7i30k1j0i8i30k1j0i5i30k1j0i8i7i30k1.0.Qw9HgK_rrj4
"The commutative property of addition -  If children accept that order is not important it greatly reduces the number of facts they need to memorise.

It is important to remember that subtraction is the opposite of addition. Unlike addition though, subtraction is not commutative, the order of the numbers really matters. Neither is subtraction associative as the order of the operations matters too."