1. To Share or Not to Share--How Is the Question!
- Author
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Hagen, Pamela A., Hooyberg, Terra, and Marsden, Paul
- Abstract
Can a rich problem-solving task challenge a diverse range of students? How would students across various grade levels, from elementary school to secondary school, respond to the same task? These were the questions five different teachers in different schools wanted to explore in their respective classes, ranging from first grade through ninth grade. To do so, they used the Three-Way Sharing problem which appeared in "Children Are Mathematical Problem Solvers" (Sakshaug, Olson, and Olson 2004). This exercise appeared to be a task that would provide multiple entry points for a breadth of age and ability groupings and would challenge a diverse range of students, including special needs and gifted students. When the five teachers came together to reflect on the Three-Way Sharing problem, two broad themes emerged in their discussion: (1) how the students' work was influenced by external factors; and (2) how concepts were developed and represented through the various grade levels. For the teachers involved in this study, being able to examine and discuss student examples across a grade spread that included elementary, middle school, and high school students was a valuable professional development experience. They encourage this type of collaboration both within individual school districts and across district boundaries. (Contains 5 figures.)
- Published
- 2007