Beyond One Right Answer

In this month’s Ed Leadership there is an article on questioning and mathematics. The author, Marian Small says that one way K-12 math teachers can effectively differentiate instruction is through the questions they ask and engagement in meaningful activities. Both of these items were explored by SURN project staff, teachers, and administrators last fall. So consider what else can be gleaned from the article. The author focuses on open questions and parallel tasks.

Open questions are purposefully broad so that multiple student responses are appropriate given the students’ level and multiple perspectives are gathered on the same concept. This encourages more math sharing than single rapid fire responses. For example, if the perimeter fence of the skate park is 160 feet, what is the area of the town’s skate park? Student A could say 1600 square feet since the sides are each 40-feet long. Student B may say 1200 square feet because the length is 60 and the width is 20 feet. Student C might say…you get the picture. Then a discussion could ensue about the relationship of the width and length making up the perimeter on the area within.

Parallel tasks have students working on the same concept at different levels of difficulty. A teacher may have common questions for all students to answer and a student choice option between simple and complex problems. The author provides examples for what good questions may be at grades 1, 4, 8, and 11 (p. 32) to support the reader in applying her research to their practice.

CITATION: Small, M. (2010). Beyond one right answer. Ed Leadership, 68(1), 28-32.

You can read the article online