Problem Solving

Great article.... and the others in this issue look interesting as well. 

As an undergrad, I worked as a math tutor at USM. Invariably, I had more customers during the time when the  "Word Problems" chapters were being covered than at any other time of the semester. I did not use a KWL chart with my students, however I did develop the habit of probing their thinking with questions. The difference between Hyde's technique and mine is that I urged students to read the entire word problem several times before beginning to work things out. I wanted them to recognize the importance of understanding the problem and the task before doing any of the ciphering. 

The questions we used were similar to Hyde's: What are you being asked to find? What do you know from reading the problem? What do you think you should try (operation, diagram, table, acting out, etc.)? 

I had students first identify the purpose, because, as they then identified the givens in a problem, they could begin to make a plan of how to use the information. Maybe it was because the texts often would start the problem with the task for the student, then follow with the information useful (and not useful) for finding the solution that this worked well. Probably, also, it worked because my students were all at least 18 years old... and had some prior knowledge about solving problems. Anyway, that was the technique I used with college students.

In my fourth and fifth grade classrooms, I have continued using the questioning techniques, (modified a bit, of course) and though this practice has been somewhat successful, I am now anxious to see if there would be any difference for my students if I incorporated the slower introduction of the sentences of the problem until they built that habit into their own repertoire.

There is always a great deal of dialogue in my math classes, however, I can see where having students take more time to make connections, explore all the language in a problem, and share their insights/experiences about certain words or concepts, would have a positive effect. I am expecting we'll see some additional side benefits too, such as developing a stronger sense of community and trust, expanding vocabulary, and practicing reading and thinking skills.

I can't wait to try this.