Authentic Problem Solving

Professional Development January 23rd, 2012

James Ro and Jackie Price

Warm Up Activity

On your desk is a worksheet. In your groups, determine the answer using either pictures, manipulatives, and/or charts to come up with answer for each scenario.

Discussion on Warm Up

What did you come up with?Why is it important for students to

discover different ways of solving a given problem?

Process

The Process

UNDERSTAND PLANTRYASSESS

……..

Teacher: “How did you get your answer?”Student: “I don’t know. Is it right?”Teacher: “No. But I want you to explain to

me how you thought through the problem.”Student: “I don’t know. I just did it. Is it 4?”Teacher: “No, how about you –”Student: “-4?”Teacher shakes head…Student: “5! -5?”

Process

Note: It’s easy to focus on end results, but the key is the process and method of problem solving

HOW????WHY????

Aiding the Process

UNDERSTAND Analogies Vocabulary Real-World examples they can relate to Manipulatives that help model the situationPLAN Modeling relevant and irrelevant questions Using simpler patterns How to research (Questions) Creating a product based off constraintsASSESS Open-ended results that require a defense of their answer Multiple pathways to the same answer that are MODELED Does it make sense???

The Task

Characteristics of Tasks to provoke problem solving!

Related to foodImpossible scenariosRandom and adventurousStudent-created workVirtual TripsIncludes teachers/studentsSomething that’s “in” with the crowdRole-playing

Examples of Real Life Applications

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Data Analysis

Data Analysis Worksheet

Cupcake Activity

Linear Worksheet for Cupcake Activity

American Road Trip

American Road Trip

American Road Trip

American Road Trip Proportion Worksheet

Mall Trip Activity

Percents Activity Female Trip

Percents Activity Male Trip

Exploring Inequalities

Exploring Inequalities Guided Notes

Building a Café

Mario Bros Painting charges their customers by the area in square feet.They charge $36 for 90 sq. ft.

Bowsers Wows You charges their customers by labor time.They charge $265 per hour, and claim that they can paint 233 sq. ft. in 20 minutes.

YOU NEED A TOTAL of 2,340 SQ. FT. PAINTED….WHICH PAINTING COMPANY WOULD YOU HIRE? And HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

Agent Ro

As the dogs are chasing him, AGENT Ro is running towards a wall inside enemy territory.

Using his super-precise eyesight, AGENT Ro calculates that the wall is 8 ft high. If AGENT Ro plans to jump at an angle of elevation of 73 degrees, how far should he be from the wall in order to do this?

Ideas for each content area

Science

Researching Green Homes

Create a home using recyclable material

Cost for materialsAnalyzing

malfunctions with circuits

Animal data research

Social Studies

Culture Case Study◦Research the specific culture and present connections

you made with that culture◦Vacation Proposal

Law Activity - Activity how a bill becomes a law- Break students into groups based on their views of a

topic - Congress- Presidents - Have them discuss ways a bill becomes a law

Reading

Service Learning Project ◦ Homelessness

After completing project, students could go on this website. Here the students are given a budget and they have to make daily decisions that will impact if they stay under over their budget.

By their decisions, they will see if they become homeless or not based on their decisions.

◦ http://playspent.org/◦ Have them write downa paragraph on how they felt with having a strict budget and how they can help people who are homeless in the area.

English

Grocery Shopping Activity - Give students a budget- Students have to write a list to go grocery

shopping and stay within their budget - Students write an persuasive essay why

the grocery shopping items are the best to buy.

- Students go shopping for their items at the school store