Using Mathematical Tasks To Provoke Intellectual Need

Kien LimUniversity of Texas at El Paso

kienlim@utep.edu

Sep 9, 2010

• What Constitutes a Good Mathematical Task?

• What is Intellectual Need?Why is it Important?

Objectives

Sequence Of Activities

1. Find out what constitute a good mathematical task

2. Solve a few problems

3. Discuss

What is “Mathematics”?

Old-view Mathematics• Collection of definitions,

formulas, rules, and procedures

• The focus is on the “how” and the “answer”

• Students are taught the procedure and then practice it

New-view Mathematics• A subject that involves

thinking and sense-making

• The focus includes the “why” and meaning

• Students engage in problem-solving, making connection, justifying, representing, and communicating

Purpose of Classroom Tasks

• To engage learners in thinking, sense-making, reflecting, and abstracting

• To engender discussions among learners to learn “new” mathematical knowledge

• To provide learners an opportunity to practice what they have learned

Thompson, Carlson, and Silverman (2007)

Characteristics of a Good Task

• Mathematically driven

• Requires justifications and explanation

• Intrinsic to students

Van de Walle (2003)

Tasks that Motivate Students

• Extrinsically Motivating Something new (e.g., manipulatives)

Fun and exciting (e.g., game)

• Intrinsically Motivating Intriguing

What Leads to Mathematical Learning?

“For students to learn what we intend to teach them, they must have a need for it, where by ‘need’ is meant intellectual need, not social or economic need.” (Harel, 2007)

The line segment represents 1 2/3 km. Extend the line to represent 3 3/4 km. Be as accurate as you can without measuring the actual length of original line segment.

Problem #1 for You

1 2/3 km

• What do you think is the math concept for which this task is trying to provoke?

• What key ideas are necessary for solving this problem?

Follow-up Questions #1

1 2/3 km

1 km

How?Cut into 5 pieces.

1 km 1 km 3/4 km

Why 5?1 2/3 = 5/3

Referent unit (1km)

Mixed num. - improper fraction conversion

Consider these 4 products of numbers:

Problem #2 for You

Without computing the actual value of each product, identify those products that have the same value.

(i)25261112 (ii) 3112544

(iii) 512255(iv) 5102233

What do you think is the math concept for which this task is trying to provoke?

Follow-up Question #2

= 24 32 52 11 = 22 3 52 112

= 24 32 52 11 = 22 3 52 112

(i)25261112 (ii) 3112544

(iii) 512255(iv) 5102233

How Does Intellectual-Need-Provoking Task Facilitate Learning?

• Students encounter a problematic situation due to the limitation of their existing knowledge

• They experience a desire to resolve the situation

• Their resolution of the situation may lead to construction of new knowledge or modification of existing knowledge

In Selecting a Need-Provoking Task, What Questions Can We Ask Ourselves?

• What mathematical learning can the task potentially provoke?

• Is the task intrinsic to students?

• Do students experience a limitation of their existing knowledge and a need for the new math idea in order to solve the problem?

Recapitulation

What Problems Have We Worked On Today?

1. Extending 1 2/3 km Line Problem

2. Finding Equal Product Problem

What Concept do these Problems Seek to Provoke?

Ruferent Unit & Procedure for Converting Mixed # to Improper Fraction

Prime Factorization

As a Math Teacher, You Can …

• Avoid problem-free tasks

• Provide opportunities for your students to experience the intellectual need for the math concepts that you want them to learn

• Select tasks that requires thinking, sense-making, exploring, justifying, and explaining

An Article

Lim, K. H. (2009). Provoking intellectual need. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 15(2), 92-99.

Thank You