tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post8796151267943322491..comments2024-03-12T02:19:51.554-07:00Comments on Without Geometry, Life is Pointless: If Lincoln and Douglas Had Been Math TeachersAvery Pickfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433339146333801163noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-23377580481181296872012-05-06T14:29:05.251-07:002012-05-06T14:29:05.251-07:00First of all, revising the image can help narrow p...First of all, revising the image can help narrow people in to your question even more. I would have never guessed it from your first image. I might have from your second. If you were to have two or three rectangles with the diagonal squares highlighted, I think I definitely would have. This is where feedback of 101qs is helpful (except I wish there was the ability to modify the image to see if you can get the questions to converge even more.)<br /><br />I strongly agree with the point of having a particular question in mind though. With my children at home, it can be unguided exploration, but in school you need to take the class somewhere they don't know to go (for the CCSS at bare minimum, as well as many other practical reasons). By default, it seems most people (and my students) will ask questions that they know the answer to. Maybe it's a confidence thing, or limited vision, but that's only marginally helpful. I think that's where your culture of inquiry seems to be working (and where it fails in groups of teachers). Perhaps a gentler way to move people to your question would be to ask "Tell me the strategies you would use to answer each of your questions", which will let you weed out the easy ones, and focus on the ones no one already knows how to do (yours).Mike Capitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11614866777852142075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-61417710109731362852012-05-06T01:30:16.965-07:002012-05-06T01:30:16.965-07:00It seems like when you move on to a particular que...It seems like when you move on to a particular question it signals importance or relevance. If you are trained to think of right and wrong answers, focusing on one of many questions seems to imply importance or "rightness." <br /><br />I'm left thinking, why did you move on the that particular question from all the questions submitted. Do explore why people thought of certain questions at all?Owenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17854035853320295275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-27585801971394220192012-05-05T19:31:00.782-07:002012-05-05T19:31:00.782-07:00Given your goals (and your awareness that your ses...Given your goals (and your awareness that your session audience hasn't been trained) why ask for their questions at all? Do you want them to practice mathematical habits of mind or do you want them to see how it might look in a classroom? If it is the former, then get rid of the "next slide" and let them explore their own questions. If it is the later, get rid of sharing their questions out loud. Instead have them do a quick "Turn-and-Talk" and then move onto the sixth graders' questions.<br /><br />As someone who tries to pack way too much into my presentations, I can say that focusing on my purpose has helped to streamline my sessions (mostly).<br />;-)delta_dchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18024582157985654525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-14734390840711663712012-05-05T18:45:53.221-07:002012-05-05T18:45:53.221-07:00If it's all about getting MY question asked, t...If it's all about getting MY question asked, then maybe we shouldn't call it "anyqs."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-20864820531344811212012-05-05T18:43:16.494-07:002012-05-05T18:43:16.494-07:00Avery, this is a spectacular post! I was hooked, ...Avery, this is a spectacular post! I was hooked, and I love the section headings.<br /><br />This is a really important point. Dan is saying “Make the prompt scream the question you are looking for." This makes perfect sense, if we have explicit objectives in terms of content, technique, and mastery at the heart of math instruction. There is no doubt value in Dan's work, but it is completely predicated on a sort of inception of the teacher's question into the brains of the students. It's easy to see this as a teacher's central objective.<br /><br />If, instead, we're interested in the questions that our students want to explore, then we have no reason to assess the work this way. I think this is a really provocative math scenario. What if a primary goal of a mathematical education was simply for students to improve their ability to sense "mathyness" in the world and digest it?<br /><br />Thanks again for a really great read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-83050475851369215112012-05-05T17:07:54.184-07:002012-05-05T17:07:54.184-07:00I missed your session, but agree that there is val...I missed your session, but agree that there is value in both worlds. Opening up the floor gives students the chance to pose problems that may or may not be as interesting as the one you want to pursue. It also generates a list of problems based in a variety of different math topics. It is powerful, regardless of future intent, for students to see the interconnectedness of Math. <br />I don't see the giant offense in asking for questions, dwelling (shortly) on their solutions, and then moving into a question of particular importance. Opening up closed problems, even for a short time, can be beneficial. Not everyone has the luxury of a large piloting pool.Nat Bantinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08088568485640783921noreply@blogger.com