The Problem-Solving Classroom
Pathway Overview
Along this pathway we will look at the relationship between student thinking and different levels of problems along with the type of classroom environments that promote student problem-solving in the ways that allow students to work with cognitively demanding and rigorous tasks. We will focus on the classroom as a functional environment, assessing your classroom as a functional environment. As part of the learning, we will look at a classroom environment that allows students to co-create knowledge and will extend that to look at building mathematical learning communities and make connections between the classroom environment and the decisions that students must make when solving problems. We will end the pathway with you reflecting on changes in knowledge, understanding, and practices that you have or will make as a result of completing this pathway.
Learning Objectives
Objective 1: Participants will be able to describe the elements of a problem-solving classroom.
Objective 2: Participants will be able to identify areas of growth for transforming their classroom into a functional learning environment for mathematics learning.
Objective 3: Participants will be able to explain the importance of and methods for effectively using collaborative learning to engage students in the co-construction of mathematical knowledge.
Objective 4: Participants will be able to examine and evaluate their own instructional practices to determine how personal knowledge and beliefs regarding collaboration have driven practices in the past, the impact of those practices on student learning, and make determinations on what practices they want to put in place to make changes regarding collaboration in the future.
Objective 5: Participants will be able to implement strategies for helping students support, learn from one another, and communicate in a functional learning environment.
Objective 6: Participants will be able to deepen individual student mathematical efficacy by supporting them in developing their own thinking strategies and learning to see productive failure as a natural part of the learning process.
Impact on Classroom Practice and Student Learning
As a result of completing this pathway, participants will be able to implement cognitively rigorous tasks that align to the intended cognitive demand of the problem and the intended learning goals, and provide students with supports through accommodations, modifications, and scaffolds that support success while maintaining the level of cognitive demand.
