5 Principles for a Problem-Solving Classroom - Brilliant or Insane - 0 views
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Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) contain important guidance about how students should think and work in a Math classroom.
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Conjecture. In a traditional mathematics classroom, the primary goal is for students to get the right answers to questions and exercises. In a classroom where conjecture is encouraged, students ask most of the questions, and the answer to a question is very often another question. Inquiry is important, as is a little-used skill known as “problem-finding.”
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Collaboration. In a traditional classroom, students work alone, and the emphasis is on an individual’s skill fluency. Problem solving classrooms are all about the “we”. Think The Avengers, not the Lone Ranger (though even he had Tonto). Group work is far more prevalent in a problem-solving classroom than individual work, and students are encouraged to share ideas, answers, and ask for help. Though there is a time for individual performance, in a problem solving culture, the other students are cheerleaders instead of competitors (see #5).
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