Last September I had 14 students staring at me, waiting for me to teach them how to solve a word problem. "Well, the operation is subtraction because the key word is difference," I would say. I found myself spoon-feeding 8-year-olds the answers because I was unsure of how to help this particular group of children solve difficult word problems. Seven months later, I am the one staring at my students, listening to them teach each other different ways to correctly solve the word problem. "Classroom discussion facilitator" is my new favorite title.
Do Less
Not only was I doing all the talking in math at the beginning of the year, but I also found myself creating all the dialogue in English language arts. After observing my class, my supervisor guided me to "do less!" Such a simple phrase, but it really resonated with me. I realized I was doing too much talking, explaining, and assisting. How were my students supposed to take ownership of their learning if I never gave them the chance?
With more student-led discussion, there had to be guidelines and a routine. The first thing I needed to do was create an environment where students felt comfortable disagreeing with each other. After teaching my students how to respectfully disagree, they were ready to challenge each other with thought-provoking questions like, "What is another way you could have solved that problem?" or "Do you really think that was the best strategy to use?" Now I just had to step back and let students put these skills into practice.
One day, I watched all my students try to multiply 45 × 5. When they realized they didn't know that fact, they used repeated addition. Although I was happy to see that they used another strategy, I was disappointed to see that nobody tried to break it apart, except one pair of students. When we met as a whole class to discuss the problem, one student said, "I understand why you added 45 five times, but can I show you an easier way to solve the problem?" I now find myself observing, then getting involved only when necessary. I could have stepped in and pointed out that the breaking apart method was easiest, but why not give a 3rd grader the opportunity to notice and point it out?
A Partner Protocol for Word Problems
In my class, we devote a lot of time to solving one challenging word problem. Spending time on one problem allows students to really dive deep and understand all components of the problem, different angles for approaching it, and different strategies for solving the problem. Students work with a partner and little teacher assistance. Working together opens more math dialogue than if they were solving a problem independently. After solving the word problem, students are required to write a constructed response using a simple formula:
- Restate the Question
- Provide the Answer With a Label
- Explain How and Why
After each pair of students has typed their answer, the entire class meets on the carpet to view each typed constructed response (see Figure 1).
I display one constructed response at a time, read the response aloud, and ask students to do a think-pair-share. During the think-pair-share, students are required to evaluate how other students solved the problem and explain their thoughts. We use talking stems to get the conversation started. For example:
- I disagree with ___ because ___.
- I agree with ____ because ____.
- I solved the problem another way, may I show you ____?
- What strategy did you use?
Again, I take a step back and allow the children to verbalize and create visuals on the board for their classmates. I listen to each approach and point out strong strategies with powerful explanations. Students are actively learning and listening to their peers as they explain different strategies to solve one problem.
Less is More
Looking back to the beginning of the year, I am proud of how much I have grown as a teacher and how much my students have grown. Releasing control and allowing my students to lead discussions seemed like something I wouldn't enjoy, but it truly has transformed me into a better teacher. My students enjoy math and cheer when I tell them we have another word problem to solve. I often forget my students are just kids, and kids love to talk, so why not let them do what they love best?
