Tasks are usually associated with a negative connotation. When given a task, we usually groan and hear something like "uuugghhhhh" and try to procrastinate to avoid doing it. People aren't usually excited about tasks.
When I look at the word task through an educational lens, it almost seems as though the words "teacher" and "ask" got married and became "one"; task. (This was not scientifically proven, it was just an epiphany I had while trying to think of a clever name for this blog post)! But if you think about it, it makes sense right?! In school, tasks are basically teachers asking you to do something. Condense it by combining the two and voilà; task!
There are several different kinds of tasks. Liisa started the class by asking us to write down words that described math. Different groups interpreted this task differently. My group wrote words that we thought described math as a whole, whereas other groups wrote more tangible things down pertaining to math (i.e.: calculator). Elisa took the extra time to alternate colours on our list and it was too pretty not to share!
This type of task is great because it is so open-ended. Her instructions were simple, yet clear. The rest was left up to audience to interpret however they saw fit. As a result, we got lots of different ideas and opinions.
We spent some time exploring two different kinds in class yesterday but I particularly enjoyed the notice/wonder task. The S-Pattern task was also great but the notice/wonder task seems less "mathy" at first; thus, it appears less daunting to students. The task also starts with an open-ended question where students are asked what they notice and what they wonder about a picture. This was the picture we were given:
Like I mentioned before, this doesn't seem so intimidating to students. They don't necessarily see the math right off the bat. It gets them thinking and wondering about it and then we as teachers can steer the conversation towards math.
I think students are also more inclined to participate since they get the opportunity to share what they are thinking in their minds. The only downside is that we need to be prepared for some silly or inappropriate comments when we ask a group of teenagers what is going on in their minds. But, sometimes you just need to laugh it off and move on.
Tasks don't always have to be boring and dreadful. If we can come up with creative ways to engage students in math tasks, they will actually enjoy doing it! We'll hear less "ughs" and more excitement in our classrooms (hopefully anyway )!
Now, let's leave you with something to wonder...
In light of Halloween approaching, how does a ghost solve quadratic equations? 👻
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Yup, that's right. I'm not giving you the answer this week! Think about it and comment down below if you think you know the answer!
The Function(al) Teacher
When talking about the activity you did at the beginning of the class, you mentioned that this type of task was great, as it was open-ended. I do agree that it was a good open question that encourages divergent thinking, and it doesn't surprise me that there were a variety of answers.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how every one felt at the beginning of the task? If I was there, I would have been fine with it as it was a group assignment. But if it was an individual assignment, and we had to put our results up on the wall, I would have been much more nervous. If it was a closed question, I probably would have been comfortable with doing that. But divergent questions, quite honestly, make me a bit uncomfortable.
I think it's a good idea to have students answer open questions in groups, at least in the beginning. It's a good way to improve divergent thinking among students, and it's also a good way of getting them used to the idea that it's okay to have answers that are different from every one else.
Good blog post, Mary - I enjoyed the title, the figures, and the Halloween question at the end. You've made me curious!