Training Module For Summer-Based Special Teacher

Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers

(Grade 9-12)
 Unit 1: Problem-solving-based Mathematics
Instruction (4 hrs.)
In this unit, problem-solving-based approach to mathematics teaching is explained
and illustrated with mathematics examples.

Unit Outcomes

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

• Appreciate the need for a shift in thinking about mathematics instruction.

• Understand the key principles of problem-solving-based approach to teaching

mathematics.

• Apply the principles to design and teach effective problem-solving-based

mathematics lessons from the textbook.
 Session 1.1: Why and how of problem-solving
approach (1 hr.)
Session Objectives:

Upon completion of this session, you will be able to:

• Critically reflect on the value of teaching with problems.

 Activity-1: Teacher Reflection (30 minutes)

Reflect on the following questions from your prior knowledge and experiences.

1. What mathematics teaching methods/approaches do you know?

2. What are the main characteristics of each method/approach? Are they different
from the methods used in other subjects?

3. What mathematics teaching methods/approaches are often used in Ethiopia?

How effective are they? Why or why not?

4. Write your reflection on your note book?

Activity-2: Solving Linear Inequalities as a Case Study
(30 minutes)

Read through the two case studies on page 2-5 and then answer the questions that
follow. Share your answer to your nearby colleague, and then to the whole class.

1. Which of these two approaches is most like the way that you teach?

2. Which of these two approaches do you prefer and why?

3. Which of these two approaches allows for meaningful construction of ideas?

Explain your answer.

 Key Ideas
• The first approach in Case Study 1 involves going straight into formal
mathematics and using 'rules'.

• One advantage of this approach is that it is quick and easy for the teacher, and
some students may be able to answer similar questions correctly.

• A disadvantage is that it offers little opportunity for learners to do mathematics.

• Since learners are to follow the rules demonstrated by the teacher, they may not
construct a deep understanding of the content.

• The second approach described in Case Study 2 requires more time, both in terms
of planning outside of class and during in-class activities.

• Despite this challenge, one benefit of this approach is that students are able to
discuss and explore concepts in a meaningful way.
 … Key Ideas

• This approach allows students to construct their own understanding of new

content before formal definitions and formulas are introduced by the teacher.

• Overall, the second approach emphasizes problem-solving as a means of

enhancing students' comprehension of the subject matter and problem-solving
skills.
 Implications to Teaching

• What did you learn from this session and how will you apply the notion of
this session to your real classroom?

• How would you help your students benefit from this?

• Write a short paragraph summarizing the key things you learned and things
that you want to apply.
 Session 1.2: Nature of Problem-solving Tasks
(1 hr.)
Session Objectives:

Upon completion of this session, you will be able to:

• Identify key characteristics of problem-solving tasks in mathematics.

• Select and analyze appropriate tasks and problems for learning mathematics.
 Activity-1: Problem-solving Tasks? (30 minutes)

Discuss on the following questions in small groups of three to five members.

1. What is problem-solving? What is the difference between problem-solving and the

doing of routine exercises?

2. Based on the temperature change task given on page-6; reflect on the following
questions.

a) Would you use tasks like this in your teaching? Why/Why not?

b) What are the key characteristic of the problem-solving task given below?

c) Does it provide for learners to explore the concept in different ways?

d) Does it provide opportunity for learners to solve non-routine problems?

3. Can you give or design similar types of tasks to teach integer subtraction?
 Key Ideas
• A mathematics problem-solving task is a task/problem that poses a question to be
answered but students do not have a readily available memorized rules, or
solution methods for answering it (Lester & Cai, 2016; NCTM, 2000).

• This can be contrasted with the traditional approach to teaching in which teachers
explain a rule, provide an example and then drill the learners on similar
examples.

• It must be stressed that whether something is a problem or not is dependent on

the level of the problem-solver.
 … Key Ideas

The temperature change task illustrates a key characteristic of a problem-solving

task:

• It provides for learners to explore the concept in practical and different

ways.

• It also provides a chance to apply and connect previously constructed

mathematical understanding.

• It focuses on equipping learners to tackle non-routine problems.

 Activity-2: Routine or Non-routine? (30 minutes)

Consider a list of six problems found on page 7-8 for primary school learners to
learn area and perimeter of rectangles.

1. Select the problems that you would consider as routine for the learners.

2. Select the problems that you would consider as non-routine.

3. What are your criteria to classify the problems as routine or non-routine?

 Key Ideas
• The nature of problems presented to students is a key aspect of teaching and
learning mathematics.

• It highly influences students’ level of engagement, and, thus, the learning

outcomes achieved.

• However, not all mathematical tasks afford the same opportunities for the same
type of student learning.

• Tasks which are connected to real-life contexts and tasks which require students
to apply multiple solution approaches provide maximal learning opportunities.

• These types of tasks are called non-routine.

 … Key Ideas

• While, tasks which require students only to recall and apply previously learned
facts, rules, procedures, formulae, or definitions are routine and cannot help
them to do mathematics.

• The focus of these types of tasks is on correct answers and recall of basic facts
rather than understanding.
 Implications to Teaching

• What did you learn from this session and how will you apply the notion of
this session to your real classroom?

• How would you help your students benefit from this?

• Write a short paragraph summarizing the key things you learned and things
that you want to apply.
 Session 1.3: Lesson Structure (2 hrs.)

Session Objectives:

Upon completion of this session, you will be able to:

• Describe, with insight, the three-phase lesson format for problem solving
referred to as before, during and after.

• Critically describe the teacher’s actions in the before, during and after phases of
a problem-solving lesson.

• Design effective problem-based lesson from the textbook and other resources.
Activity-1: Lesson Phases– before, during and after
(30 minutes)
Discuss the following questions in small groups of three to five members. Write a
report of your discussion.

1. What must be the teacher’s action BEFORE students start solving the
problems?

2. What is the teacher’s and students’ role DURING problem-solving?

3. What is the teacher’s and students’ role AFTER problem-solving?

4. Compare the structure of lessons in the two case studies found in session 1.1 in
terms of the before, during and after lesson phases.
 Key Ideas
• Teaching through problem-solving does not mean simply providing a problem
or task, sitting back and waiting for something to happen.

• The teacher is responsible for making the atmosphere and the lesson work.

• Van de Walle (2004) proposed three-phase lesson structure when teaching

through problem-solving: before, during and after (See the diagram on Page-
10).
 Activity-2: More on three-phase Lesson Format (30
minutes)
Discuss the following questions in pairs and share the agreed upon answer to the
whole-class.

1. If you were using the temperature change task shown on page-6 in your
classroom, what would you do during each of the ‘before, during, and after’
phases of the lesson? Describe each phase clearly.

2. What do you expect the learners to do during each of the phases of the lesson?
Activity-3: Lesson Design (as a homework activity) (1 hr.)
Now let us put into practice what we have explored in this unit.

1. Choose a topic which you had planned to teach in a more traditional way based
on past experience but which you realize you could now use problem-solving
for.

2. Redesign and teach the lesson using problem-solving as your main teaching
strategy.

3. Write a comparison between the new lesson and your previous one and answer
the following questions.

a) What can you and the learners do differently?

b) Do learners learn any better or worse when you use this new approach?

Note: This activity may not be finalized within the allotted time. So, part of the work
can be done at home (homework activity).
 Key Ideas

• Lesson Planning is the most critical part of teaching through problem-solving.

• The three-phase lesson format described above provides a basic structure for
problem-solving based lessons.

• That basic structure resulted from the need for learners to be engaged in
problems followed by discussion and reflection.
 Implications to Teaching

• What did you learn from this session and how will you apply the notion of
this session to your real classroom?

• How would you help your students benefit from this?

• Write a short paragraph summarizing the key things you learned and things
that you want to apply.