Productive Struggle
Math education answers the question
"How do we teach?"
It needs to answer the question
"How do we learn?"
STRUGGLE
SCHEMA BUILDING
STRUGGLE
SCHEMA BUILDING
Characteristics of questions that drive productive struggle
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No obvious solution path
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Maybe multiple solutions
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Possible very visual
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Low floor but high ceiling
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Invites "doing" / "thinking"
STUDENT
DISCOURSE
What are the differences?
What are the challenges?
Group 1
3 yards
Specific and varied practice of motor skill 1978 Booth & Kerr
The bean bag experiment
Group 2
2 yards & 4 yards
TEST
3 yards
Significantly outperformed group 1
Creative Reasoning
Learning mathematics without a suggested solution method: Durable effects on performance and brain activity 2015 Wirebring et al.
Algorithmic
Creative Reasoning
Learning mathematics without a suggested solution method: Durable effects on performance and brain activity 2015 Wirebring et al.
Algorithmic
Is all struggle productive?
How do we help teachers monitor struggle in ST Math?
What are the types of things you might hear in the field that let you know they don't understand productive struggle?
To ensure that all students are mathematically equipped to solve the world's most challenging problems.
OUR MISSION:
MIND Math Class: Productive Struggle
By Nigel Nisbet
MIND Math Class: Productive Struggle
Presentation Slides
