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

  • No obvious solution path

  • Maybe multiple solutions

  • Possible very visual

  • Low floor but high ceiling

  • Invites "doing" / "thinking"

Example

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:

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