Hello Myrna and all,
I enjoyed the link you gave us yesterday.  I am very
interested in the open-ended questions section.  I
think it is a great guide for formulating open-ended
math questions.  

One challenge I encounter when I provide open-ended
questions for my learners is being prepared for the
"out of the box" thinking.  In other words, when a
learner thinks of the problem in a orginial way and
solves it correctly, I am left dumbfounded as to why
it worked.  What should I do at that point?

Also, the learners often want a fast, set in stone,
rule to help them solve a problem.  For example,
percentages can be calculated using a number of
stratgies.  Some students want one good way to solve
percentages and they are confused if I provide
alternative methods of solving. I think this
contributes to math anxiety.
How would you handle this situation?
Thanks, 
Lisa Mullins
Tennessee


--- Myrna Manly <mmanly at earthlink.net> wrote:


> I've added Lynda's graph idea and Tina's suggestions

> below to the list of

> ideas.  Great additions!

> 

>  

> 

> Tina mentioned using manipulatives to learn about

> fractions and that

> reminded me of the website from NCTM that I found:

> http://www.nctm.org/news/assessment/2005_12nb.htm

> Will This Be on the Test?

> 

> 

>  

> 

> Check it out and see what you think about the test

> item involving fractions.

> Too tricky or really clever?

> 

>  

> 

> Myrna

> 

>  

> 

>   _____  

> 

> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov

> [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On

> Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu

> Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 7:33 PM

> To: Judith Diamond; The Assessment Discussion List

> Subject: [Assessment 365] Re: Math anxiety and

> assessment

> 

>  

> 

> Hi Judy,

> 

>  

> 

> Yes, I do agree with you about using the practical

> aspects of daily life to

> help math connect with students. It is a rule of

> mnemonics to link what is

> known to what is not known to help students

> remember.

> 

>  

> 

> I also like to have the students work together in

> groups after giving the

> lesson to hear how they perceive the material and to

> locate error in

> understanding. When students work together, they

> have to restate what the

> teacher teaches and then explain it to someone else.

> That helps with memory

> retention. 

> 

>  

> 

> Another great tool with math is the manipulatives.

> We have various colored

> disks that represent fractions. One disk is whole

> which equals 1 or 1/1. The

> next is broken in half, and another into thirds and

> so on. When students lay

> three 1/4 disks on top of a 1/2 and a 1/4 disk, they

> can see in a tangible

> manner how 1/2 + 1/4 really does = 3/4.  

> 

>  

> 

> I also tell students to draw the word problems to

> figure out how to solve

> the math problems. Some students really work well

> with drawing the five

> piles of ten logs to know that they need to multiply

> to see how many logs

> they have.

> 

> Tina

> 

> 

> Tina Luffman

> Coordinator, Developmental Education

> Verde Valley Campus

> 928-634-6544

> tina_luffman at yc.edu

> 

> > -------------------------------

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