TasksInvolvingModels,ToolsandRepresentations:MakingtheMathematicsExplicit asWeBuildTasksintoLessons

BarbaraClarke,MonashUniversity PeterSanders,LaTrobeUniversity

Overview WithteachersandstudentsinGovernmentandCatholicschoolsinthreegeographical clustersinVictoria,theTaskTypeandMathematicsLearning(TTML)projectis investigatingthebestwaystousedifferenttypesofmathematicstasks,particularlyin Grades5to8.Essentiallytheprojectfocusesonfourtypesofmathematicaltasks.Thefour typesoftasksaredesignedtorepresentpotentiallysuccessfultasktypes.Thefocusofour researchistodescribeindetailhowthetasksrespectivelycontributetomathematics learning,thefeaturesofsuccessfulexemplarsofeachtype,constraintsthatteachersmight experienceandteacheractionsthatcanbestsupportstudentslearning.Thisarticle illustratestheprocessusedearlyintheprojectinoneoftheclustersinwhichtheyusedthe Japaneselessonstudymodeltoexploretheopportunitiesandconstraintsofusing classroomtasks.FirstwedescribethecharacteristicsofType1tasks.

WhatisaType1Task? Type1tasksinvolvetheintroductionto,oruseofmodels,representations,tools,or explanationsthatelaborateorexemplifythemathematics.Thereisnoattempttolink mathematicstoitspracticalapplications.Followingstudentworkonthetask,theteacher leadsadiscussiononthemathematicsthathasemergedfromthetask,andwillseekto drawoutcommonalitiesandgeneralisations.

Suchtasksareassociatedwithgoodtraditionalmathematicsteaching(seeWatson& Mason,1998).Theteachercommenceswithanimportantmathematicalideaandproposes tasksthatinvolvemodelsorrepresentationsortools,whichhelpstudentstounderstand themathematics.Forexample,considertheMazeGame,inwhichstudentsmoveacounter

aroundagameboard,makingchoicesbetweenoperationssuchas+1.5,x0.8,0.5 etc.,withaviewtoincreasingtheirscoreateachstage.Inusingthisgame,theteacherhas averyclearmathematicalintent:toconfrontthewidespreadmisconceptionsthat multiplicationalwaysyieldsalargeransweranddivisionalwaysyieldsasmalleranswer.

AnExampleofaType1Task:ColourinFractions Type1tasksofteninvolveagametoengagestudents,butalwayswithaclear mathematicalfocus.ColourinFractionsusesarepresentation(thefractionwall)inagame context.Thesetupandrulesaregivenbelow.

ColourInFractions Studentshavetwodicethatwhenthrownandcombinedasapair,createfractions uptotwelfths,andafractionwall.Theycolourinsectionsofthewallthat correspondtothefractionsthattheyrollwiththedice. onedielabelled1,2,2,3,3,4inonecolour(thenumerator) anotherdielabelled*/2,*/3,*/4,*/6,*/8,*/12inanothercolour(the denominator) Thiswallislikethis:

Playersinturnthrowbothdice.Theymakeafraction,thefirstdiebeingthe numerator.Eachlineisonewhole. Theythencolourtheequivalentofthefractionshown.Forexample,iftheythrow2 and*/4,thentheycancolourin: 2/4 ofonelineor4/8ofonelineor1/4ofonelineand2/8ofanotheroranyother combinationthatisthesameas2/4. Ifaplayerisunabletousetheirturn,theypass.Thefirstplayerwhocoloursin theirwholewallisthewinner.

Therecanbefurthermathematicalquestionsposedbasedonthegameandclass discussionofstrategies.

Theteacherislikelytohaveaclearmathematicalintentinusingthisgamewitha particularfocusondevelopingstudentsunderstandingofequivalence,improper fractions,andadditionoffractionswiththefractionwallmodelasakeycomponent. Thatbeingsaid,differentstudentsmaydrawquitedifferentlearningfromthesamegame. Onestudentmaydiscoverforthefirsttimethat2/3isequivalentto8/12andwhy,while anothermaydeterminethatwhenleftwith1/12tofillattheendofthegame,thereisonly onechancein36ofasuccessfulrolleachtime.

Theimportanceofthemodelandtheexplicitfocusonthemathematicsarefeaturesofthis taskandthefractionwallhasthepotentialtoprovideanongoingtoolforthestudentto useinothersituations.Itshouldbenotedthat:

Theaimoflearningwithamodelistogiveastudentatooltothinkwith;something thattheycandrawupontointerpretsymbolicwork.Somodelsshouldbecarefully chosenandusedthoroughlyandconsistentlyforsometime(StateofVictoria,2007) Teachersfromtheproject,incharacterisingTaskType1highlightedtheimportanceof linkingthemodelortoolexplicitlyanddirectlytothemathematicalconcept. Whilethesetasksarenotcontextualised,thereissometimesahookthathelpstoengage thestudents.OneexampleistheChocolateFractionactivity(seeClarke,2006,forafull explanationofthetask)wheresharingofchocolaterepresentsanengagingcontextbut alsoamodelforthedevelopmentoftheconceptoffractionasdivision.

Theroleofexplanation InconsideringtheroleofteacherexplanationinType1tasks,itisnotanecessaryfeature thatexpositionisrequired.Theprovisionofthemodelorrepresentationcanenablethe studentstogeneratethemathematicalideasandjustification.Thisisclearlythecaseinthe ColourinFractionstask.Whenthiswastrialled,theteacherswereabletousethethinking andexplanationofselectedchildrentodevelopthemathematicalconcept.Students

wereabletogeneratetheirownexplanations,whichtheteachersthenusedtomake explicitthemathematicalconcepts.

WithagoodType1taskthemathematicsisinherentinthemodelorrepresentationand thereseemedtobelimitedteacherexplanationrequired.Somesortofintroductionwas givenwithafocusontuningintothemathematicsandreviewingofsomeprerequisites. ThemathematicalpurposeispivotalinType1tasksandasaresultitinfluencesthe teachersdecisionmaking.Arguablythereislikelytobelessopportunityforadetourfrom theplanthanwithothertasktypes,butalsotheteachermaybelesswillingtodeviateinto adifferentareaofmathematics,evenwhenfacedwithanopportunity,giventheclear mathematicalintentbehindthechoiceoftask.

AdvantagesandChallengesIdentifiedbyTeachersUsingType1Tasks Teacherswereaskedtocommentontheadvantageswhichhademergedintheiruseof thesekindsoftasks.ThepromptwasWhatdoyouseeastheadvantagesofusingthis tasktypeinyourteaching?Representativeresponseswerethefollowing: .Giveshandsonexperiencesandaidschildrensunderstanding. .Useofmodelshelpswiththeexplanationandgivesstudenttheopportunityto experimentwithpracticalmaterialsforbetterunderstanding. .Greatforvisuallearners.Veryhandsonandlogicalapproachtoteachingmaths. Itgivesthechildrenanexcellenttooltoassistintheirexplanationsofwhy/how theydidsomething. .Themodelfocusesthestudentsonthekeymathematicalideasofthetask/lesson, teacherexplanationandprobingofideasofthestudentexplanationenablestudents toengagewiththekeyideas. Anumberofteacherssawthevalueinthesetasksfordevelopingstudentunderstanding. Therewerealsoanumberwhocommentedontheengagementofstudentsbothinthe senseofparticipationbutalsointhewaythemodelallowedengagementwiththe mathematics.

Anotherpromptforteacherswas,Whatmakesteachingusingthistasktypedifficult? Whatarethechallengesinusingthistypeoftask?Thefollowingresponseswere representative: .Organisationandprovisionofallmaterialsneeded. .Thetimetakentoplanandorganiseagoodlesson. .Findingappropriateactivities. .Clarityofthemodel/exemplar.Extendingthemodel/exemplarintoalessonwith meaningfulindependent/groupwork. Someofthesechallengesappeartoberelateddirectlytothetaskstypes,includingthe timerequiredtopreparethematerials.Thebroaderchallengeoftakingthetaskoridea andtransformingitintoalessonwasalsoidentified.

TurningaTaskintoaLesson:StoriesofSuccessfulCollaborativePractice Someoftheconstraintsteachersidentifiedabove,particularlythoserelatedtoorganisinga goodlessonandextendingthemodelintoasuccessfullesson,havecausedproblemsfor teachersworkingindependentlyintheirownschools.TheBerwickSouthteachersdecided todealwiththesedifficultiesbyworkingcollaborativelyacrosstheclusterwithgroupsof teachersworkingtogethertodesignexemplaryTaskType1lessons.

Theychoseaprofessionallearningmodel,LessonStudy,tohelpinthisprocess.Lesson StudyisamodelrecommendedbytheVictorianDepartmentofEducationandEarly ChildhoodDevelopment(StateofVictoria,2005)andhasbeenadvocatedasasuccessful modelforteacherprofessionaldevelopment(Hollingsworth&Oliver,2005;White& Southwell,2003).

Thefifteenteachersintheclusterweredividedintofivegroupsofthreeandeachgroup metforafulldaytoplan,teach,reflectandrefinelessons.Planninganddesigningthe lessontookplaceinthemorninguntilrecess.Oneteacherfromthegrouptaughtthe lessonbetweenrecessandlunchwiththeothersobserving,andtheafternoonallowedthe opportunityforthoroughevaluationofthetaughtlessonincludingrevisionstothelesson planandindividualteacherreflections.AnumberofsuccessfulTaskType1activitieshave beenturnedintosuccessfullessonsusingthismodel.

Additionally,teachersgainedusefulinsightsintotheirownmathematicsteaching practice,andthisaspectaswellasthesuccessofLessonStudyisapparentinthese reflectionsfromteacherswhowereinvolved.

Ithoughtthatallocatingawholedaytothisexperiencewasafantasticidea.It meantthatwecouldcompletethestructureofthelessonstudyinitsentiretyand makeitareallyworthwhileexperience.Thesetupofthedayalsoworkedreally well.Itwasgreattogettogetherwithteachersfromanotherschooltoplana perfectlessononaparticularconceptwithasetfocus.Thisemphasiseddifferent planningandteachingtechniquesandalsogaveusanopportunitytodiscussthe differencebetweenourgroupsofchildren. Workingwithteachersfromotherschoolsisinvaluable.Wegetsofamiliarwiththe processesandhabitsofourownschool,itisfantastictoshareideasandstrategies acrossschoolsandgetadifferentperspective.

Oneoftheconstraintsreferredtoearlierconcernedhavingadequatetimetoplanand organiseagoodlesson.TheteachercommentsbelowindicatethatLessonStudywasa usefulwayofaddressingthisissue: .Thelessonstudyprovidedanopportunitytodiscusswithotherteachersthe processofplanningandimplementingaspecificlesson,whichisnotsomething thatweoften(orever!)havetimetodoasindividualteachers. .Ifeltplanningthelessonstogetherwasverypowerful

TeachersalsofoundtheothertwocomponentsofLessonStudyveryvaluable,namely,the teachingofthelessonandthereflectionafterwards. .Itwasfantastictoputasidethewholemiddlesessiontoactuallyobservethe lessonbeingputintopractise.Ilikedtheinclusionofdifferenttasksforobservers suchasobservingteacherquestioningandchildrensresponses. .Observinghowlessonscancompletelychangetheircoursebutstillbesuccessful inteachingaconcept

.Thereflectionsessionintheafternoonprovedveryvaluable.Wewereableto discusswhichaspectsofthelessonworkedwellandwhichpartswewouldneedto modifyinordertomakethelessonevenmoresuccessful.Itwasinterestingtohear fromthedifferentobserversandlistentowhattheyfoundoutintheirparticular observationalrole.

LessonsfromTurningTasksintoLessons OtherdifficultiesassociatedwithTaskType1havealsobeenaddressedthroughthe LessonStudyprocess.Anumberofteacherswereconcernedintheearlystagesasto exactlywhatthesetaskslookedlikeandtheclarityofthemodel/exemplar.Some responsesfollowingLessonStudyindicatethedevelopmentofteachersthinkingabout thistasktype: .IttookawhileformetogettheideaofTaskType1.Afterseeingitbeingtaughtin mygradeitconfirmedmyteachingwasontherighttrack. .ThetypesoflessonsdevelopedhashelpedmeunderstandTaskType1 better.Theyarebeginningtomergeforme.LessonStudywasveryhelpfulhere.

Thefinalcommentbelowalludestoapowerfulaspectofthisproject,namely,thatthe analysisofdifferenttasktypesisinfluencingteachersapproachestomathematics teachingandlearningintheirownclassrooms. .RealisingthatIneedtointegratemoreTaskType1activitiesintomyteaching programanddoingsowithgreatsuccess.

Whilefromaresearchpointofviewusefulinsightsarebeinggainedintotheprocesses involvedineachtasktypesuchastheinsightsintoTaskType1presentedinthisarticle, fromtheteachersperspectivestheirusualapproachtoteachingintheirownclassroomis beingchallenged.However,theadditionoftheprofessionaldevelopmentcomponent throughLessonStudyhasenabledthesechallengestobesupportedandchanges successfullyimplemented.Thishighlightsthekeyimportanceofensuringresearchin mathematicseducationinvolvesteachersworkingintheirownclassroomsandisproving tobeavaluablecomponentoftheTaskTypesandMathematicsLearningproject.

References Clarke,D.M.(2006).Fractionsasdivision:Theforgottennotion?AustralianPrimary MathematicsClassroom,11(3),410. Hollingsworth,H.,&Oliver,D.(2005)Lessonstudy:Aprofessionallearningmodelthat actuallymakesadifference.InJ.Mousley,L.Bragg,&C.Campbell(Eds.),MAVAnnual ConferenceProceedings2005.Melbourne:MathematicalAssociationofVictoria. StateofVictoriaDepartmentofEducationandEarlyChildhoodDevelopment.(2005) Professionallearningineffectiveschools:Thesevenprinciplesofhighlyeffective professionallearning. State of Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2007) Mathematics Developmental Continuum P - 10. http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/maths/mathscontinuum/def ault.htm Watson,A.,&Mason,J.(1998).QuestionsandPromptsforMathematicalThinking.Derby,UK: AssociationofTeachersofMathematics. White,A.,&Southwell,B.(2003)Lessonstudy:amodelofprofessionaldevelopmentfor teachersofmathematicsinyears7to12.InL.Bragg,C.Campbell,G.Herbert,&J. Mousley,(Eds.),MathematicsEducationResearch:Innovation,Networking,Opportunity: Proceedingsofthe26thAnnualConferenceoftheMathematicsEducationResearchGroupof AustraliaInc.Melbourne:DeakinUniversity.