• 11 years ago
• Posted in:eFolio Requirement, Reflection
• 0
• Author: Kim Wagner
• Tags: PCK, TELE

The Jasper Woodbury Problem Solving Series which is a video-based series of scenarios or problems that must be solved using the information provided in the video. They provide numerous numerical details that could be used by the students to solve the problem. While math problems in a text book are usually one or two steps and sometimes three or four steps, these problems have numerous steps to get to the solution; for example, “Journey to Cedar Creek” is about 15 steps long. Students must work collaboratively to come to a solution. Unlike a Math text book that itemizes skills within particular questions that build to more difficult and complex problem-solving questions, the students must determine what skills are needed to solve the problem and the whole task is problem-solving focused. There is a definite focus on students determining what information is important and working collaboratively with their peers to determine a solution. The teacher is a resource or side-by-side learner with the students to help seek information that is not given or review skills that are needed to complete the task, i.e. how to calculate gas mileage or travel time.  Most importantly, the students learn to persist when attempting to solve a difficult problem because “dealing only with simple problems can lead to misconceptions about the nature of problem-solving and explanations” (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (CTGV), 1992, p. 77).

I think there are many merits to this math teaching series in regards to pedagogy and content knowledge:

1. The problems are complicating to solve, so students could learn greater persistence when confronted with a difficult task.
2. The scenarios are engaging and interesting even though they are becoming dated in appearance.
3. Teacher can get involved as needed to ensure the task is in the “zone of proximal development” but providing the resources needed to make the task more concrete or to scaffold skills needed to proceed.
4. The focus of these lessons is for students to develop a greater mathematical understanding as opposed to computational skill.
5. The instruction is anchored: “situated in realistic, problem-rich settings” (CTGV, 1992, pg. 78) instead of isolated into fragmented, individual questions in a textbook that are quickly forgotten.
6. The students remember better because they actively pondered and discussed the problem.

Concerns I still hold when considering this approach:

1. The time consuming nature of such problems results in less problems overall being completed. Is there not enough computational practice?
2. The collaborative aspect is considered an integral component of using this teaching series. Do some students not actively engage in the process and let others in the group come to a solution even though they do not understand? Would not it be easy for a struggling student to hide their lack of understanding.

As a potential TELE designer, I would consider how this model could be transformed into an environment where students could solve complex problems using a variety of tools. I like the recommendation  to use computational tools instead of having students complete the labour intensive computations by hand or on paper. Such scenarios within an interactive learning object could make a strong connection between the concrete and the abstract, by making the abstract more concrete.

References:

Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992a). The Jasper experiment: An exploration of issues in learning and instructional design. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 40(1), 65-80.

Media Credit:

Boris Yiftach. (2010).  Brain Studies Stock Photo.  Freedigitalphotos.net.  Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Education_g314-Brain_Studies_p22348.html.