120 likes | 247 Views
Increasing the cognitive demand in the classroom Rachel Linney Aoife Kelly . What to reflect on?. Classroom management? Questioning? Student participation? Pitch of the lesson? Understanding of concepts?. Focus on tasks.
E N D
Increasing the cognitive demand in the classroom Rachel Linney Aoife Kelly
What to reflect on? • Classroom management? • Questioning? • Student participation? • Pitch of the lesson? • Understanding of concepts?
Focus on tasks • Opportunities for student learning are not created simply by putting students into groups, by placing manipulatives in front of them, or by handing them a calculator. Rather, it is the level and kind of thinking in which students engage that determines what they will learn. • The point is not that one type of task is better than another; rather, it is important to know the potential of a task so that it can be appropriately mapped on to the goals for students' learning. (Smith and Stein 2001)
Does it matter? • Research into the impact of Project Maths 2013 • Students need to be regularly given high quality tasks that require them to engage with the processes promoted by the revised syllabuses, including: problem solving; drawing out connections between mathematics topics; communicating more effectively in written form; and justifying and providing evidence for their answers. • Review of Textbooks 2011 • No one textbook deals with problem-solving satisfactorily.
Task Sorting Activity • TASK A – M • High Level/Low level • Adapted from Stein and Smyth 2001
Difficulties Smith, M. (2001) Implementing High Cognitive Demand Tasks in Mathematics Classrooms. NCTN Seminar Series
A few tips … Smith, M. (2001) Implementing High Cognitive Demand Tasks in Mathematics Classrooms. NCTN Seminar Series
Further exploration… • Analyse the tasks you use in a week • Analyse text-book tasks and exam questions • Modify low level tasks
Thank you! • For a copy of presentation- email • Aoife.Kelly@ncca.ie • Rachel.linney@ncca.ie