Rich Activities and Groupworthy and Ideas About Math

Rich Activities

Rich activities occur when the student are required to not just memorize the material, but connect to the concepts on a deeper level. Planning is an important step in making sure that the activity has reached a high level of cognitive demand. Two ways that this can be done is tapping into prior knowledge and having the students explore multiple methods of solving the problem. Now, the teacher needs to find ways to support the students as they are completing the task. All students will work at various paces so the teacher must make sure that the students who are finding the activity easier can be presented with a challenge and additional help can be added for those students who are struggling. Making sure that the focus stays on the mathematical concepts of the lesson is also very important. Lastly, the discussion and sharing of the lesson should always take place. This will make sure that all students are on the same page and have a deeper understanding of the topic and can communicate their ideas regarding mathematics.

Groupworthy and Ideas About Math

There are many math skills that students should practice and have in their skill set as they are completing their schooling that will help them in not only math class, but solving real world problems. Equitable math teaching occurs when students are given the opportunity to learn to their fullest potential. Group work is a great way to accomplish this goal in the math classroom but norms need to be set up so that all students feel comfortable working with their peers. Also, all students should feel that they can succeed and that they are being challenged. Tasks should pose a question that can be solved using many different methods and can be related to multiple examples. When expecting group work with your students, there should be individual and group expectations that are clear so that each student knows their role. The students will be held accountable throughout their work with their group, whole class discussion, and personal work and they will be assessed formally at the close of the lesson that will be precise and based on work that the student and their group has completed.