What if students no longer struggled with problem solving?

I too have struggled with solving math problems.  Looking for key words kept me from seeing word problems in their entirety.  One of the things that has helped me as a visual learner is to create a mental picture of the story that is told. I then think about the action that is taking place and apply that to the picture in my mind.

I have been working with elementary students to use visualization in their own problem solving. When they are able to step away from the numbers and focus on only the context, they begin to see the relationship between the numbers. Some of the ways I have been able to move their focus away from the numbers is by taking the numbers out of the word problem and replacing them with the word some. I have given multiple problem types using the same number and included the answer so that the focus is moved from getting the correct answer to determining the actions within the story.  Having students represent the story through drawings is another way for them to support their thinking. In one of their articles, Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016) discuss the various learning styles as part of their research. I agree with the authors when they describe vision as the sense that is the strongest and that it is the best learning tool (2016). I have been incorporating the reading strategy of visualizing into discussions with students around problem solving. After reading that Medina argues “vision is probably the best single tool we have for learning anything,” I feel that I need to improve this strategy by having students create a visual (2016). Infographics (IG) are a way for students to represent a concise idea like a word problem in graphic form.

I see and hear math misconceptions and a lack of math confidence when working with students. “How Old is the Shepherd?” is a widely known math problem that has been posed to students and adults alike. It is a word problem that has no numerical answer based on the given information. However, students find key words and apply taught procedures to give an age for the shepherd rather than stating that there isn’t enough information for the question to be answered. I wonder how the number of students answering the shepherd problem correctly would increase by seeing it as IG rather than hearing it read aloud or reading it on paper.

Many of the schools I work with are currently one-to-one with devices.  With a huge variety of presentation platforms at our fingertips, I would like to see the use of the devices to support mathematics understanding and increase confidence.  Common Craft has examples of presentations on a variety of topics (Turner & Hicks, 2017). It allows a story to be told through the use of animation. Take a look at Algorithms Explained by Common Craft.  No really, take 1:01 minutes to clear up your own misconceptions of algorithms and minimize your fear of math.  The visual aspect of the animation helped me to begin seeing algorithms everywhere including the typing used to create this sentence. This brings me back to the shepherd problem.  If students are given the opportunity to learn about mathematics in ways beyond being taught a procedure, we may have more students who choose math as their favorite subject rather than needing remedial math courses at the college level.

Infographics (IG), as a form of visual literacy, are information in the form of graphics that are intentionally designed to clearly share a message (Turner & Hicks, 2017). Furthermore, the use of IG is an impactful way to convey concepts that are abstract, such as those found in mathematics (Dunlap & Lowenthal, 2016). The message conveyed from IG includes segments that engage the viewer or “hook” them into wanting to know more. This can be accomplished with anecdotes, relatable stories, and even humor. Students can search online for examples of mathematical IG as models and then create their own to teach others about specific math concepts. Math can be shared in ways beyond showing steps in computations. Students getting started with creating their own IG should use the steps in the writing process and begin with pre-writing as Hicks (2013) suggests “the best place to start is with pencil and paper” (p. 71). Students can create a mathematical story as Hicks (2013) states “for both real-time and on-demand delivery” (p. 61).  With the use of IG we can move students away from getting an answer to a creative understanding of a word problem.

Presentation of an introduction to infographics.



References:

[Clipart}. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.flamingtext.com/net

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Commoncraft. (2015, December 9). Algorithms [Video file]. Retrieved from

     https://www.commoncraft.com/video/algorithms

Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2016).  Getting graphic about infographics: design lessons learned from 

     popular infographics. Journal of Visual Literacy, 35(1), 42-59. Retrieved from

     https://doi.org/10.1080/1051144X.2016.1205832

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH:

           

     Heinemann.

Kaplinsky, R. (2013, December 1). How old is the shepherd? [Video file]. Retrieved from

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kibaFBgaPx4

Mubeen, J. (2016, October 16). “How old is the shepherd?” – The problem that shook

           

     school mathematics. Retrieved from https://mystudentvoices.com/how-old-is-the

     shepherd-the-problem-that-shook-school-mathematics-ad89b565fff

The Mathematics Shed. (n.d.). Infographics shed. Retrieved from

http://www.mathematicshed.com/infographics-shed.html

Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T., (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts:

     Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

SmartDraw. (n.d.). Infographic. Retrieved from https://www.smartdraw.com/infographic/