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PIP Report Findings

A five-week study on fifteen grade six and fifteen grade seven students was conducted to challenge
students’ negative perception of mathematical problem solving (PS), explore diverse PS strategies
and strengthen perseverance when PS. As a pre-service teacher specialising in mathematics
education, I found my final inquiry placement provided an exemplary opportunity to apply my four
years of mathematics theory into practice.

Over the years I have gained confidence in teaching all learning areas of Australian Curriculum
(ACARA), however the one invaluable area requiring attention was instructional strategy in regards to
mathematical PS. I believe that developing my teacher behaviour in this area is imperative primarily
because PS provides a vehicle for developing logical thinking and promotes student centred learning
outcomes (Aydogdu & Ayaz 2007). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1980) also
suggests that PS be the focus of mathematics teaching given the nature of enhancing and
transferring skills into unfamiliar real word situations.

The open-ended nature of problem-solving has made it difficult for me to feel confident developing
student mathematical thinking skills. With no set rules or single right answer, the learning offers low
entry, high exit tasks requiring higher order thinking and creative and critical thinking skills. The range
of approaches has made it challenging for me manage the learning environment and maximise the
learning outcomes for all my students. Upon reflection, I found that I struggled to support students’
learning by providing them with valuable scaffolding and direction before, during and after PS. For this
reason, I decided to dedicate my inquiry project on developing my instructional strategies to support
students to develop logical thinking. The inquiry question is ‘‘How can specific problem solving
strategies support year 6/7 students demonstrate their mathematical thinking and understanding?’.

During the study period, students were presented with four different PS tasks. These tasks challenged
students’ mathematical knowledge and understanding of whole numbers, fractions, decimals,
percentages and ratios. Students worked collaboratively in pairs and/or small groups, with designated
random and strategic participants. Problem-solving approaches and justifications were shared in
whole class settings to identify a wide range diverse strategies and systematic approaches. At the
end of the study, students improved willingness to engage in PS, made aware of the value of
approaching problems systemically, acknowledged that problems can be solved in more than one
way and increased their ability to communicate and transfer skills of mathematical knowledge and
understanding into unfamiliar contexts.

For the duration of my study I referred to a renowned mathematician who I identified in Van De Walle,
Karp and Bay Williams 2014, named George Polya. Polya outlines four step of PS in his book How to
Solve It (1945). The key process is (1) preparation – understand the problem, (2) thinking time –
devise a plan, (3) Insight – carry out the plan, and (4) Verification – look back. I found this approach
provided the scaffolding and simplicity I needed to begin my inquiry journey.
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The category seven primary school is located in the northern-suburbs of Adelaide. With 420 student
enrolments only 5% of the students have a language background other than English and 0% identify
as Indigenous students. I was allocated a composite grade six/seven class containing fifteen grade
six students and fifteen grade seven students. One grade seven female student is identified as having
learning difficulties in information processing. This particular student receives nine hours per week of
support time with the SSO. One grade six male student has ADHD and shows signs of bipolar
disorder. Four other students remain undiagnosed and demonstrate strong signs of difficulties in
information processing and anxiety.

My inquiry process involves four distinct mathematics PS tasks. I planned to facilitate one PS task per
week every Friday during my morning block (appendix 1 - week 1 PIP checklist). Each PS task was
selected purposefully based on students’ capabilities, relevancy and current learning focus in class
(appendix 2 –lesson plan for first PS task). The PS tasks were carefully selected from various
sources, including; my placement mentor’s PS collection, university mathematics tutor and accessed
online through the National Numeracy Strategies website.

The data collection methods I incorporated to regularly reflect on and evaluate my practise included;
1. Reflective journal (appendix 3) – to evaluate the weekly PS strategy and assess its validity. I
reflected on my instructional strategy and made notes on how I can improve my practise for
the following week. The self-evaluation helped me identify what worked and did not, refine my
approaches and also brainstorm other ways to encourage higher order thinking in the
sessions to follow.

2. One-on-one meetings with my mentor (appendix 4) – based on his observations of my PS

strategies and impact on students. Questions I asked included;

 Is there evidence of me encouraging multiple PS approaches?

 Have I been able to explain a specific PS strategy using clear and concise
steps?
 Have I provided students with opportunities to describe their personal PS process
to peers?
 Am I facilitating valuable discussions for students to evaluate different PS
strategies and identify strengths and weaknesses of each?

3. Poster Work - completed in pairs (appendix 5) – students displayed their PS skills using
two strategies and explained their process orally to the class. Based on the students’
explanation of their process and thoughts, I evaluated how much they took away from my
instructional strategy.
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After evaluating my teaching behaviour, I identified specific changes which had to be made to my
practise. Firstly, I need to consider my students’ abilities more critically. The task itself was almost
beyond their capabilities, however the open ended nature did allow for them to experiment freely.
Some students were quick to feel frustration, which made me realise the importance of perseverance
during tasks like this. Three years ago, I enrolled into a university course called ‘Developing
Mathematical Thinking Skills’, throughout this course we focused on the phases of PS as outlined in
the book Thinking Mathematically (2010). The book highlights the importance of developing an
internal monitor and provides insights into ways to keep persisting and coming up with helpful
questions which gets you going again. Although I did not get a chance to practise these skills during
my inquiry project, it is an approach I will definitely experiment with as a graduate teacher.
Nevertheless, next time I need to clearly explain the nature of problem solving and how there is no
right or wrong way to approach a question. Moreover, if they do feel frustration, to refer back to
Polya’s four step PS approach and track their thinking process.

I found it was a great idea to have students at the beginning of the lesson volunteer in role-play
examples, this gave every student in the class an opportunity to engage in different approaches to
problem solving. Also, providing the students with a type of visual aid, in this instance grid paper, as a
strategy to demonstrate their mathematical thinking, allowed them to draw the KitKat bars to scale (1
KitKat bar = 10 cm) and in return support their thought process through accurate visual
representations. Now, reflecting on this experience I definitely think it is invaluable to provide students
with visual aid like this during problem solving tasks to help map their thinking.

At the end of the session, pairs were asked to share their problem solving process in the form of role
play again. This gave the whole class an opportunity to consider different approaches and also
question the thinking of their class mates. The discussion, although short, was a great way to make
observations of student thinking.

One key factor to change was student grouping. Instead of allowing students to choose their own
pairs/groups, I found it more valuable to group them myself based on ability groups. For one problem
solving task I arranged groups of four based on grade and gender, e.g one grade six girl, one grade
six boy, one grade seven girl and one grade seven boy. This took students out of their comfort zone
and also resulted in higher levels of participation in the problem solving. However, upon observing a
few groups I noticed the grade six students sat back and let the grade sevens lead. Although this is
natural, it disabled grade six students from demonstrating maximum participation. Next time, it will be
valuable to have students working in smaller groups.

The open nature of PS naturally exposed students to endless possibilities, which challenged students
struggling to demonstrate higher order and creative and critical thinking skills. This was an issue as I
would have some student’s panic and struggle to figure out how to start their PS. Upon noticing this, I
modified one of the four PS tasks and included clear step by step questions to guide students’ thought
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PIP Report Findings
process (appendix X). The clear scaffold allowed students to fathom the sequence of PS for that
specific task. On another note, displaying PS techniques on the board for students to refer back to
was a great way to guide their thought process.

Additionally, I found that creating PS tasks based on real world scenarios, e.g Farewell Lunch (real
scenario which took place Week 3) added to the meaningfulness of the learning and also students’
ability to transfer knowledge into real contexts.

Moreover, I found it advantageous to prepare a set of questions requiring higher order thinking skills
prior to the learning activity. This way I had a clear indication of which direction I wanted the students
to take and how far I wanted to extend them.

In summary, the inquiry focus has had a high impact on my professional learning. Through this
research I have appreciated the importance of knowing your students and how they learn by selecting
appropriate and challenging content and providing meaningful support. I recognised the benefits of
identifying key questions to guide the PS process and setting clear and high expectations of work
quality. Equally as important, I realised the significance of providing students with at least one
strategy to solve a specific problem (refer to notes on appendix 5). This guides students’
mathematical thinking and enables them to kick start their PS without feeling frustrated or
overwhelmed. I also found my own knowledge and understanding of PS methods has drastically
expanded due to my students’ diverse approaches. On a final note, delivering clear instructions along
with providing encouragement and abundant examples to support students to demonstrate their
mathematically thinking and understanding cannot be overstated.
Dilek Boduk 110147118
EDUC 4206 - Professional Inquiry Project: Report

References

 Aydogdu, M & Ayaz, MF 2008, ‘The Importance of Problem Solving in Mathematics Curriculum’, New
World Science Academy, Natural and Applied Sciences, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 538-545.

 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 1980, ‘An Agenda for Action: Recommendations for
Social Mathematics of the 1980s, Reston, Virginia NCTM

 Polya, G 1990, ‘Four step approach to problem solving’, How to Solve it, Penguin Books, London

 Van De Walle, JA, Karp, KS & Bay-Williams, JM 2014, ‘Teaching Through Problem Solving’,
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, 8th ed, Pearson Education Limited, England

 Mason, J, Burton, L & Stacey, K 2010, ‘Thinking Mathematically’, 2nd ed, Pearson Education Limited,
England
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Appendices
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EDUC 4206 - Professional Inquiry Project: Report
Appendix 1

PIP WEEK 1 OF 4 CHECKLIST

Task Comment

Week 1 – Monday to Thursday

Find first problem solving task.
Prepare a lesson plan outlining the learning
activity
Outline strategies to support students in
developing their mathematical thinking
Week 1 – Friday
Morning Block
Facilitate problem solving task with class
Incorporate visual demonstrations using student
volunteers + physical resources

Week 1 – Friday
Ask four/five groups to share their problem
solving with the class using student volunteers

Week 1 – Friday
Collect students’ work and evaluate students’
approaches, i.e have they took on board the
strategies you introduced?

Week 1 – Friday
One-on-one meeting with mentor
Ask mentor questions outlined in plan. Take notes
for self-evaluation

Week 1 – Friday
Evaluate instructional strategy and identify what
worked and did not. How can you refine for next
time? What other strategies can you introduce?
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EDUC 4206 - Professional Inquiry Project: Report

Appendix 2 – Example of lesson Plan for 1st problem solving task

Detailed Lesson Plan By: Dilek Boduk

110147118
Maths: Problem Solving (Fractions – Kit Kat)
Year level: 6/7 Duration: 60 minutes
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EDUC 4206 - Professional Inquiry Project: Report
GENERAL CAPABILITIES CROSS-CURRICULUM PRIORITIES
 Literacy  Ethical understanding  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
histories and cultures
 Numeracy  Personal and social  Asia and Australia’s engagement with
competence Asia
 ICT Competence  Intercultural understanding  Sustainability
 Critical and creative
thinking
Content Year 6: Define simple problems, and describe and follow a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to
solve them (ACTDIP010)
Description
(what are the big
concepts and Year 7: Design, modify and follow simple algorithms involving sequences of steps, branching, and iteration (repetition)
why is the (ACTDIP019)
learning
important?)
Objective: The aim of this low-entry, high exit problem solving task is to expand student knowledge and understanding of
fractions and challenge them to think of strategies to best tackle the question. Students are encouraged to try multiple
approaches to find the ‘best’ possible solution to a question.

Learning
Introduction: 10 mins
Activities
Activity 1: Brain Refresher
Recap knowledge of fractions through class discussion, ask or model the following;
o What is a fraction?
o What can you do with fractions?
o Ask students Yes or No questions, e.g can 0.5 be represented as a fraction? 0.25? 0.70? 0.35?
Observe student responses as confusion may arise. Reiterate that a whole thing can be divided
into any fraction.
o Draw a square symbol for both the numerator and denominator, ask students what these stand
for. Challenge students by changing the symbol, e.g triangle over square or asterisk over asterisk.
What does this mean?
o Show students the following three fractions; ½, ¼, 1/8. How are these pronounced, what does it
represent?

o Have students share some examples of fractions

o As a class ask students to call out what the half of a number is, e.g 50, 14, 32….
Note: A fraction is an equal part of a whole thing.
Development: 40 mins
Activity 2: Our Problem for the day!
Introduce the Kit Kat Task using the explanation below. Stack 3 chocolate bars on 1 chair, 2 on another and 1 on its
own.
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EDUC 4206 - Professional Inquiry Project: Report
Activity 3: Whole Class Problem Solving (10 mins)
Model the task via an interactive class example. Use the following instructions as a guide:
1. Use six Kit Kat blocks
2. Nominate 10 students to participate in the demonstration. Remember that student 8, 9 & 10 will need to
engage in higher order thinking so choose the students wisely.
3. Have students line up in a row, in turns they will each select one chair to stand next to and explain their
thinking. As each student problem solves and makes a decision on where to stand ask the rest of the class
what fraction of the chocolate this person will receive and why they decided this particular group would give
them the most chocolate.
4. At the 10th person, reiterate the fraction of chocolate that will be up for grabs in each group. Once the 10th
person decides where to go, ask them to share their problem solving skills

Activity 4: Pair THINKING (20 mins)

Reinforce the task and divide students into groups of two with a reminder that they need to choose a partner they will
work well with. Remind students that they need to scatter the people fairly, rather than putting all 9 people in one group
and saving all 3 chocolate blocks for person 10.
1. Hand out grid paper and highlight that 1 square is 1cm in length (hint)

2. Students need to show their problem solving and be prepared to share at the end of the lesson
Closure: 10 mins
Activity 5: Sharing problem solving

Nominate a few pairs to share their problem solving to the class. Have the volunteers come up and demonstrate so the
class can visually understand the process, ask the problem solvers the following;
1. What fraction of the chocolate will each person in each group receive?

2. Why have you placed person 10 in the ___ group?

3. If applicable; why is one group much more crowded compared to the other two?

Homework:

Nil

Assessment
Formative Assessment:
 Observations during whole class discussions
 Individual student problem solving demonstrated on paper

Resources
 Poster paper

 Permanent marker

 30x grid paper

 6x Kit Kat bars

Dilek Boduk 110147118
EDUC 4206 - Professional Inquiry Project: Report
Appendix 3 – Snippet of Reflective journal entry

Snippet of reflective journal entry

I tried to make this week’s problem solving meaningful to students by focusing on a real life scenario
(appendix 6). This Friday we are going to host a shared lunch for one of our colleagues who will be going on
maternity leave. Students all paid $5 each for the shared lunch which includes pizza slices, hot chips and a
drink. I thought this would be a perfect chance to motivate them to problem solve and find the learning
experience relevant.

For the last two weeks I noticed students struggled to figure out how to start their problem solving process. I
need to emphasize Polya’s 4 steps so they can organise their thoughts and start somewhere. I think it is going
to be valuable to share with students a guide to problem solving.

To change my approach this week, I decided to add questions under the story problem. This is to help my
students identify what they need to solve first before moving on to the next question. I also decided to group
them strategically this time as some groups do not get any work done together, particularly my year six boys.
Must separate them. But yes definitely need to model the problem solving process again! Go through each of
the steps carefully and make sure to understand well before teaching to students!

Appendix 4 – Mentor Feedback on my instructional strategy – emailed document

14th September 2018

Maths: Problem Solving
Instructional skills –
 Waited until all students were listening and engaged.
 Clear, strong and confident voice.
 Knew exactly what you were explaining to the students and went through the task in a step by step
instruction.
 Referred back to the four steps of problem solving and emphasised the importance.
 Asked students if they were unsure of anything that was expected of them.
 Encouraged multiple approaches by having students share their problem solving process at the end of
the lesson
 Facilitated a discussion after each group shared their process to elicit their thinking
Dilek Boduk 110147118
EDUC 4206 - Professional Inquiry Project: Report
Appendix 5 – Student Poster Work

From this problem solving task I

elicited that some students
decided to take on board the
strategy of using grid paper
meanwhile others chose to
problem solve using other
approaches such as pie graphs.
Although these students can
choose whichever method works
for them, when I asked them
justify their reasoning, most of
them were unsure of how to
approach the task. Meanwhile
the students who used the
strategy encouraged were able
to develop their problem solving
in a less stressful way. They also
had more opportunities to work
systemically. Self-reflection:
definitely provide students
with a scaffold and at
least one strategy to
use, in this case grid
paper and scale (KitKat
= 10 cm, 1 grid cell = 1
cm)
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EDUC 4206 - Professional Inquiry Project: Report
Appendix 6 – Example of Week 3 problem solving task