Using Group Tasks

#TMC13

Different ways to use groups:

• going over homework
• correcting quizzes and tests
• investigations & rich tasks
• gathering data
• reviewing for quizzes and tests
• practice
• solo vs competition vs collaboration

Characteristics of a good task:

• No one person could easily do the task alone
• Appropriate level of challenge & interest
• Multiple entry points
• Multiple paths/approaches
• Can have one right answer or many

Group task #1

adapted from IMP, Year 1

Group task #2

adapted from IMP, Year 1

Group task #3

adapted from Exeter Math 1 problem set

Adapting tasks

The original version for task #3:

Group task #4

Leslie was planning an ornamental garden. She wanted the garden to be square, 10 feet on each side, and she wanted part of this area to be used for a border of tiles. The tiles that she wanted to use were each 1 foot by 1 foot square. How many tiles does Leslie need? Write down as many ways as you can for figuring this out, showing all of your work in detail. For each method that you find, draw a diagram that shows how this method works.

adapted from Connected Mathematics, Year 7

Using group tasks in the classroom

• read through, identify key information
• work alone time, then group time
• circulate and identify different strategies, ask questions
• decide on who presents & in what order
• connect to learning objectives, summarize
• individual assessment

References:

• Designing Groupwork by Elizabeth G. Cohen
• 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions by Margaret Smith & Mary Stein
• Interactive Mathematics Program series
• CME Project series
• Discovering series
• Connected Mathematics series
• Exeter problem sets
• Get it Together from Equals Project