Moving Beyond, “What Should I Do First?”

In this episode, Chrissy shares tips and ideas about how to engage students in deeper thinking about math, including:

• why questions teachers ask are an important areas of focus

• the main goals of posing purposeful questions: to access and advance students’ reasoning and sense making about important mathematical ideas and relationships

• the connection between conceptual understanding and teacher questions

• 10 questions to ask before students solve a math problem

3 reasons to reconsider the use of the question: “What Should I Do First?”

• “I” positions the teacher as the owner of the problem, not the students

• “Should” sends the message that there is one correct answer

• The question focuses on procedures vs. understanding

Resource Links:

• 10 Questions to Ask Before Students Solve a Math Problem