Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum

Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum

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Reasoning and ProofSession 04 OverviewTab atab btab ctab dtab eReference
Part A

Observing Student Reasoning and Proof


Think about the classroom you just observed and reflect on the following questions. When you've formulated an answer to each question, select "Show Answer" to see our commentary.

Question: How does working in groups help students develop and record patterns?

Show Answer
Sample Answer:
When students work in groups, they can talk about their own ideas and build on one another's ideas.

Question: What are some examples of questions the teacher asked to help students clarify their understanding of patterns?

Show Answer
Sample Answer:
Questions such as "What is the pattern? How can you show the pattern? What comes next?" help students focus on their work and how it relates to their understanding of what a pattern is. If students are not certain, or have not developed a pattern, these types of open-ended questions help them make sense of their work and adjust their results.

Question: What kinds of communication are students using in this lesson? How does communication help students develop their reasoning?

Show Answer
Sample Answer:
Students are talking about patterns, acting out patterns, and recording their patterns on paper. By communicating with the use of different senses (talking, listening, seeing, touching), students have many ways to express their understanding of patterns.

Question: Why does the teacher have the students record their patterns on paper?

Show Answer
Sample Answer:
Drawing the patterns reinforces their visual nature and enables students to discuss their thinking with one another and the teacher. Drawing is a way of recording what students are thinking. It also gives the teacher a written record of student work for follow-up assessment.

Question: How does sharing their patterns help students reinforce their own thinking about patterns?

Show Answer
Sample Answer:
Students solidify their own understanding when they must explain their reasoning to others. Their descriptions must be clear and accurate. When they see and listen to the explanations of their classmates, they make sense out of other peoples' reasoning and reinforce their own understanding.

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