For this task students were instructed to solve the subtraction problems using base ten blocks. Some of the students have mastered this task and can do it quickly but a lot of students still needed a lot of help. Every problem on this worksheet involved regrouping and borrowing from the tens column.
1. I was wondering if my students really understand when to regroup. Since every problem on this sheet required regrouping it is hard to tell if they would know how to do this on their own.
- in order to answer this question I would have to see the students work on a worksheet where problems are mixed in with each other rather than this worksheet where each problem requires the same method each time.
- It also might be helpful to talk more to students about what they are doing while solving the problem. I think a lot of them have only memorized the steps and don't actually understand what they are doing.
2. I want to know if the blocks are helping the students with the concept or if they make it more confusing for them.
- a lot of time students have trouble understanding that once you move the base ten block over to the ones column it becomes ten individual ones. I saw a lot of students try to count the entire ten block as one block rather than individual pieces.
- one way to deal with this would be to make base ten blocks out of one blocks and have them break it apart when moving it to the other column.
3. Is it helpful for students to do so many of the same type of problem in a row or does it only lead to more confusion if the students are struggling with the concept.
- some of my students that had trouble would get ten or more problems wrong in a row. Then when i tried to correct it with them they would get overwhelmed because they had so many mistakes. They seemed discouraged and wanted me to finish the worksheet for them. They wouldn't work on any more problems with out me standing right by their side, afraid to make another mistake. It might be helpful if students don't feel like they have to complete the entire worksheet in a certain amount of time and hand it in. I would maybe try dividing the work up for some of the students that were having difficulty and see if they improve.
Excellent questions and thoughts about this way of doing math...How might you go about uncovering some tentative answers to these questions? Perhaps by interviewing students? Or interviewing your cooperating teacher? Or experimenting with different methods and asking students about these different methods?
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