Open Questions = Open Access for all Students

Hi everyone!

In my Math Teaching course, we learned about the power of using open ended questions in the classroom.

Often times, students have a fear of math simply because they are worried that they will not be able to find the correct answer. Many students worry that they will be put on the spot in front of their teacher and peers, and they will be forced to admit that they "do not know the answer" or worse, attempt to provide a solution and realize it's the wrong answer. This fear of public humiliation can cause math anxiety that continues to build the longer that students feel like they have nothing meaningful to contribute to their class.

By starting a lesson with an open-ended question, all students are able to participate in the class discussion because there is "no right answer". As my teacher put it, "If I went around to each group, I know that every student in that group would have something to tell me about the picture/pattern/question." It would be amazing to design a question that can capture the attention of all of my students, so that they can all feel like they are a part of the discussion. By using open-ended questions at the beginning of a lesson, it gives students an opportunity to get into the flow of the class, gets them excited and engaged, and it eases some of their anxiety when they are able to play an active role in the classroom.

A great example of an open-ended math question is estimation. Estimation is a skill that students can develop to make accurate guesses that will help them determine if their solutions are realistic or completely off-base. Estimation can also be used in the real world. By helping our students develop their estimation skills, we are helping them determine if they have enough money to pay for their items when they are standing in the check-out lane; we are helping them determine if their furniture will fit into their college dorm room; we are helping them estimate how long it will take to walk home or drive somewhere; and we are helping them plan events when they need to estimate how much pizza needs to be ordered for a large number of people. This is a great tool to foster because it brings the real world into the math classroom, and it brings math into the real world.

We can use estimation as an open-ended question because every student has their own opinion and internal guesses; therefore, every student can participate in the lesson without fearing that their answers will be rejected. Estimations are accurate guesses; they do not always have to be exact, so this may ease some of the math anxiety associated with getting the correct answer.

A great resource for any teacher that would like to include estimation in their lessons, is Estimation180. It is a website that provides pictures and videos that students can watch/examine to make predictions; once they have all decided on an accurate guess, the teacher can show the answer image or video and students can compare their answers with the actual answer. The teacher can then have a follow-up discussion, where students can determine why their answer may have been a bit off. Here is a video example from Estimation180 that helps students begin to think about adding fractions:

For more fun ways to use estimation in your classroom, check out Estimation180.org. 

Thanks for reading everyone, and have a wonderful day!

Dayna