Productive struggle is a state of engagement that enables students to work through challenging problems and new problems they have never seen before. Thus, making students have to do some creative thinking so they will stretch their brains.
Traditionally, it is often the quick calculators and good memorizers who are praised the most in math class. However, Stanford Professor Jo Boaler warns that instruction based solely on memorization and arithmetic can lead students to misunderstand and dislike math. Test results show that the highest achievers are those who can see the bigger picture and make connections between different mathematical concepts. There’s a growing body of research that shows that getting students to the point of productive struggle is one of the keys to achieving deeper learning and creative problem solving.
No longer do assessment questions merely ask students to apply the procedure to the problem. Instead, students are asked to come up with the procedure on their own.
Here is an example:
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To solve the problem, students must have a conceptual understanding of the question and then employ their own creative solution. The graphic above shows three ways to visualize the solution to the problem, and three methods to arrive at a solution. It is important that we teach students early on that they are free to apply their own unique thought process when faced with new problems.
By providing opportunities for students to share their reasoning and celebrating their different ways of thinking, teachers will encourage the process of productive struggle. Students engaged in this process build the creativity and confidence that allows them to attempt new challenges and problems they have never seen before.
Excerpt taken from ST Math.
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