Problem Solving – A Group Approach

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Kristin Cayo

Kristin Cayo

MCTM District 3 Director, 5th grade teacher, Forest Hills Elementary, Eden Prairie

Everyone struggles with something. My students were struggling with making sense of story problems found in textbooks, practice worksheets and assessments. I doubt that I am alone. A focus in my classroom this year is based on the state standard in Number Sense at most grades that begins “solve real life and mathematical problems…”

We have this standard written on the board and we have discussed what we think it means. To the fifth graders in my classroom it means when you come across a problem in life, you might find that math is the answer. If math is the answer, you better get thinking about what kind of math might help you solve it.

There is little we can do about the types of questions that textbook authors or test makers write for us, but we have been looking for “real” problems in our lives at school and at home. We sometimes rewrite or change the context (but not content) of a story problem to make it more realistic to us or even to make it funny. I also take problems from Challenge Math by Edward Zacarro, which is a great resource.

My students and I have dedicated the first half of one math class a week (and sometimes the entire session) to group problem solving and solution sharing.

The format we use is as follows:

  • Students sit in groups of 3 or 4. Sometimes I group them, other times I let them choose.
  • Each group has a large piece of butcher paper at the center of their workspace (base group, table or floor space – they get to choose where they work).
  • Each group gets one copy of the problem to be solved. Everyone takes a turn reading it out loud.
  • Groups spend the next 2 or 3 minutes discussing the problem, asking questions and clearing up misunderstandings and misconceptions.
  • For the next 10 minutes, everyone works the problem in a corner of the paper – they can work without helping each other or they can help one another but everyone must do math related to the problem.
  • Everyone shares the math they did, equations they used, their thinking about the problem and how they solved or would continue to solve the problem. I allow about 5-7 minutes for this.
  • Finally, the group works together to choose a solution to the problem and show the steps. Students use the center of the butcher paper and a marker to show their work.

This process has been a work in progress, but we have found that the format above is very effective. In fact, we have had to move on to more advanced problems due to our increased competence. The time spent, while initially hard to give up, has proven to be well worth it. Every student has gained confidence and is not afraid to tackle a challenge.

You might be thinking, I have a small class, teach the “top” kids or have extremely well-behaved students. I would say my students are typical 5th graders. I have 30 students who are two-thirds male, extremely social and run the gamut of competence in mathematics. Those last three factors are why this way of learning and sharing is such a big hit with them. They get to socialize (about mathematics), while doing work with peers, I often let them choose their groups (unless it goes horribly wrong) and they know that they will be successful in the end.

I would encourage teachers of elementary students to try a model similar to the one I described. I would love to hear your approach and format. Go ahead, try it, you might like it.