TE 891 , Summer, 2013

Vignette of Good Mathematics Teaching

Name: Christopher Klerkx

Part I. Vignette of good mathematics teaching

Ms. Albert had finished explaining to her students the concept of an arithmetic
sequence, and the students broke into small groups to work on a problem: if the seventh
term in an arithmetic sequence is 22 and the ninth is 30, what is the eleventh? As the
students discussed the problem, Ms. Albert walked between groups to offer guidance.
When the motion of pencils died down and chatter of less-obviously mathematical
subjects dominated the room, she chose two groups to copy their work on the blackboard
and explain their approach to the class.
Group 1 found in the textbook a general formula for a term in an arithmetic
sequence: an = a1 + (n-1)d, where an is the nth term and d is the common difference. From
this formula they wrote down two specific equations: 22 = a1 + 6d and 30 = a1 + 8d.
Subtracting the first equation from the second yielded 8 = 2d, which they simplified to
give d = 4. With d known, the students found that a1 = -2. They then applied the general
formula one last time to find the desired term: a11 = a1 + 10d = -2 + 10(4) = 38. This
approach took more work than was needed, commented Ms. Albert, but I am happy to
see that you set up and solved a system of equations. Notice that a1 was cancelled out
during subtraction. Does this suggest anything? The question was met with blank stares,
so she invited the next group to present.
We took the difference between the ninth term and the seventh term, which is 8,
explained Jordan on behalf of Group 2. These terms are two places away in the
sequence, so the common difference for the sequence is half that, or four. The eleventh
term is two places away from the ninth, so we added twice the common difference to the
ninth term to get 38.
Aha!, blurted Bethany of Group 1. It is not necessary to find the first term
maybe that is why it cancels out.
And I just thought of something, added Jordan. It is not necessary to find the
common difference, either. The difference between the seventh and ninth term has to be
the same as the difference between the ninth and eleventh term, since they are both two
spaces away. 30 minus 22 is 8, so the eleventh term is 30 plus 8.
But what if the problem had asked for the sixteenth term? asked Ms. Albert.
Then it would be better to find the common difference, reasoned Jordan.
In fact, continued Ms. Albert, if I give you any two terms of an arithmetic
sequence you can tell me any other term.
Thats like a line, realized Marcel. Two points determine a line.
I hadnt thought of that before, admitted Ms. Albert, pausing to ponder the
observation. It now occurs to me that any problem involving an arithmetic sequence can
be transformed into a problem involving a linear equation. To illustrate the point, she
wrote down the points (7,22), (9,30), and (11,y). Finding y to make these points fall on a
line is in some sense the same problem.

TE 891 , Summer, 2013

That makes sense, agreed Jasmine. Arithmetic sequences and lines always
change by the same amount.
The method used by Group 1 shows a tendency analogous to one that shows up
with linear equations, continued Ms. Albert. Some students always like to find the yintercept, even if this isnt necessary. In fact, if we started counting at zero and wrote a0
for the first term instead of a1 the analogy would be perfect. But then our formula would
have to be an = a0 + nd.
That would be betterI hate the (n-1)! exclaimed Bethany.

Part II. Analysis of your description of good mathematics

teaching
Mathematics content
Ananalogywasdiscoveredbetweenarithmeticsequencesandlinearequationsthat
enrichedunderstandingofbothstructures.

What the students were doing

Studentsdevelopedtheirownmethodsforsolvingaproblem,enablingthemtoobserve
generalpatternsratherthanfocusonthedetailsofaparticularalgorithm.

Whats most important

A genuine exchange between teacher and students led to novel insights.
Reflection: View of Teaching
My vignette shows that my vision of good teaching aligns well with the practices
advocated in this course. This course has given me a better idea of how to implement
such a lesson. The five practices model is particularly helpful in this regard. The
fictional Ms. Albert demonstrated three of the practices: selecting, sequencing, and
connecting. I now see that a great deal of work must be done during the anticipation
stage. It is important to develop some idea of the space of possible student work. This
way there will be fewer surprises during the monitoring stage, and it will be more likely
that unexpected solutions can be understood by thinking of them in relation to solutions
that were expected. I did not describe the monitoring stage during the vignette, but I
know from my experiences at Everett and with the TE 302 students that it can be difficult
to quickly comprehend student work without thoroughly thinking through the problems
beforehand.
This course has also given me a vocabulary with which to describe teacher questions
(Boaler and Brodie 2004). Ms. Albert asks a question that extends thinking (But what if
the problem had asked for the sixteenth term?) and a question that explores
mathematical meanings and relationships (Notice that a1 was cancelled out during
subtraction. Does this suggest anything?). Ms. Albert might be criticized for doing too

TE 891 , Summer, 2013

much mathematical explaining herself. She should ask more questions so that students
perform the bulk of the expository labor. Ms. Albert has no way of knowing that students
understand all the interesting point she makes. Also, the level of voluntary student
contribution in the vignette is unrealistic. In practice such a discussion would probably
only arise with more prompting from the teacher.
One aspect of planning for lessons in this course has been thinking about the big idea of
the lesson. When I wrote my vignette I didnt have any big idea in mind. I imagined that
there was simply a problem about arithmetic sequences and that Ms. Albert did a lot of
thinking on her feet during the discussion. The connection between arithmetic sequences
and linear equations is depicted in the vignette as emerging spontaneously during the
discussion. Again, this is a fictional story. It is unlikely that interesting connections will
be discovered during every class discussion. It is wise to have a big idea in mind so that
the conversation can stay focused.
I have seen that careful planning is critical to facilitating a good mathematics lesson. I do
wonder, however, if it is possible to plan too much, so that the structure of the lesson
becomes too rigid and there is less opportunity for adventure. Perhaps this worry is
unfounded. Spontaneity during a mathematics lesson happens because of thorough
planning, not in spite of it. The knowledge of a mathematical terrain acquired through
careful planning can provide the flexibility to intelligently modify a lesson as it unfolds.