Student Interviews and Children's Literature

Student Interviews

In one of my classes today, we watched an interview of a student and a teacher. The teacher had the student complete the following problem:

Blocks measure 1 1/2 inches on each side. A cube 1 foot wide, 1 foot long, and 1 foot high is made of these cubes. How many little blocks are in the large cube of blocks?

The important concepts in this problem are apparent: volume, scaling, conversions. As the student worked through the problem, the teacher asked questions about what she was thinking and how to go on from there.

I think student interviews are a great assessment method! While watching this interview, it was very clear what the student understood about the problem, as well as what she understood about numbers and operations too. Also, it was very clear what she did not understand. For example, the student was having a problem knowing how many blocks would fit along one side of the cube. The teacher tried to break it down in to "how many blocks fits in to three inches?," and the student understood that. But, she could not see that 1 foot was 12 inches, so she would use the same method as in the three-inch question to see how many blocks fit on one side. Also, the student clearly did not understand what the volume formula actually meant. She knew that she needed to use the formula, but she didn't know when to actually use it.

When interviewing a student, teachers need to be very careful about what they say. In the interview we watched, toward the end the interviewer told the student that there are 12 inches in a foot and pretty much led her to the answer. To truly use a student interview as a valid assessment method, teachers must only ask questions about what they are thinking or to explain their steps. Leading a student to the answer, while it helps them not struggle on this problem, does not show the teacher what the student knows. This can be really hard to do. I've noticed that while I tutor, I tend to lead them to the answer sometimes. I'll need to monitor this in myself this year in tutoring and working in the schools before having a class of my own.

I see myself using student interviews throughout the year. I think the best way to conduct these interviews is to set up stations around the room for students to work on problems and develop concepts. During that time, I can call up students to work a problem for me to see what they know. This takes them away from the rest of the students in a less-noticeable way. Plus, the rest of the students are engaging in worthwhile tasks!

Children's Literature

On another topic, another class I'm in requires us to develop an activity to go along with a children's book. I found a series about a character named Sir Cumfrence which deals with geometry concepts in the context of a knight and Medieval times. I was really excited when I discovered this series, and I plan on purchasing the books!

Children's literature is a great way to motivate students at the beginning of a lesson. Everyone loves children's books (even college students!), and there are many books out there that can be tied to math concepts for all ages. I can't wait to use this method in my classroom and will continue searching for books that relate to concepts that I will teach in high school.