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Sarah Jacobs

ELD 337

Dr. Bulgar

Field Report 3

The objective for an inquiry-based task was to assess how effectively the

student could complete a math related assignment. Over the duration of the task, I

looked to see if there was a common error or if he was struggling with a particular

operation or concept. The student was asked several different interview questions

along with questions that would encourage him to think differently about the

mathematical problem. The main goal of this task was to better understand and then

report on a students mathematical skills and understanding.

There are many diverse learners with various abilities to learn at different

levels in Miss Belmontes third grade class. I chose to interview and observe an eight

year old student named Joseph. Before he began the ice-cream inquiry-based task

we went into the hall, a distraction-reduced environment. The task was

implemented during 5th period, which is immediately before lunchtime. While

Joseph began to solve the inquiry-based task, I asked him interview type thinking

questions with the purpose to elicit higher-level thinking. Asking Joseph these

questions throughout the process of the task not only assisted him to think critically,

but also helped me to understand his process and comprehension of the task. I

specifically noted points when he appeared to be struggling.

Josephs previous math test indicate that math is one of his stronger subjects.

However, his previous tests showed that he had difficulty with some mathematical

concepts, including measurement and the ability to understand and solve word

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problems. As I observed Joseph, I got the sense that he had the right idea about how

to do the task but he seemed anxious. His apparent anxiety may have be a result of

lunchtime being less than an hour away.

The first step Joseph took was to read the task and then decide how many

different ways he can make the ice cream using various toppings. He estimated that

he could make the ice cream in 55 different ways. I asked Joseph how could he

figure out how many toppings without estimating. He explained that Miss Belmonte

always encourages the class to estimate before solving a math problem. I then asked

Joseph how he would solve the problem to see all the different ice cream

possibilities. Joseph stated, I would have to make a chart of combinations to see if

my estimation is correct.

Over the duration of my observation, Joseph seemed to understand the how

to solve for the answer but seemed very confused on how to start the actual process

of making the different combinations. I asked him how he could represent the

chocolate ice cream. He took out his markers and began to draw a symbol to

represent each of the ice cream flavors and toppings. Once he finished making a

symbol for each he started to form different combinations using the symbols. He

made five different combinations using the toppings and the ice cream, and then

seemed to struggle. He stated, This is hard, its going to take all day.

I told him he was doing a great job and then asked him, What if I dont like a

specific topping or ice cream? He then created another combination leaving out the

chocolate ice cream. As he continued to work I noticed that he decided to change the

symbols he was using into letters to represent each topping and ice cream flavor. He

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then continued to form more combinations. Joseph was able to make a total of

twelve combinations. However, once his class started to line up at the door for

lunchtime, he immediately lost focus and could not complete the assignment.

As a result of my observation of Josephs mathematical ability, I am better

able to understand how he has progressed throughout the year. I am also able to

assess the different types of mathematical areas he excels in and which areas he has

more difficulty. Joseph was able to create a process for working on the task, but he

was challenged by how to efficiently organize his thoughts. As a result of a

distraction, he was not able to complete the task. While his previous assessments

highlighted some of his challenges, I did not see direct connections between his

previous work and why his results for this task turned out the way they did.

I believe that Joseph needed more time to complete the task. He understood

what he had to do to complete the task but had difficulty actually doing it. Overall,

this observation allowed me to understand his thought processes throughout the

different elements of the task.