Page 234 - Children’s mathematical development and learning needs in perspective of teachers’ use of dynamic math interviews

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Appendices
Appendix D: Examples of parts of dynamic math interviews (English and Dutch) Example in English:
A good example of actively involving the child in the identification of needs during a dynamic math interview. Below is a part of the interview.
Teacher (T): What we discovered together in this interview...on a scale of 1 to10, you assigned yourself a 5 for math when your goal was to reach a 7. Look, here we noted what we discovered [they have written down all the identified needs under the scale line drawn in the student’s notebook). To reach the 7, you have to read more precisely, pay more attention during the math lesson, and join the small group that gets extra instruction. What else?
Child (C): Think for myself first.
T: Great. What else works well?
C: Paper.
T: Yes, using a notebook to organize your thinking process. What else? C: Work precisely.
T: Yes. And you also told me that you have to read the problem thoroughly, also the title of the math problem.
C: And search for the answer.
T: For sure. Also on this problem [he points at a math problem that the child just solved], the answer was hidden, but you searched out the answer like a detective. And another point of attention was the use of a ratio table. Sometimes you used it correctly, sometimes you did not use it at all. We just solved a problem with a ratio table together and then you succeeded.
In this dynamic math interview the teacher actively involved the child in identification of his/her math needs and also wrote down specific needs under the scale line. The teacher asked questions about abilities and qualities which contributed to the child’s decision to assign himself a 5 along the scale line. The teacher first addressed the child’s strengths and then asked what the child needs to reach a 7. Co-responsibility for learning was promoted in such a manner.