The importance of creating an open-ended task is to present students with tasks that are respectful and reasonably challenging but also accessible for all learners. (Dickenson & Coddington, 2019, at p. 110). Rather than closed-ended tasks, which are focused on one way of thinking and have a single correct answer, open-ended tasks are unpredictable, have multiple solutions and incorporate many ways of thinking and decision-making. (Dickenson & Coddington, 2019, at p. 110).
There are two approaches to take in creating open-ended tasks. The first is the backwards approach in which the teacher writes a close-ended question with the traditional answer, considering the skill to be taught. (Dickenson & Coddington, 2019, at p. 127). To rewrite a task using the backwards approach, the teacher should: identify the task as it would traditionally be asked (closed-ended); determine the characteristics of the task (skills to be learned); and, rewrite the task so it allows for more answers and is broader. (Dickenson & Coddington, 2019, at p. 128). The second approach to moving from a closed-ended task to an open-ended task is known as the adaptive approach, in which the teacher identifies a closed-ended task, identifies the parts of the tasks which can be rewritten, and rewrite the task so that it is open-ended. (Dickenson & Coddington, 2019, at p. 128).
The task that I’ve chosen to translate from closed-ended to open-ended is for sixth grade geometry. (Mathematics Assessment Resource Service (MARS), 2007-2015). The instructional goal is to solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area and volume. (Mathematics Assessment Resource Service (MARS), 2007-2015). I chose the candle box project for several reasons. The first is that I like candles, and I can introduce the assignment by asking students about types of candles, what they like about candles, what candles can do. I also chose it because it can be modified for younger students, because geometry is one of the domains to be taught in first grade. (National Governor’s Association for Best Practices & Counsel of the Chief State School Officers, 2010). I chose it because the students will learn concepts such as reasoning with shapes and their attributes, for example the shape of some candles are rectangular while others could be cylinders or circles. Finally, the students can draw the candles in their interactive math workbooks graph paper, which incorporates art into the lesson.
References
Dickenson, P. & Coddington, L. (2019). Teaching Outside the Box: Technology-Infused Math Instruction. Kendall Hunt.
Mathematics Assessment Resource Service (MARS). (2007-2015). Mathematics Assessment Tasks. Retrieved July 21, 2020 from https://www.map.mathshell.org/tasks.php?unit=ME05&collection=9
National Governor’s Association for Best Practices, Counsel for the Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core Standards. Retrieved July 21, 2020 from http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/1/G/
Going to School with Ms. Kasey 