Math Task Framework:
Contributors:
Stephanie Casper
Marissa Minnick
Samantha Townsend
April Warren
A professional development guide.
Implications
The math task framework has many implications for students' learning and how teachers should implement both high cognitive and low cognitive demand tasks. Implications for student learning predominantly include a greater sense of direction as to what students are supposed to learn from the lesson at hand. If beginning math class with a procedure with connection task, for example, students are focused on the application of a procedure or procedures to various types of problems. This focus gives students a clear vision of what they are supposed to learn from each task. Accompanied by learning targets, tasks are a powerfool tool for creating a sturdy foundation for student learning. Similarily, tasks empower students by offering teachers a system for categorizing their assignments. For example, if a student struggles with identifying when to subtract in a word problem, the teacher may offer the student a low cognitive demand graphic organizer task that aids the student in their memorization of subtraction vocabulary. The math task framework allows for greater organization, thus helping with differentiation and, most importantly, individualized student success.
Regarding teacher implementation of tasks, it is important to note that tasks can change their categorization based on the methods of teacher implementation, including teachers’ responses to students’ questions and the guidance given during the task. Due to the sensitive nature of tasks, teachers must carefully consider the weight of their actions on student investigation and the resulting discussion. Although it is certainly acceptable to view tasks’ categorization as fluid and make specific changes to guide the lesson in an intended direction, the purpose of investigating the role of teacher implementation is to emphasize that tasks’ classification are highly susceptible to outside intervention. This susceptibility implies a need for the teacher's direct forethought while enacting such tasks in the classroom.