This past week my third grade class started to use multiplication and division strategies to solve world problems. They’ve used arrays before and are now applying their understanding of multiplication and division. That practical application can be a challenge for some and I feel like it’s partially because students aren’t yet fluent with their facts. In an effort to collect a bit more data on what particular facts students were struggling with I gave the class a short 17 question Kahoot! quiz. The quiz was related to multiplication and division facts.
In the past I’ve used Kahoot to review concepts and skills in a game-based format. I’d estimate that the majority of Kahoot quizzes have a limited amount of time and points are scored. This is fine and I’m not against using this format, but it didn’t work for my purpose. I wanted students to take their time and diligently pick an answer. So, each student grabbed an iPad and completed the quiz on Wednesday. It took about five minutes or so and students reflected on how they thought they did on the quiz. The class then reviewed multiplications strategies and connected how multiplication and division are connected. The homework for that evening also reinforced some of the computation strategies that we’ve been practicing in class.
The next day students were given the same Kahoot quiz. The question order was changed and students were allowed to take as much time as needed. I printed out both the first and second quiz results for the students to see the difference between the scores. Students glued both sheets in their math journal and were asked to respond to the journal prompt below.
“Was there a difference between your first and second scores? If so, why do you think the results changed?”
Some of the responses are below.
As you can see, some of the students are connecting the idea that improvement, effort, and growth is important. I’d say this is a move in the right direction. This year my school is emphasizing the idea of Dweck’s growth mindset. Teachers are encouraged to use terms like persevere, not yet, and effort fairly frequently. Students are hearing this type of speak and even being asked by administrators questions related to having a growth mindset. By doing this activity I feel like students are starting to internalize that effective effort helps produce better results. Instead of just talking about growth mindset and the benefits, students need to be able to make a meaningful connection between effort and achievement. I feel like preaching that effort alone will reap success isn’t the whole story. I feel like students need to be able to document their journey and internalize the connections. I’m hoping to continue to use these types types of reflection activities throughout the year.
Educational Aspirations 