Well, to be honest with you it took me a while to be convinced to give Problem of the Day a try. It went against everything I had previously done in math– one problem vs. multiple practice problems, a lot of time for students to talk (even if they are wrong), not directly teaching students how to solve. However, once I finally took the leap of faith and tried Problem of the Day I almost immediately noticed a change in my students. Students were engaged, excited, and willing to participate. Math quickly became everyone’s favorite part of the day.
In my second year of implementing Problem of the Day my students made 2 and 3 years worth of gains in their math scores on the standardized test. Nothing beats the smiles on faces of kids that just surpassed a growth goal in June they had no hope of meeting in August. Disclaimer- standardized tests are not the only way (or even the main way) I help students track their growth. Almost every year my students are so validated as they click through the test questions with confidence that they can solve any and every problem.
3 Responses