King Student Work

This week students were working on divisibility tests. For example, how to determine if a large number, such as 33,992, is divisible by 7, 11, or 13. The steps for these tests were provided to students in writing with a sample number to test on a worksheet. Then students were asked to practice these tests with another large number on the worksheet.

One student who I helped complete this worksheet struggled to understand the steps for each divisibility test and, in turn, struggled to apply the steps to another large number. I walked through the steps with the student, showed the student what each step looked like, and made sure that the words that were used to in the explanation of the steps was clear to the students. The student still acted confused in an attempt to get me to give her the answer, but she eventually realized that I was not just going to give her the answer and she was able to figure out the answers with my support.

This interaction tells me that this student is beginning to understand the concept of testing divisibility, but does not have the confidence to do it on her own. It also tells me that she is used to being able to "play stupid" and then being given the answer by the teacher or a classroom, which is a gap in many students' general math understanding in my classroom.

One way to advance this student's mathematical understanding is to continue to push her to figure out answers on her own. I can also advance her mathematical understanding by supporting her in times when she is struggling and help her to become more comfortable in situations where she is unsure of herself or her understanding.