Abstract:

Recent national public policy addresses the need for strengthening mathematics problem solving, communication and reasoning for the elementary school students as stated in the National Standards written by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

This study was designed to analyze the effects of working collaboratively, using technology and increasing mathematical discourse on the fraction problem solving abilities of a sixth grade mathematics class. The mathematics class, located in a suburban school setting, was introduced to working more collaboratively by being grouped in small heterogeneous groups that worked on a problem together by creating a Thinking Map (a drawing to show the steps in the process) of the sequence for a solution to a fraction problem. Students were encouraged to question each other's thinking as they grappled with their understanding of mathematics and problem solving. The class then used technology to record the steps, which had been turned into a script, for a podcast they produced for the Internet. While the class was involved with this process, the classroom discourse was enriched through the use of precise, mathematical vocabulary.

Several measures were used to demonstrate growth of the students. Scores from several state, district and local school tests were used to measure the growth of these students from the spring of fifth grade to October of their sixth grade year. A paired sample T test, run on the sixth grade pre/post test scores revealed that the difference between the means is statistically significant at 95% confidence (T=-4.323, degrees of freedom=19, p<.05). Results indicate that the ability to use precise vocabulary, display the proper sequence and solve for the correct answer, written in the lowest terms, increased. However, the district created measures remained consistent with no marked change.