Discovering Teaching as a Profession

To learn more about how brain teasers should be used in class, I interviewed my mentor about her experiences and opinions on brain  teasers. Below are my questions, her answers, and my responses:

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Q: When you were in school, were you given brain teasers and other types of puzzles by your teachers? If so, how do you think they affected your ability to learn?

A: "I don’t remember having many opportunities in school (K-12) to work brain teasers. One of my undergraduate courses was Problem Solving, and that’s when I first really began to appreciate challenging problems and brain teasers.  That class met in the evenings from 6:00 until 10:00, and I remember spending all four hours one night just working with tangrams.  That was a true test of perseverance.  It’s a great feeling to conquer something you’ve been struggling to do."

R: It's sad to me that Mrs. Brooksher did not have many experiences with brain teasers in school until she took an undergraduate course. However, I am excited to hear that there are problem solving courses in college. I feel lucky to have had a lot of teachers who have shown me brain teasers, especially Mrs. Brooksher. It surprises me that Mrs. Brooksher is so passionate about problem solving in the classroom while never really having had that type of experience as a student.

 

Q: How often do you use brain teasers in class? Would you want to use them more often or less often?

A: "The truth is I used to use them a lot more than I do now.  It just doesn’t seem like there is as much time as there used to be.  We’re always so rushed to get through the curriculum, especially in my advanced level courses where I need to teach 10 units.  I’d definitely like to use them more often."

R: I remember that I had a lot of opportunities to work with brain teasers when I was in Mrs. Booksher's class. After mentoring with her for two years,

I can see why she does not use brain teasers as often. There is so much content to cover that Mrs. Brooksher has to teacher at a high pace the entire year. Because of this, her class is much harder now than when it was when I was in 7th grade. This shows me that teachers are expected to teach too much content, and they should have more time to involve activities, such as brain teasers, into lesson plans.

 

Q: What are some pros with using brain teasers in class?

A: "There are several benefits to using brain teasers in class.  I think it’s so important for students to learn that it’s ok to spend time with a problem.  They seem to think they should either know how to do it and just be able to write down an answer, or they “don’t get it” and throw in the towel without really making any attempt at all.  That’s why I made a poster that reads “Problem solving is what you do when you don’t know what to do!”.  Another benefit to this type of work is what it does for the brain.  I just finished reading the book Make It Stick  about how we learn best.  One of the key points is that our brains learn more and retain the information longer when we’ve had to struggle to figure something out.  Finally, I want students to experience the feeling you get when you succeed at a challenging problem.  Even a small taste of success can encourage a student to put forth more effort in the future to tackle similar challenges."

R: Brain teasers were very beneficial to me as a student. They taught me determination, and they instilled in me a passion for learning and mathematics. The power of brain teasers in the classroom can be beneficial to all types of students.

 

Q: What are some cons with using brain teasers in class?

A: "The only disadvantage that comes to mind is really about time.  There is just so much to do, that you feel like you’re neglecting something all the time.  If I take time out of class to do brain teasers, then I’m not using that time to move forward with the massive amount of curriculum I need to teach.  It’s all a balancing act.  I’m in a pretty unique situation though because most courses only have 6 or 7 units of study.  Because I need to teach one and half years worth of content, time is my greatest roadblock.  That shouldn’t be the case for me next year though, so hopefully I’ll be able to do more with brain teasers then."

R: The only way I can see a solution to this problem while teaching the same amount of content is to find brain teasers about a unit that the teacher is learning. These brain teasers can be used on tests as extra credit problems. However, it can be difficult to find good brain teasers on all the subjects that a teacher has to cover.

 

Q: In which types of classes, if any, do you think brain teasers are effective and why?

A: "I think brain teasers are appropriate to do in any class.  The key would be to differentiate or offer various levels of difficulty."

R: I agree that brain teasers are effective in all classes. Brain teasers are most effective in mathematics classes because these are the classes that deal the most with logic and problem solving. Math is also a subject that can be very boring to a student, and brain teasers can help make learning math more interesting.

 

Q: In which types of classes, if any, do you think brain teasers are ineffective and why?

A: "If the level of the brain teaser is appropriate to the level of the students, I can’t think of any circumstance in which the work would be ineffective.  One major component of making the work meaningful is that the classroom teacher be a coach, encouraging the students to keep at it.  If the majority of students give up on the problem and only one or two are trying, then that’s ineffective.  All students should be engaged in work, but again offering choices and various levels of difficulty would address that issue."

R: Specific types of brain teasers could be better for different types of classes. Brain teasers that focus on an exact answer would be better for mathematics and science classes while brain teasers that focus on the process of developing an answer would be better for literature and social studies classes.

 

Q: Do you think brain teasers should be more of a focus in classrooms?

A: "Absolutely!  Problem solving is really more important now than ever before.  In the world of mathematics, the act of thinking is one of the few things people can do that computers can’t.  Employers want people who can think creatively and solve challenging problems.  It’s truly a critical need."

R: Mrs. Brooksher makes an excellent point that thinking, whether critically or creatively, is something that people can do that computers cannot. With technology becoming progressively more advanced, there should be a greater focus on thinking in the classroom.

 

Q: Have you seen a trend in the use of brain teasers in yourself, coworkers, and teaching as a whole?

A: "There is definitely more focus on higher order thinking skills now than was the case when I first began teaching.  For example, assessments (both at the county level - unit summatives and state level - Georgia Milestones) now include more DOK (Depth of Knowledge) levels 3 and 4 which require a deeper level of knowledge and problem solving skills."

R: It's great to know that the focus on problem solving skills and a deeper understanding of content is growing. However, I feel like it is not at the level it needs to be at. Also, even though the focus on these skills are growing, brain teasers are still not readily involved in classrooms, especially at the high school level.

 

Q: Do you think brain teasers should or should not be connected in class with rewards, such as candy or extra credit, and why?

A: "The last thing I read on this topic said that candy shouldn’t be given to reward work. The rationale was that the feeling of success will be it’s own reward and drive the students to want more and more success, therefore motivating them to work hard whether candy is available or not.  This is a bit tricky with middle school students though as they are in transition with regards to extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.  Sometimes a jolly rancher just does the trick!"

R: Candy was most always my motivation when I was working on brain teasers while I was growing up as a kid. I have also noticed that middle schoolers really like candy and rewards. On the other hand, my motivation evolved into the feeling of success rather than earning a reward as I grew up. However, it is very difficult to get students to be passionate about doing something for success rather than for a reward. This is why brain teasers are such a great teaching tool because they can mature a student's motivation.

 

Q: Can you remember a specific brain teaser that you really enjoy or do you have a good memory that involves brain teasers or some other type of puzzle?

A: "I can’t remember a specific brain teaser, but I do know that the fun of math is in the challenge.  If there’s not a struggle with a problem, it bores me.  I do remember moments when students have figured out certain brain teasers.  Those are great times in the classroom.  I remember you begging for “just one more” Venn diagram puzzle when you were in my class.  I remember other students having breakthroughs when they figured out how to solve a particular brain teaser by using an equation."

R: One of the most important things that I have learned from Mrs. Brooksher, and any other teacher for that matter, is that the fun in math and in learning is the challenge. There is always a challenging brain teaser for any student, and the feeling of overcoming that challenge is what makes learning exciting for a student.