Learning to Launch Cognitively Demanding Tasks: A Practice-Based Unit for Secondary Methods

Abstract

Cognitively demanding tasks provide important opportunities for students to develop an understanding of mathematics; however, they are challenging to launch and implement. The authors designed a secondary methods unit on launching tasks. Participants in the study were enrolled in five different methods courses. Using a noticing framework, findings suggest that by engaging in the unit, preservice teachers developed a greater understanding of the four aspects of an effective task launch. When viewing video examples, preservice teachers were able to talk about the four aspects of a task launch with increased specificity. Additionally, they began to identify ways of developing common language without reducing cognitive demand. We discuss implications of this work and offer suggestions for future teacher education research.

Cognitively Demanding Tasks: Supporting Students and Teachers during Engagement and Implementation

“…Next, Creager et al (2021) designed and evaluated a unit specific to supporting preservice teachers in their understanding of how to launch a cognitively demanding task. The unit was organized using a pedagogies of practice framework as the unit included representations of practice through both written and video examples, opportunities to decompose the practice using the aspects of an effective task launch identified by Jackson et al (2013), and lastly, opportunities to plan and rehearse a task launch among their peers.…”

“…The unit was organized using a pedagogies of practice framework as the unit included representations of practice through both written and video examples, opportunities to decompose the practice using the aspects of an effective task launch identified by Jackson et al (2013), and lastly, opportunities to plan and rehearse a task launch among their peers. Creager et al (2021) included an outline of their unit, alongside supporting links and resources, within the appendix of their manuscript. In assessing the effectiveness of the unit, from the start of the unit to the final exam, the preservice teachers demonstrated improvement in their ability to notice mathematical relationships and contextual features, but they still struggled with noticing the development of common language and the maintenance of cognitive demand.…”

“…In assessing the effectiveness of the unit, from the start of the unit to the final exam, the preservice teachers demonstrated improvement in their ability to notice mathematical relationships and contextual features, but they still struggled with noticing the development of common language and the maintenance of cognitive demand. Most notably, the students often struggled with how much to "tell" while developing common language during the launch of the task and still maintain the level of cognitive demand (Creager et al, 2021).…”

“…(Parrish & Martin, 2020) Pedagogies of practice A module of instruction for teacher learning that includes representations of the teaching practice, opportunities to decompose the practice using research-supported criteria, and an opportunity to rehearse the practice in the context of peers. (Creager et al, 2021) Planning and implementing mock instruction An opportunity to plan and then implement a lesson that includes cognitively demanding tasks, but in the context of other teachers. (Foley et al, 2012) Solve mathematics tasks An opportunity for teachers to determine task features associated with tasks of varying levels of cognitive demand.…”