EDUC 663 Mathematics Specialist Field Experience Tom Gebbie

Module 2 - Act 3 - Congnative Demand 2/3/2019

Task with Low Cognitive Demand:

Analysis of Task with Low Cognitive Demand:

This task would have been given to a student after they had learned the algorithm for finding linear functions
(y=mx+b) and exponential functions (y=a*b^x). They are being asked to recall these procedures and find the
functions. The directions ask for the “answer” and not why there is a difference between linear or exponential.
Furthermore, there is no connection to the underlying meaning of how the functions behave.
Overall, it is not a bad set of questions and it is leading the students to make a decision (linear vs. exponential)
about the third table. Yet, because of the above-mentioned aspects, this could be improved to be a higher level
demanding task.

Revised Task:
Given the following functions can you find the missing information?

f(x) is the red line y​1​ is gievn in the table k(x) = 1.5x​2

k(1) = ?

Do these functions or equations have anything in common?

If you had to predict which function would be the largest at when x = 1000 which one would you pick and why?
Analysis of Revised Task:
I tried to focus on making the task have multiple representations (graphs, tables, and functions) and use both
function and equation notation. The students will not be able to mindlessly follow an algorithm and regurgitate
the formula. It was my hope that “filling in the missing information” made them access their previous knowledge
about linear and exponential functions. You will notice that all the functions fit on the table and on the graph.
Hopefully, this will make them try to compare them side by side. Finally, I gave them a function that they have
not seen before, the quadratic. I wanted to see how they compared it to the ones that they already had
experience with. Finally, the analysis of x = 1000 was to give them a data point outside the constraints of the
graph to see how they would predict the given patterns. I intended this to cause a little stress and because it is
such an “outrageous” number that they might have fun with the analysis. This more demanding task pushes
the students to practice non-algorithmic thinking, access relevant knowledge, explore the nature of these
functions, suggests pathways solve and puts a little “stress” on their thinking process.