Scenario Questions: Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching

Cal Teach Berkeley

Instructions

Dear Respondent:

Attached are a set of scenario questions that the Cal Teach research and evaluation team has
developed to examine prospective teachers’ understanding of three mathematical concepts for the
purpose of teaching secondary students (i.e., grades 6-12).

Pages 3 to 12 list each question with space for you to write down your response. Feel free to
write on the back of pages and/or add extra sheets as needed. Please provide detailed
explanations, including the specific teaching methods you would you use and how you would
implement them in each scenario (e.g., including a table with specific values and explaining how
the table would be used to introduce the concept of graphing a linear equation).

Please work alone and do not discuss these questions with other people. You may consult
resources such as textbooks and websites as you respond to the questions. We ask that you
indicate what resources were used and share any other comments you might have on the last
page of this assignment.

Your responses will remain confidential and only be used for research and evaluation purposes.
As you progress through Cal Teach, you will have opportunities to revisit and revise your
responses. Your ongoing participation will allow us to study how Cal Teach students’
mathematical understanding for teaching develops through the program.

If you have any clarifying questions while responding to the scenario questions, please feel free
to contact Rebecca Poon at [email protected].

Since these questions are still in development, we ask that you do NOT share, disseminate, or
use them without our knowledge.1

Thank you very much,

Xiaoxia Newton & Nicci Nunes

Cal Teach Berkeley

1 We thank those who have read earlier drafts of the instrument and shared with us constructive feedback, in
particular, Hung-Hsi Wu, Alan Schoenfeld, and George Gagnon. However, Xiaoxia Newton and Rebecca Poon are
responsible for any errors.

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 Scenario questions: Mathematics knowledge for teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

First, we would like to gather some basic information about you.

Your name: ________________________________________

Current major(s) (mark all that apply):

☐ Biology
☐ Chemistry
☐ Computer Science
☐ Earth Science
☐ Engineering
☐ Environmental Science
☐ Mathematics
☐ Mathematics with a Teaching Concentration
☐ Mathematics, Applied
☐ Physics
☐ Statistics
☐ Undecided
☐ Other (specify): ______________________________

Are you a transfer student?

☐ Yes, from (specify prior college): ______________________________
☐ No

Number of years you have attended UC Berkeley (counting the current school year as one):
☐ One
☐ Two
☐ Three
☐ Four
☐ Five
☐ Six

Would you be willing to participate in a follow-up interview?

☐ Yes
☐ No

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 Scenario Questions: Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley
MATH SCENARIO QUESTIONS
Scenario 1A: Dividing Fractions
XN, RCP MATH SCENARIO QUESTIONS
Imagine that you are teaching a group of sixth graders to solve the following problem:2
MATH SCENARIO
MAT
A rope 43 38 meters long is cut into pieces which are each 5
3 meters long. How many such
XN, RCP
XN, RC
pieces can we get out of the rope?

AB ”A rope 43 38 meters long is cut into pieces which are each 53 meters lon
such pieces can we get out of ”A
C1. Describe how you would approach this problem with your rope 43in38a meters
thestudents
rope?” ”Along
way that is43cut
builds
rope 3 into pieces
8 meters long
on their
The book saysprior
17 mathematical such pieces can we get
knowledge and/or skills related to division of wholeout of the
numbers.
such pieces can rope?”
we get out of
8 ÷ 9 = 8 × 5 , but
B I don’t understand why.
5 17 9
2. Suppose your answer is A C where A, B, and C are whole numbers so that 0 < B < C and
C ≠ 0. How would you explain to students what the A B
y= 7 x+4 AB
Cmeans and what the C means?
5

b
x= 2a

-b±b2 -4ac

2 The math problem is adapted from Lecture Notes for the 2009 Pre-Algebra Institute (Wu, 2009).
1

3
 MATH SCENARIO QUESTIONS

XN, RCP
Scenario questions: Mathematics knowledge for teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

A rope 43 3 meters long is cut into pieces which are each 5

meters long. How many
Scenario 1B: Dividing
8 Fractions 3
such pieces can we get out of the rope?

Imagine
AB that one of your sixth graders missed your lesson on fraction division. He studies the
C
textbook and attempts the homework on his own. The next day he comes and tells you,
“ The book says 178 ÷ 9 = 8 × 5 , but I don’t understand why.” How would you respond to this
5 17 9

student?

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 Scenario Questions: Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario 2A: Linear Equation in Two Variables and its Graph

You are giving your seventh graders the district pre-algebra common assessment. One word
problem on the assessment reads as follows:

“Abe is training for the Boston marathon, so he runs every day. This morning he ran 4 miles
in 40 minutes. How many miles did he run in the first 20 minutes? Show your work.”

One of your top-performing students in the class, nicknamed “Einstein,” comes to you with her
test and says, “There is not enough information given to solve this problem.”

1. How would you respond to “Einstein?”

2. Explain how you would teach the class about the critical mathematical concept(s) for
solving this kind of word problem.

5
 XN, RCP

A rope 43 38 meters long is cut into pieces

Scenario which Mathematics
questions: are each 53knowledge
meters for
long. How many
teaching
such pieces can we get out of the rope? Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario A
2B:
B Linear Equation in Two Variables and its Graph
C

You are teaching

The booka class
saysof17eighth graders and writing a test to assess their ability to translate
8 ÷ 9 = 8 × 5 , but I don’t understand why.
5 17 9

word problems into symbolic equations. Come up with a story that could be represented by the
equation y= 75 x+4 .

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 Scenario Questions: Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario 2C: Linear Equation in Two Variables and its Graph

How would you help eighth graders understand that the slope of a non-vertical line can be
calculated using any two distinct points on the line (e.g., the slope of the line below can be
calculated with points P1 and P2 or points P3 and P4)?
$

!&!"#&#$&$
!'!"#'#$'$
!%!"#%#$%$
#

!"!"#"#$"$

7
 Scenario questions: Mathematics knowledge for teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario 2D: Linear Equation in Two Variables and its Graph

Suppose you are teaching a class of ninth graders about graphs of linear equations in two
variables. Explain how you would help students see the connection among:
• the standard form ax + by = c where a, b, c are constants and a ≠ 0 or b ≠ 0
• the slope-intercept form y = mx + k where m, k are constants
• the point-slope form y - q = m(x - p) where p, q are constants
• the graph of a linear equation

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 Scenario Questions: Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario 3: Quadratic Function, its Graph, and the Quadratic Formula

You and your colleagues are discussing struggles your 10th graders have in learning quadratic
functions. As a group, you are trying to figure out how best to help students overcome the
struggles. You decide that one approach is to help students “see” the connection between the
quadratic function and its graph.

1. Let g and f be the quadratic functions g(x) = x2 and f(x) = ax2 + bx + c where a, b, and c
are constants and a ≠ 0. Describe how you would use the graph of g to help students see
how one arrives at the graph of f.

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 Scenario questions: Mathematics knowledge for teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario 3: Quadratic Function, its Graph, and the Quadratic Formula (continued)

2. How would you help students understand that f(x) = ax2 + bx + c can be re-written into
the forms a(x - h)2 + k and a(x - p)(x - q) where h, k, p, and q are suitable constants and
assuming the discriminant b2 - 4ac ≥ 0? How would you explain the relationship among
the constants a, b, c, h, k, p, and q?

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 Scenario Questions: Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario 3: Quadratic Function, its Graph, and the Quadratic Formula (continued)

3. After you introduce the three different forms of the quadratic function to your class, one
student asks, “What’s the point of writing the same quadratic function into different
forms?” Describe how you would respond to this student’s question.

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 Scenario questions: Mathematics knowledge for teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario 3: Quadratic Function, its Graph, and the Quadratic Formula (continued)

4. How would you help students understand that each form of the quadratic function is
useful for visualizing the graph of the quadratic function?

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 Scenario Questions: Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Finally, we’d like to hear any comments you might have about the scenario questions. In
addition, please indicate any resources you may have used to respond to the questions. For
published materials, include title, publisher, and year (e.g., Algebra 1 McDougal Littel
2007); for websites, include url address (e.g., http://www.math.ubc.ca/~morey/java/pyth/).

Scenario Question Comments and Resource(s)

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 Scenario questions: Mathematics knowledge for teaching
Cal Teach Berkeley

Scenario Question Comments and Resource(s)

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2D
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