ENCOURAGING PRESISTENCE IN CHALLENGING TASKS - ANGLES

AND PARALLEL LINES

Kimberley Collis
Monash University
Task Details

As part of EDF2162, Semester 2, 2015, a group of pre-service teachers observed a

Year 6 lesson on angles and parallel lines. Sharyn Livy from Monash University
presented the challenging task. The pre-task activity asked students to find the size of
the angle m in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Pre-task
Activity.

What is the size of the angle m

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Students were not given any help or guidance to complete the pre-task activity, but
were asked to explain the reasoning behind their response. This activity was repeated
later in the lesson as the post-task activity. The main learning task for the Year 6
students is shown in Figure 2 (Encouraging Persistence Maintaining Challenge,
2015).
Figure 2. Main Learning Task.

Students were required to use their previous knowledge and problem solving skills to
determine angles A and B, and also the other angles present in the triangle. It was
interesting to observe students entering into the zone of confusion as they
attempted to solve the problem. As a teacher, it definitely requires some serious selfconstraint to allow students to engage in productive struggle for a reasonable amount
of time before providing any enabling prompts. For this task, the first enabling
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prompt was What angles are the same as each other in this diagram? The lesson
was brought together by a class discussion where students shared their ideas and
solutions. While students presented their solutions, the teacher asked clarifying
questions but did not take over the lesson. It was interesting to note that many
different solutions and approaches were presented by the students, some of which
were quite sophisticated for their level. I was impressed with the way the students
engaged with one anothers strategies and made connections between the different
ideas presented. Before the conclusion of the lesson, students were required to make a
second attempt at the pre-task activity, and again explain the reasoning behind their
response. From what I observed during this lesson, persistence appeared to be a key
component required for successful completion of a challenging task. More than one
student noted that they had tried more than one approach to arrive at their final
solution. What was particularly interesting was that using multiple approaches was
also discussed as a method for checking the accuracy of solutions.
Specific Mathematics involved in the task

This task relates to Geometric Reasoning in the Measurement and Geometry strand in
the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics (Australian Curriculum Assessment and
Reporting Authority, 2012). The content description for the Year Six standard states
that students should be able to investigate, with and without digital technologies,
angles on a straight line, angles at a point and vertically opposite angles. They
should also be able to use results to find unknown angles. This task can also be linked
to the content description for Geometric Reasoning at the Year Seven standard, which
requires students to be able to demonstrate that the angle sum of a triangle is equal to
one hundred and eighty degrees and use this to find the angle sum of a quadrilateral.
The Year Seven standard also requires students to identify corresponding, alternate
and co-interior angles when two straight lines are crossed by a transversal
(Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2012). Defining and
identifying the relationships between alternate, corresponding and co-interior angles
for a pair of parallel lines cut by a transversal is also part of the Year Seven
Measurement and Geometry standards. This rich, challenging task also strongly
linked to the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics proficiency strands of Fluency,
Problem Solving and Reasoning (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting
Authority, 2012). In relation to Fluency, this task requires students to choose their
own procedures, and carry them out accurately, efficiently and appropriately, while
recalling factual knowledge and concepts. However, as Hurrell (2014) reminds us,
Fluency is about more than just being able to recall mathematical facts. According to
Hurrell (2014), computational estimation is an area that should be exercised more in
the classroom. This task requires an element of estimation to ensure that the possible
solutions for angles A and B are sensible. While the task only states that angles A and
B are both multiples of five, add to two hundred and forty degrees and are not equal,
it would not be sensible to suggest that either angle is less than ninety degrees, as the
diagram clearly shows that this is not the case. Students need to be able to estimate
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accurately to come up with a plausible set of solutions in this task.

Making choices, communicating solutions and interpreting, formulating and
modelling problem solving situations are what Askew (2012) describes as the actions
undertaken by students engaging in a task that is linked to the problem solving
proficiency. Roche & Clarke (2014) discuss the importance of developing students
persistence in relation to problem solving, and how challenging tasks require students
to plan their approach, process multiple pieces of information, make connections,
engage with mathematical ideas, choose their own strategies, spend time on the task
and justify their thinking. I believe this problem fits the criteria of a challenging task
and would be an excellent task to assess the problem solving proficiency. Being able
to explain strategies and justify thinking in a challenging task such as this links
strongly to the Reasoning proficiency in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics.
The description of the Reasoning proficiency also mentions the ability to adapt the
known to the unknown and transfer learning from one context to another (Australian
Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2012). The fact that there is more
than one possible solution to this task gives students the opportunity to demonstrate
their reasoning skills. Clarke, Clarke & Sullivan (2012) and Roche, Clarke, Sullivan
& Cheeseman (2013) discuss the idea the while a task may have the potential to
promote mathematical reasoning, if students are inexperienced with this type of
problem, they may not have the vocabulary required to accurately communicate their
thinking, so this would be important for teachers to consider before implementing the
task. Research shows it is important for the students to engage in tasks that promote
productive struggle, not struggle in a task with extreme levels of challenge in a
way that causes needless frustration. According to Sullivan & Mornane (2014),
students felt that they would be more likely to persist with the problem if multiple
approaches and solutions were encouraged and expected, as it made them feel less
stressed about making mistakes. I think this was demonstrated in the lesson that I
observed, as once a few different strategies were presented, more students were
willing to put their hand up and offer their own solution or strategy.
Methods of Solution

In this section I will discuss the approach used by the student I observed to solve the
main learning task, including the misconceptions made, as well as detailing other
correct solutions. The student I observed first approached the learning task by writing
a number sentence stating that angle A plus angle B is equal to two hundred and forty
degrees. She began to guess and check a few different combinations of values for
angles A and B, noting that both angles were obtuse, or greater than ninety degrees.
One of those guesses was angle A is equal to one hundred and twenty degrees, which
meant that angle B would also be equal to one hundred and twenty degrees. The
student referred back to the question at this point in time and realized that it had been
stated that angle A and angle B were not equal. The student then dismissed this as a
solution. Upon inspection of the diagram, the student concluded that angle A was the

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larger angle. This prompted the student to check her previous pairs of numbers and
label the larger number as a possible solution for angle A. The student then continued
to guess different pairs of solutions for angles A and B, checking for accuracy and
possible repeated answers, but not developing a systematic approach. At this point the
student was prompted to re-read the question, and realised that she had only
completed part of the question, and next had to go about finding the other angles in
the triangle. To keep track of her working out, the student began labeling the other
angles she was to work out as angles C, D E, F, etc. through to angle O, as shown in
figure 3.
Figure 3. Student Work Sample.
The student correctly identified angle C as being the same as angle B; however, she
was not able to apply this knowledge to angles A and D, as she stated that angle D
was bigger than angle A. At this point, the student selects angle A is equal to one
hundred and twenty five degrees and angle B is equal to one hundred and fifteen
degrees from her list of possible solutions and uses these values to work out the other
angles in the triangle. This is where the student that I observed started to go off track.
I think that perhaps had there been a bit of discussion or prompting at this point in the
lesson then perhaps she may have been able to find a more accurate overall solution.
After correctly labeling angle C as one hundred and fifteen degrees, the same as angle
B, the student adopted estimation as her main strategy for finding the other angles in
the triangle. While she attempted to make use of her prior knowledge of angles by
comparing the angles to ninety degrees, she did not consistently make use of her
knowledge of corresponding angles being equal. She also did not make use of her
knowledge that the angle of a straight line was equal to one hundred and eighty
degrees, even though she stated this knowledge in her response to the pre-task
activity. I feel that this student may have benefited from an opportunity to revisit her
workings after the class discussion and presentation of peer solutions, if time had
permitted, as then she would have had the chance to identify where she was using
correct thinking and perhaps make another attempt to solve the angles that she had
estimated.
In the class discussion and presentation of peer solutions, I was impressed by how
competently the students were able to express their mathematical thinking and

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communicate their ideas clearly and succinctly. The strategies that were used to
accurately solve for the other angles in the triangle were mostly centered on
comparing equal pairs of angles on parallel lines such as the corresponding angles,
the alternate interior angles or the alternate exterior angles. Students also used their
knowledge of consecutive interior angles being equal to one hundred and eighty
degrees, the interior angles of a triangle being equal to one hundred and eighty
degrees and the interior angles of a quadrilateral being equal to three hundred and
sixty degrees. Some students also used their knowledge of a full rotation being equal
to three hundred and sixty degrees as a way of checking or confirming their solutions.

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References
Askew, M. (2012). Professors Page: Is Understanding a Proficiency? Australian Primary Mathematics
Classroom, 17 (1), 19-20.
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2012). Australian Curriculum: Mathematics.
Retrieved 10 16, 2015, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/mathematics/
Clarke, D. M., Clarke, D. J., & Sullivan, P. (2012). Reasoning in the Australian Curriculum: Understanding
its meaning and using the relevant language. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 17 (3), 28-32.
Encouraging Persistence Maintaining Challenge. (2015) Exploring the Potential of Using Challenging
Mathematical Tasks. Unpublished Document.
Hurrell, D. (2014). Australian Curriculum linked lessons: Fluency. Australian Primary Mathematics
Classroom, 19(2), 15-17.
Roche, A., & Clarke, D. (2014). Teachers holding back from telling: A key to student persistence on
challenging tasks. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 19 (4), 3-7.
Roche, A., Clarke, D., Sullivan, P. & Cheeseman, J. (2013). Strategies for encouraging students to persist on
challenging tasks: some insights from work in classrooms. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom,
18(4), 27-32.
Sullivan, P. & Mornane, A. (2014). Exploring teachers' use of, and students' reactions to, challenging
mathematics tasks. Mathematics Education Research Journal, Vol.26(2), 193-213.

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