Yesterday we were looking at problems like the one pictured in College Algebra. In most cases, the students were able to clearly explain what to do, but could not actually solve the problem correctly without making little mistakes. I have some questions about these types of problems and welcome your thoughts.
1. What is their purpose?
2. Does their length and detail oriented nature do more to discourage students than help them?
3. Are there other ways to assess these concepts?
4. What does the inability to complete such a problem tell us about a student?
The solutions shown are correct, but there are several mistakes in the intermediate steps that make the student's work incorrect. You are welcome to offer corrections in addition to your thoughts in the comment section.
Interesting post Deborah! I replied in my own blog, here: http://adastraeducation.org/2013/11/must-education-always-entertain/
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