A Worked Example Problem

A Worked Example Problem

   10:45:00       Ilania Eka

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What is a worked example problem?? Is it the same with working an example problem??

Do you curious about that?? A worked example problem is an already completed problem which we give to the student. The purpose of this are to shows a steps to answer the problem. It’s also directs the student attention to certain steps of the problem as the focus of questioning. And of course it’s different with working an example problem.

In a worked example problem we facilitate the student to identify and give an answer “Why these steps are used to solve the problem?” and “How these steps can be completed?”. The main point of a worked example problem are we write out both correct and incorrect steps to solve the problem (Correct and Incorrect solutions).

Why should we give the incorrect solution? It will just make the student have misconceptions. Maybe some educator thinking like that. In fact, when we shows the incorrect solution to the student, they will understand why these solution is incorrect and which part of the solutions that makes it wrong. So, the student wouldn’t make a same mistake.

For example,

Solve the following equation for x, 

2 = 5x -3

Both Laura and Jose solve these problem, but they have different answer. Laura has the incorrect answer meanwhile Jose has the correct one.

Laura’s answer

2= 5x-3

2 = 2x

a.)    What did Laura do?

b.)    Laura’s answer is wrong because …..

Jose's answer

2 = 5x -3

2+3 = 5x – 3 + 3

5 = 5x

5/5 = 5x/5

1= x

a.)    Why did Jose add 3 in both sides?

b.)    Why Jose divide both sides with 5?

Laura’s incorrect answer will helps students address misconceptions about combining like terms.

Resume from
MATHEMATICS TEACHER
Vol 107, no 7, March 2014