WGU C284 TASK 1:
MATHEMATICS
LEARNING AND
TEACHING
Giselle Dominguez
Student ID:013483991
C284: Mathematics Learning and Teaching
3 July 2026
Task 1: Professional Mathematics Standards
A. On NCTM process standard I observed in the Teaching Math: Staircase Problem video
was Problem Solving. In the video, I noticed that Mr. Solomon never told the students
exactly how to solve the staircase problem. The students had to figure it out on their own
by looking for patterns in the staircases. Some students drew larger staircases, while
others counted the blocks or organized their work differently. Mr. Solomon walked
around asking questions like why they chose a certain strategy and encouraged them to
keep thinking instead of giving them the answer. I think this is a great example of
problem solving because the students had to make sense of the problem and decide which
method worked best. Another NCTM process standard I observed was Communication.
Throughout the lesson, the students shared their ideas with their classmates and explained
how they found their answers. I noticed that even when students used different methods,
the teacher encouraged them to explain their thinking to the class. Instead of focusing
only on the correct answer, the teacher wanted everyone to understand how each student
solved the problem. Listening to different strategies helped the students compare ideas
and see that there can be more than one way to solve a math problem.
B. The staircase activity is a high-level cognitive demand task because the students had to
think critically and develop their own strategies in their small groups instead of following
, a set of steps or a formula. Limited information from Mr. Solomon was given throughout
the entire lesson. Because of this Mr. Solomon encouraged the students to explore
MATHEMATICS
LEARNING AND
TEACHING
Giselle Dominguez
Student ID:013483991
C284: Mathematics Learning and Teaching
3 July 2026
Task 1: Professional Mathematics Standards
A. On NCTM process standard I observed in the Teaching Math: Staircase Problem video
was Problem Solving. In the video, I noticed that Mr. Solomon never told the students
exactly how to solve the staircase problem. The students had to figure it out on their own
by looking for patterns in the staircases. Some students drew larger staircases, while
others counted the blocks or organized their work differently. Mr. Solomon walked
around asking questions like why they chose a certain strategy and encouraged them to
keep thinking instead of giving them the answer. I think this is a great example of
problem solving because the students had to make sense of the problem and decide which
method worked best. Another NCTM process standard I observed was Communication.
Throughout the lesson, the students shared their ideas with their classmates and explained
how they found their answers. I noticed that even when students used different methods,
the teacher encouraged them to explain their thinking to the class. Instead of focusing
only on the correct answer, the teacher wanted everyone to understand how each student
solved the problem. Listening to different strategies helped the students compare ideas
and see that there can be more than one way to solve a math problem.
B. The staircase activity is a high-level cognitive demand task because the students had to
think critically and develop their own strategies in their small groups instead of following
, a set of steps or a formula. Limited information from Mr. Solomon was given throughout
the entire lesson. Because of this Mr. Solomon encouraged the students to explore
