John Mason's article reflection

John Mason’s article encourages us as a teachers to invite students to work on the mathematical problems in the same ways as the “scientists and mathematicians” worked. I totally agree with Mason when he said that there are two ways to ask questions from the students. In the first method of asking question, the teacher is looking for the expected answer while in the other method the teacher is listening and observing whatever the student is saying and doing. Hence, the later method encourages the students to reveal their thinking. This makes me to think about the “expectation” of my teacher’s questions when I was in school. Because I taught by the traditional method of teaching, hence no doubt, my teacher’s expectation was also the right answer. For example, when we learnt about the Pythagorean theorem, our teacher proved its proof forwardly and conversely. At that time, we just solved it mathematically on paper and we thought that we were done. But, now when I am thinking about the same theorem, I have so many proofs of this theorem by using hydraulic model of Pythagorean theorem, scrap paper activity and so many other ways in which the students have more opportunity to explore the theorem by having more hands on experience. Hence, I would prefer to ask such questions to my students which would encourage them to discuss and communicate their thinking and methods of approach to the problem