How to incorporate WCYDWT (Rich Problems) into math class?

So, I have no idea how to bring in WCYDWT and/or Rich Problems into my math classes. I really was never taught in college how to do something like this. So I have been tweeting, asking how to start. Here are some responses I got today.

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 putting up a problem scenario (video, text,...) and asking students What do you Notice? What do you Wonder? in a think-pair-share

Me (@lmhenry9) @maxmathforum What if you are working with students who are unaccustomed to "wondering" about things mathematically?

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 on the one hand, that slows things down. On the other, I've never had a class without a wonderer or two. In LOTS of diff. schools.

@lmhenry9 I love problems that generate controversy, a yes/no answer, a chance for kids to "wager" on an answer. That's a way to wonder...

Me @maxmathforum Do the other students then start to join in? I'm working with lower level students who aren't real thrilled about math.

@maxmathforum This is something completely new to me - do I just put out the scenario and hope they wonder abt it? Just see where it goes?

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 some kids spend all yr wondering "why is the paper red?" but most start to generate questions and some start conjecturing well

@lmhenry9 the expectation that they write 5 noticings and wonderings on their paper, share with a buddy, and then share out seems to work.

Me @maxmathforum This is the situation I want to bring to them - http://bit.ly/dQVSud and I'm trying to figure out how to go with it.

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 calling early on kids who rarely contribute means they say obvious/important noticings and as you solve, you refer back to theirs

Me @maxmathforum That makes sense. Hadn't quite thought of it that way. That would also engage them (hopefully).

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 it builds their confidence and buy-in when you say, "remember that important thing Tasha noticed..."

Me @maxmathforum Part of what I am struggling with (esp since I'm very much a traditional teacher) is how the content fits in.

@maxmathforum Does the problem introduce the content or have students had the content previously?

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 since it's a real context, the kids' wondering might really flow. Like, "how can I get to this skill level?" or "why'd his go up?"

@lmhenry9 I believe that you don't learn without a question in your head. Like, "how does my score go up?" and then the content follows.

@lmhenry9 I'm agnostic about delivering the content after the ? is generated. If the ? is well understood, the kids will hear and make sense

Me @maxmathforum When I first looked at it, I wondered whether there was an equation to determine how your score went up.

@maxmathforum So they may wonder about it & try to figure it out with what math they know. If they don't have enough math knowledge, then intro new content?

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 that's what I'd do

Me @maxmathforum Thanks so much for your help - I greatly appreciate it.

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 happy to get to think about helping kids become problem-solvers! I'll comment on your blog too if I think of anything else

@dandersod @lmhenry9 you can start off pretty small with the wcydwt stuff. how many jelly beans in a jar? that brings up volume.

@lmhenry9 getting the students to "buy in" is important. you can do this by writing down their guesses. everyone likes to try and be right.

Me @dandersod I primarily teach algebra - what would you suggest is a "small start?"

@dandersod @lmhenry9 Picture of you next to a tree/building. How tall is the tree/building? Proportions and ratios?

@maxmathforum @lmhenry9 cell phones... i brought in my bill and had kids figure out how much my overtime mins cost. They decided I needed a cheaper plan.

@dandersod @lmhenry9 maybe a doubling idea? http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=5394

@lmhenry9 maybe http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=4905 ?

Me @dandersod Am I correct in my assumption that wcydwt cannot be used with everything we are to cover in the HS math curriculum?

@dandersod How often do you use wcydwt in your classes?

@dandersod @lmhenry9 2-3 times a month maybe? it's tough work to get setup.

Me @dandersod That's good to know. I wasn't sure whether people who did wcydwt/rich probs. did them all the time or just every so often.

@KaminskiTerry @lmhenry9 definitely cannot use WCYDWT with everything in curriculum. @ddmeyer Only uses it about once every week or two

Me RT @druinok and on non wcydwt days, what does class look like? @dandersod @kaminskiterry What is the answer?

@KaminskiTerry @lmhenry9 @druinok On non wcydwt days the class may look very similar to what it does right now.

@druinok @kaminskiterry @lmhenry9 can you expand on that? Do you mean traditional?

Me @druinok @kaminskiterry @dandersod So what about those who say we should be doing prob solving daily (and w/ rich problems)?

@KaminskiTerry @lmhenry9 @druinok @dandersod Sometimes we need to teach the kids the skills. However, we can still have them thinking.

@lmhenry9 @druinok @dandersod Give the students the answer and have them create thequestion.

@druinok @lmhenry9 and how long of a process is it to get there?

@dandersod @lmhenry9 @druinok @kaminskiterry selfishly, it makes the classroom much more interesting for me. Kids get into it too.

@KaminskiTerry @dandersod @lmhenry9 @druinok I agree. U have to try it and refine as u go

I should also add that @mrautomatic tweeted that I should check out Dan Meyer's blog and that's already on my "to do" list.

So... I have some answers from a couple of people.  What about others? How do you start with WCYDWT and/or rich problems in your classroom? How does it work? Do you do it every day? If not, how do the rest of the days go in your classroom? At NCTM, several people ("experts" if you will) expressed that we should be doing rich problems in our classrooms daily. Do we try to accomplish this iin our classrooms?. How do we get closer to that ideal?

Please take a few moments and respond to any and all of these questions in the comments. I'd love to see some good discussion about it - there are other teachers who have the same questions and they would benefit also. Thanks!