Last week I was observed by my field instructor during a math lesson. After it was all over and we were going over what she had noticed, it began to occur to me that everything positive that she was pointing out were things that I do because of what I learned in my math class this quarter. By watching Robin, I have picked up some mighty fine habits.
• I have learned the fine art of asking questions. And then asking more questions. And then answering questions with another question. It is so important to have my students explain their thinking rather than having me talk at them. It forces them to use their thinking to form connections with concepts that they already know and therefore form real meaning. This is something that I strive to do in all subjects, not just in Math. My students LOVE to share what they know and the whole class can benefit from it!
• I have learned the importance of having more than one student explain their thinking on any given problem. We all solve problems in different ways. In my previous blog I compared it to someone solving a jigsaw puzzle. Some people have to separate the edges first and some people need to sort by color. In the end we all end up with a completed jigsaw puzzle; we just don’t get there by the same path, at the same rate, or even on the same day. But if we keep trying to find out a way for that person to understand the puzzle, they WILL get there eventually. By having others explain their thinking in their own words, they may be able to help each other understand the math, rather than just imitate what the teacher is doing.
• There is also the added bonus to explaining their thinking in that they have to have a conscious reason WHY they do certain things. If they are able to explain it, they are much more likely to actually UNDERSTAND it.
• It’s very important to give students different entry points into a concept. One way may make perfect sense to one student, but be completely confusing to another. When teaching a concept it is important to take into consideration all the different types of learners: visual, kinesthetic, and verbal. If students are allowed to experience learning in engaging and fun ways rather than just listen to us talk about it, they are much more likely to retain what they see, do and hear. And more importantly, they will be making those mental connections that will help them scaffold their future learning.
• Groupwork, groupwork, groupwork!!! Groupwork with purpose is something that I am new to and I am very excited about. Having now experienced it firsthand as an adult, I am that much more aware of how valuable it can be if used properly with children. It all goes back to the way we all learn differently. We are all smart at math, just not in the same ways. If we can take this into account in our classrooms and have students work together, talk together and think about math, the learning escalates! Students learn so much more from their peers than they do from their teachers (if given the chance).
• And above all else, I have learned that it is essential to know my students. I need to be constantly vigilant in my assessment of their understanding. I need to know what I want them to understand, think of ways to get them there and how to tell that they “got it”. I need to base my lesson plans on their interests and help them to realize that there is a real purpose to what they are learning. The more purposeful the learning is to them, the more likely they will internalize the mathematical concepts, increase their understand, and bring that knowledge with them as they progress throughout their lives.
Friday, March 11, 2011
A final thought on the IPod Touch
Over this quarter I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to use the IPod Touch in my classroom. It’s ease in use for voice recording is a great tool all by itself, but would that make it worth the expense when there are other digital voice recorders out there they might serve the same function?
In my current placement we are fortunate enough to be able to use a lot of technology on a daily basis. We are a pilot program for having Net Book computers in the classroom (in addition to several desk top models that we have access to in a shared space right outside our classroom door). We use these resources as often as we can, making sure that they have a legitimate learning purpose. The mere mention of getting the computers out raises the excitement level in the room, even if it’s just to use them for writing friendly letters or using them for graphic organizers!
In contrast I only had access to one IPod Touch. I think if I had the resources to have a set (at least 5 or 6) so that we could rotate activities in small groups I might have had more incentive to explore the possibilities for differentiating instruction, just as we do with the computers that we have. Having just one put me in a position where I would have to choose just one student at a time to make use of it. I can however imagine the excitement students would have for learning with the Touch. Anything that makes a student WANT to learn is a good thing, in my opinion.
If our classroom had students that needed extra remediation in a particular subject (such as a special ed. Student or ELL), there might have been a logical use for one student to not participate with the rest of the class in what they were doing and do something different that was geared toward them, but as it was, our class is a highly capable class without these students to make considerations for.
You might ask yourself: Wouldn’t a classroom of gifted students be an ideal place to pilot differentiation of instruction using an IPod Touch? Yes, it would…if I had more than one. How do I choose from a class of 26 unique learners which one gets to use the Touch? Because I can guarantee, in this class, it would be noticed. Just asking 3 students to record interviews using the Touch caused all kinds of “why not me? Why them?” questions. If I only let 1 or 2 or 3 students sit off to the side and “play” with the Touch, I think we would have had another classroom management issue on our hands.
We instead chose to differentiate learning with the resources that we had: the Net Books and desktop computers. I anticipate that Touches could possibly be great tools in a classroom possessing a set and a teacher who was motivated to learn how to make use of them. But for the cost of a Touch relative to a Net Book (which I believe is much more versatile), I would have to choose the Net Book. If we were fortunate enough to have access to both, the possibilities for advancing our students in our learning would be even that much greater. Maybe someday in the future we will! I can hope…
In an ideal world, yes, I would love to have a set of Touches in my classroom. If I am ever fortunate enough to get them, I will make an effort to use them in real learning every day. Motivation goes a long way in helping students to learn. I have visions of math centers that kids rotate through to practice math facts, and literacy centers for beginning readers that allow them to listen to audio books and even make their own. But until I do have a set that I can work with and know that I can use for my students, I also believe that I need to focus on the resources that I DO have to differentiate learning for all of my students.
In my current placement we are fortunate enough to be able to use a lot of technology on a daily basis. We are a pilot program for having Net Book computers in the classroom (in addition to several desk top models that we have access to in a shared space right outside our classroom door). We use these resources as often as we can, making sure that they have a legitimate learning purpose. The mere mention of getting the computers out raises the excitement level in the room, even if it’s just to use them for writing friendly letters or using them for graphic organizers!
In contrast I only had access to one IPod Touch. I think if I had the resources to have a set (at least 5 or 6) so that we could rotate activities in small groups I might have had more incentive to explore the possibilities for differentiating instruction, just as we do with the computers that we have. Having just one put me in a position where I would have to choose just one student at a time to make use of it. I can however imagine the excitement students would have for learning with the Touch. Anything that makes a student WANT to learn is a good thing, in my opinion.
If our classroom had students that needed extra remediation in a particular subject (such as a special ed. Student or ELL), there might have been a logical use for one student to not participate with the rest of the class in what they were doing and do something different that was geared toward them, but as it was, our class is a highly capable class without these students to make considerations for.
You might ask yourself: Wouldn’t a classroom of gifted students be an ideal place to pilot differentiation of instruction using an IPod Touch? Yes, it would…if I had more than one. How do I choose from a class of 26 unique learners which one gets to use the Touch? Because I can guarantee, in this class, it would be noticed. Just asking 3 students to record interviews using the Touch caused all kinds of “why not me? Why them?” questions. If I only let 1 or 2 or 3 students sit off to the side and “play” with the Touch, I think we would have had another classroom management issue on our hands.
We instead chose to differentiate learning with the resources that we had: the Net Books and desktop computers. I anticipate that Touches could possibly be great tools in a classroom possessing a set and a teacher who was motivated to learn how to make use of them. But for the cost of a Touch relative to a Net Book (which I believe is much more versatile), I would have to choose the Net Book. If we were fortunate enough to have access to both, the possibilities for advancing our students in our learning would be even that much greater. Maybe someday in the future we will! I can hope…
In an ideal world, yes, I would love to have a set of Touches in my classroom. If I am ever fortunate enough to get them, I will make an effort to use them in real learning every day. Motivation goes a long way in helping students to learn. I have visions of math centers that kids rotate through to practice math facts, and literacy centers for beginning readers that allow them to listen to audio books and even make their own. But until I do have a set that I can work with and know that I can use for my students, I also believe that I need to focus on the resources that I DO have to differentiate learning for all of my students.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Hey, you're cheating!!
This week in Math we once again spent time exploring how technology is changing the way that we can facilitate the learning that takes place in our classrooms. Does it date me that I first learned math in an atmosphere where calculators were prohibited because they were “cheating”? Never mind that you have to have a pretty solid understanding of the concepts you are using to even know HOW to use that calculator to get the correct results! Obviously it was better to have to struggle, wading through hours of tedious calculations because it was a character builder, right?
At that time there was also the thought by some that if we typed papers on the computer we were cheating and letting the computer “do the work” for us. I actually had a teacher who would not accept any work that was written on a computer! Anyone who has ever used a word processor knows that it doesn’t choose your words for you, or tell you what or how you should write. It is just a way to “assist” you in your writing. It’s just a way to get what you have in your head down on paper without the tedium of writing, erasing, writing, erasing. I feel much the same way about calculators. Oh, how much more could we help our students progress if we are not spending hour upon hour of calculation practice and let them get to the concepts that these calculations were derived to explain? And if they are able to see a real world purpose for this math, won’t they be that much more likely to continue to learn, continue to find area of curiosity and use math to come to a better understanding of their world?
Isn’t this a much better system than boring generation after generation of kids with tedious work, making them resent math and being bored to tears? Boredom is a sure-fired way of getting students to tune out and write math off as something that they have no interest in. If we can just keep them interested, the learning will follow.
At that time there was also the thought by some that if we typed papers on the computer we were cheating and letting the computer “do the work” for us. I actually had a teacher who would not accept any work that was written on a computer! Anyone who has ever used a word processor knows that it doesn’t choose your words for you, or tell you what or how you should write. It is just a way to “assist” you in your writing. It’s just a way to get what you have in your head down on paper without the tedium of writing, erasing, writing, erasing. I feel much the same way about calculators. Oh, how much more could we help our students progress if we are not spending hour upon hour of calculation practice and let them get to the concepts that these calculations were derived to explain? And if they are able to see a real world purpose for this math, won’t they be that much more likely to continue to learn, continue to find area of curiosity and use math to come to a better understanding of their world?
Isn’t this a much better system than boring generation after generation of kids with tedious work, making them resent math and being bored to tears? Boredom is a sure-fired way of getting students to tune out and write math off as something that they have no interest in. If we can just keep them interested, the learning will follow.
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