Friday, January 13, 2017
For 1/24 - Response to Chapter 1
Pick one of the Standards for Mathematical Practice. List the standard. Explain what it means in your own words. How does this standard relate to the Common Core State Standards content expectations? How might you incorporate this standard into math instruction in your classroom?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I am going with the practice standard: "Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them." What this means to me: Retelling [or creating unique] math problems in words student's will understand, while being careful to use correct and logical mathematical terms that students already know and understand; have discussions with students about how to tackle the problem, and highlight different approaches to solving it as well as some varying ways to check the answers they come up with; compare math problems to real-life ones that students are familiar with and can grasp easier and make connections to; and if it does not make sense to them change the teaching method and/or approach.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure about your question of relating this standard to the CCSS content expectations... It applies to all of them, operations and algebraic thinking, number and operations base ten; measurement and data, and geometry. Perhaps I missed the girth of these content standards? They seem very broad...
In teaching I could apply the practice standard above by giving students a problem about the popularity of their school cafeteria food. We could make pie charts, sort different colored popsicle sticks representing differing student opinions, conduct surveys, and use whole numbers to identify student groupings, and fractions to show how these compare with the whole student body's. We would discuss different ways to solve the problem, and students could use methods that make sense to them to figure it out and check their answer. We could compare all the methods as a class, and brainstorm new ones.
- Meghan Ehle
I keep reading this table as TEACHING practices, not practices that must be develop in all students. Fortunately/hopefully, if I model these practices in my teaching, students would learn to do the same. Is it accurate to think of these standards as practices applied to any/all of the content standards in order to develop/demonstrate proficiency?
DeleteI like the idea of comparing (or simply sharing) the various methods students come up to solve a problem. The 'select and sequence' technique mentioned in class could be used to start with the more simple and accessible methods, and build towards the more advanced.
From a teaching perspective, I was struck by how similar these standards for mathematical practice parallel or support Universal Design for Learning and its three principles. If students are able to do this full range of thinking about a particular problem or domain, they must be able to demonstrate proficiency.
I find great similarities between the teaching of different subjects. As a special educator I am in a lot of classes and am able to see teachers who are positive about the subject they teach, explicitly outline the standard goal, and use multi model teaching methods. The biggest stumbling block are equity with the economically challenged families. The students at times do not have technology at home, parents who have had poor school experiences with math, and general issues that the students bring to class that makes learning more difficult. Currently, I am having difficulty with students demonstrating problem solving strategies and appearing very passive in the math class. It appears that the value of doing well in math is not high for the students. Overall tables 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 all seem very clear to me.
DeleteIt keeps labeling me as "Anonymous". How can I change that, anyone? Thanks, Meghan
ReplyDeleteI logged in with my gmail in the top right hand corner.
DeleteThanks for that!
DeleteI find the reading for chapter one very clear, but that I am struggling with students who are passive, come from homes that say it is okay to be poor at math as their mother or father, and a few who lack the same access to technology. I am excited to work on developing techniques that get the passive students up and challenges them to think about the importance of math in their future. To see if the students can recognize their success in activities and give themselves credit for the perseverance, grit, and problem solving abilities that brought them the success.
ReplyDeleteI very much agree that working with struggling students presents a huge challenge. I have worked with many students who completely shut down because they feel frustrated by math or are stuck on the belief that they are bad at math. I think a lot of this comes from the idea that students should be quick at math. I hope to create a classroom environment that challenges students mathematically and encourages a positive mindset around math.
DeleteI feel that both comments are spot on when it comes to the struggle to engage students who have quit before they even begin. It is SO frustrating. For some reason our society has said that it's OK for you to say your not a math person. It's ok if you don't want to try, because you've hear your Mom say she wasn't a math person or your Dad say he hated math. Why is this? Nobody is saying, I'm not a reading person. So, I feel like as Educators we need to first deal with the societal dislike of math and the acceptance of this ignorance instead of jumping up and down about tougher standards and testing. I also wonder if preparing Pre-K and early elementary kids for jobs is a bit premature. Maybe we teach the basics of mathematics for the love of learning math and solving problems instead of creating the next work force as our motivation for such young children. Takes the pressure off and makes learning far more fun.
DeleteThe standard that I am choosing is 'Model with Mathematics'. To me, this means using situations or word problems that students are familiar with to apply mathematics. By using these familiar problems, students can look at math as it relates to their every day life versus only a subject taught in school. Visualizing real life problems will allow students to make connections to important quantities and how they effect the overall problem. Students can then reflect on their answer and explain how they came to that number.
ReplyDeleteThe Common Core State Standards content expectations states that it is "a balanced combination of procedure and understanding." Following the mathematical practice of 'model with mathematics', students are presented with opportunities to connect what they are practicing to the content they are learning. For example, a student learning addition can connect the activity 'I wish I had' to the practice of addition. By using a relatable problem like: I wish I had 5 pieces of gum and presenting the student with 3 pieces, they can connect that they need to add 2 more pieces of gum to reach 5.
In the classroom, this standard can be used to solve problems that students work with daily. Problems such as: 5 students can be in the reading center at a time, if we have 15 students, how many groups of 5 can we make? After solving these problems, students can reflect openly on how they found a solution and what tools they used to reach this solution. Visual representations would be a great tool to use when modeling with mathematics.
I think that Tiffany's explanation of her standard explains somewhat how to get those unmotivated students interested in mathematics. Making it personal, and making it relevant. They have got to care about something, you just need to find out what it is. It's all about knowing your students. If those methods don't work, why not bring in candy? You could use M&M's as counters and that should motivate them!!!
DeleteThe Standard I would like to discuss is "Construct Viable Arguments and Critique the Reasoning of Others." This one stood out to me because I think that being able to explain, justify, and analyze their work will lead to a deeper understanding of the math. I also think that it gives students the opportunity to take ownership of their work and empowers them in their ability to do math. There are many different ways to think about math and often many different approaches to solve a problem and by sharing their answers the students can find the technique that makes the most sense to them. Furthermore, if given the opportunity to share their work and the answer is incorrect then it gives the teacher the opportunity to hear the students thinking and misconceptions. Students are also then able to work out the correct answer with support from their teacher and peers.
ReplyDeleteI could see this strategy easily being implemented in higher grade levels and would be interested to see how it could be used with younger children.
The Standard " Model with Mathematics" speaks to me most. What gets me excited about teaching is the desire to use the subject of study (in this case mathematics) to understand the everyday world. "How can you make what is learned in school relevant in the real world?" I come to education through my work in sustainability and place based farm to school education, in which application of subjects such as mathematics in real world experiences is an everyday occurrence. I find that students get more engaged in the subject when it can be related to solving a problem they can re create in their own lives outside of school. One example of a way I could do this is to use several the 3rd grade CCSS standards for "measurement and data" to build a garden. First, students will solve problems of water usage where by "measuring and estimating" the amount needed for each plant. Students will "represent and interpret data" as it relates to how much food they need to grow to feed a family. They may use graphs or pie charts to convey their understanding. Students will then analyze and synthesize the information they have learned from their standards based mathematical problem solving to collaboratively plant a spring garden. - Rachel Stein
ReplyDeleteYes, the opportunity to make connections to students everyday experience is not only going to make learning more exciting but I think it also makes it more concrete and meaningful.
Delete