Friday, November 20, 2009

Long Time, No Blog

Call it writer's block, or a busy schedule... I don't know. No excuses, but I'm back.

Much good news to report, however! After the first round of district Benchmark results were scanned, there were gains at every grade level compared to last year. In some cases the gains were significant, such as 2nd (up 16%) and 3rd (up 14%.) If this trend continues, there is every reason to believe we will again post strong CST gains at the end of the year.

Amidst the celebration, we must remain mindful of our commitment to improve in all of our subgroups, and close the achievement gap for EL's in math. All of the KLLOV strategies applied in language arts are beneficial in math, especially when we consider that ALL students are "MLL"- Math Language Learners.
Keep up the great work, RUSD teachers!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Math Apprentice

Math Apprentice...games showing how math is used in different careers! Very cool; check it out!

Math Apprentice

Friday, September 25, 2009

Working SMaRTer

Hats off to RUSD SMaRT leaders. This group of talented and hardworking teachers are busy once again preparing to host collaboration meetings in their classrooms. They send invitations to everyone in their grade level at nearby schools, prepare practical information to support math instruction, and generally offer a forum for sharing of ideas. During this round, they'll talk about ways to improve student achievement on the first benchmark test, and all comers are encouraged to bring a "best practice" idea to share. Thank you, SMaRT Leaders!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Out of the Box

Do you enjoy playing games? Depending on the game, they have tremendous potential for building skill, vocabulary, and team work. Watch this short demo from Out-of-the-Box games. How could this be modified for classroom use?

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Non-PowerPoint Jeopardy

For those of you who enjoy building Jeopardy games for classroom review, check out this site. It's a cleaner format (no PowerPoint) and has an elementary math template already prepared. You'll love it and it's FREEEEEEE!

http://jeopardylabs.com/

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Ideology vs. implementation

Ideology vs. implementation. If people voiced their agreement more on the ideology it would be easier to find agreement on implementation.

Careers in Mathematics

Ever thought of becoming a mathematician? Here is a nice audio slideshow of some number wizards.
http://seedmagazine.com/slideshow/mathematicians/

Saturday, September 12, 2009

New Management

I spent an enjoyable Saturday at a Rick Morris seminar, listening to his "New Management" tips for "fair, firm, and consistent" classroom management. He is an entertaining presenter, and the seminar is chock full of ways to address all of the major and minor classroom annoyances that minimize student time on task and student learning. While much of it is gimicky (and Pavlovian) I have no problem with it. It works when implemented consistently, and kids love novelty! When I visit classrooms, I see teachers talktalktalktalk, and they are typically exhausted at the end of the day. Students are the ones who need to be talking- about content, using academic language.

Looking forward to seeing these strategies in use in classrooms. Thanks to Scott Brennan for inviting me and Lia Boucher for including me. Click to see Rick's webpage.

New Management

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Cool Tools You Didn't Know You Needed

If you would like to see a table of the latest Web 2.0 tools available, check out this cool link. Displayed in one table and organized by type, you can click on exactly what you'd like to see and learn more about (and I'll bet you didn't know about most of this stuff!) Great format!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Practical Mathematics from Calvin and Hobbes


Anyone who knows me knows what a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan I am. Check out this fun collection of cartoons to illustrate some good axioms for math instruction. Fun!

Baseball, Basketball, and Volleyball, oh my!

Time for a little facts practice? Here is an idea for using a sports metaphor to engage kids.
Baseball Math

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Ahhh...Multiplication Facts

How in the world to get kids to memorize facts? (Yes, they should. Problem solving is inefficient without an automatic command of basic skills and facts.) But it needn't be steady stream of timed Mad Minutes or flash cards. Make it fun!

Ways to "Tweet" at School

How many of you enjoy "Tweeting" on Twitter? I have to say that I love it- those I follow provide a steady stream of interesting information and links. If you're interested in 25 Ways to Use Twitter in Your Classroom, click on the link. Times are changing!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Google for Educators

This compilation of information and tools for tachers is Google's way of supporting teachers "in their efforts to empower students and expand the frontiers of human knowledge." Links to different applications (i.e. Google Maps, Book Search, etc.), as well as downloadable lesson plans and wall posters. Discussion board with other teachers and the creators of Google Apps for Educators. Take advantage!!

Click here:

Google for Educators:

Some Cool Tech Tools

Hey, all my techie friends out there - you will LOVE this!
Check out: ClassTools.net

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

SMART Meetings begin!

I met today with our 1st Grade SMaRT Leaders to kick of the first round of SMaRT team meetings. They had so many terrific ideas and I am confident that attendees will gain so much from the collaboration they will provide. Thank you to Christine Wagner (Harrison), Christina Johnson (Emerson), Jeannie Wagner (Bryant), Maria Bleemers (Mt. View) and Kathy Buttaccio, who is always a tremendous resource. Many congratulations to Brandi Marsh (Twain) who just gave birth to a new baby! We are so excited for her and looking forward to her return.

Art of Teaching

"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." - Mark Van Doren

How can we connect that to the way we use enVision?

Friday, August 28, 2009

SMART Leaders!


This year, our former math cluster leaders will be reorganized to coincide with our Student Responsibility Teams, or SRT's. If you add an "M" for math, you will find that we now have SMaRT leaders that will support our teachers as they engage in Year 2 of the enVisionMATH adoption. You'll receive an invitation from your SMaRT leader soon, so please plan to join in and collaborate with your peers!

Sample STAR Items

Released items organized by grade level and proficiency:

STAR SAMPLE ITEMS

Thursday, August 27, 2009

(Ten) Rules of Engagement

Dead time interferes with students' learning, and it is contagious. It lures those who are on task into wondering, "Why should I pay attention if others aren't?"

Learn more at:
http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Online Math Fun

Yes, kids need to master facts and be able to use them with automaticity. But who says this must be limited to timed tests and flashcards? Have some fun! Check out all of the games and activities available online- here are just a few:

Monday, August 24, 2009

Welcome to 09-10!

Welcome back to a new school year! Most of you have had an opportunity to review CST data, and there is much to celebrate. Despite a challenging year which involved learning a brand-new mathematics curriculum (which for many of us meant rethinking the way we teach math) we posted significant gains district wide. Estimated results show that overall, the percent of proficient students increased at every grade level from 2008 to 2009. :
Grade 2 - 53% to 59%
Grade 3 - 56% to 57%
Grade 4 - 62% to 66%
Grade 5 - 51% to 60%
Grade 6 - 45% to 53%

Official results will be released in mid-September.

There is still much to be done, as we strive to meet NCLB goals for ALL of our student subgroups, but I feel confident that we can do it if we stay positive, collaborate, and continue to fully implement enVision. Keep up the great work.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

HAVE, BE, DO

"Education shouldn't be about adding more to our lists of HAVE'S, DO's, and BE's, but rather thinking outside the lines, intentially about the BE's, DO's and HAVE's that matter most.
The 21st century world needs learners to BE critical, BE creative, and BE strategic. The 21st century world demands learners to DO their own thinking, rather than relying on someone else to think for them. The 21st century world expects learners to HAVE the endurance fortitude, and courage to brave through each new challenge with confidence and competence."

Do YOU have the courage to demand that your learners DO their own thinking?
POSE the problem, ASK the question, and let students BE creative.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Partnership Possibilities

As many of you may know, RUSD is pursuing federal and state funding to create a partnership with UCR and RCC to provide staff development in the area of math content and pedagogy for teachers in grades 5 through Algebra I. Recently, UCR Extension was included in the partnership. In addition to summer workshops and student academies, today's meeting held promise for college credit for participants; additionally, new courses will be developed that will mirror the content of our academy. (Imagine courses titled "Language and Concepts of Elementary Mathematics", From Arithmetic to Algebra" and "Language and Concepts of Algebra.")
RUSD is fortunate to be located amidst such outstanding institutions with whom we can build relationships. Thank you to all involved.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Man Up!

Read this on a kindergarten teacher's blog... hilarious.

Today we were doing math and I was trying to get the kids to figure out how to divide up a bunch of Unifix Cubes into equal piles. Getting them to problem solve is like pulling teeth. Actually, I think I’d RATHER pull teeth. After working at it on the rug for about 45 minutes, and still dealing with a lot of glazed over eyes, I put my head down on the floor and said, “I want my Momma, I think I’m going to cry.” My new kid (the one driving me crazy) said, “Mr. B’s not going to cry, he’s a MAN.” Then he nudged me (I had my face down in my hands), “Come on Mr. B. – MAN UP - be a MAN.”

Thursday, August 6, 2009

enVision Leadership Symposium

On August 6th, Pearson Education sponsored an enVision Leadership Symposium. District math coordinators, directors, and principals from throughout the state met to share best practices as they support their teachers in the implementation of enVision Math. Because enVision is "different by design" there has been a rather steep learning curve for teachers and students. Students are asked to DO math, EXPLAIN their thinking both orally and in writing, utilize higher levels of academic language, and generally incorporate a broader range of higher level thinking skills daily. These skills are crucial if we expect our students to meet the state standards as well as become prepared for higher math. Participants were able to hear Dr. Randy Charles, senior author of the program, and other speakers share their experiences as new users prepare for the 09-10 school year.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Mt. View Kinder Academy











Parents of incoming kindergartners at Mountain View Elementary were treated to a week-long "Kinder Academy" designed to bolster the success of their children. On Thursday, they learned about the district math curriculum, enVisionMATH, from Title I Math Coach Kathy Buttaccio. During this session they talked about the California Math Standards for kindergarten, key vocabulary their students would be learning, what a typical lesson would look like, and fun math games and activities they can enjoy with their children. Because enVisionMATH is so rich in technology, Kathy also showed them how to go online and access the resources there in both English and Spanish. Finally, each parent was given a packet of math manipulatives, with encouragement to help children connect their math education at school with math at home. Thank you, Kathy, for this informative session! Thank you as well to Assistant Principal Donna Dorsey for organizing this week of activities.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Welcome New Math Coaches!

RUSD is fortunate to have three not-so-new faces in three new positions for the 09-10 school year. Brandy Haegg just wrapped up this past year as an EETT coach, and is looking forward to working with teachers at both Hawthorne and Mt. View elementary schools. Prior to working with EETT, Brandy taught at Kennedy Elementary School. Eric Palmer, also a coach for EETT, will split his time between Hyatt and Emerson Elementary Schools. Eric was previously a Staff Development Specialist for mathematics and prior to that, taught at Hyatt Elementary School. Our final EETT coach-turned math coach is Michele Navarro. She will return to Liberty Elementary, where she formerly was an SDC teacher. Brandy, Eric and Michele will join Alicia Chavez from Adams and Kelly Hamilton from Madison. I'm looking forward to working with a talented and enthusiastic group of coaches!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Check out the Top Ten jobs from CareerCast.com. Notice a theme?

http://www.careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_10BestJobs

Talent Abounds!

I'm so excited to share with you some of the awesome talent we have right here in RUSD. Click on the link to hear some math songs recorded by Matt Cash, a K teacher at Rivera. Matt is a talented singer and musician, and is generous with sharing those talents to benefit teachers and students in RUSD. (You may remember one of his other famous hits, "Alpha Friends".) Two of the songs were written by Kathy Buttaccio, our Title I math coach. She has quite a few more up her sleeve as well and I am hoping for more collaboration between her and Matt!

http://k6math.rusd.k12.ca.us/math_songs.htm

Friday, July 24, 2009

Time to Blog again!

It's been the busiest summer ever, in case anyone's thinking we slow down in July and August! Christy Ekman and I have offered sessions for teachers who are "new to grade level"- since there was an unprecedented amount of movement this year. Going from grade 2 to 6? We'll get you caught up and reduce the stress level a bit! I am also offering sessions on how to use bar diagrams, and meeting with new math coaches. Additionally, Anne Marie Montgomery, my 7-12 counterpart, and I have been very busy putting together a proposal for a grant through the California Math and Science Partnership. If we obtain this award, professional development will be provided for the next three years to participating teachers in grades 5 through Algebra I, through a partnership with RCC and UCR. With so little money in the state, EVERYONE is applying for very few awards. It is a significant endeavor and very time consuming, but will be worth it if we are successful. There are many other tasks, and I definitely want to upload all of the things I've been promising to the math website, so stay tuned. It's coming along! Time to get back to work.....

Sunday, June 28, 2009

More SB472 Photos

Go to the Elementary Mathematics Webpage to see a gallery of photos. They are found under the "enVision" tab.

http://k6math.rusd.k12.ca.us/sb472_photos.htm

What We Control

There is much we cannot control in the world of teaching. But there is so much more that we can. Dr. Haim Ginott said, "I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized."
Someone else said, "If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn." Easier said than done? Maybe, but the best thing you can bring to your math instruction (in addition to careful preparation!) is joie de vivre - a zest and enthusiasm for the subject that will catch on with your students and motivate them. I loved teaching math and the kids loved it with me- it was music to my ears to hear them whisper "Yessss!!" whenever it was time for math. I'm not a professional mathematician, but I believe the greatest gift we can give our students is the opportunity to DO math, build their own understanding, and instill a confidence and desire to learn more. Our future may well depend on the next generation of scientists and engineers.

SB472 Day 5- Presentation Day







On Friday, the last day of SB472, teachers partnered up and used the information they had learned during the week to present a lesson to their peers. Some used charts, others PowerPoints and activities; lessons included EL sentence frames, TPR, games, and lots of academic vocabulary!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Game Day!
















Like songs and chants and other routines that kids enjoy, games can teach within some parameters. The center activities in enVisionMATH provides excellent opportunities for students to learn and reinforce concepts, provide extended practice, and deepen conceptual understanding. Because students should learn the management and the game routines early, the only "new" information to learn is the current, grade-level content.
This week, teachers spent more time investigating the daily center activities and how to embed these powerful and engaging strategies into their instruction.

Characteristics of an Effective Math Teacher


What are the characteristics of an effective math teacher? Check out the poster made by some of the participants at SB472 this week. I agree! In addition to these qualities, teachers are adding to their "effectiveness" quotient by building math background content, instructional strategies, and more of the engagement components built into enVisionMATH.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

How Much is a Google?

For all of you math trivia (and language origin) fans, this site is for you. How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurements, contains a fantastic amount of information that will fascinate you and your students. Ever wondered what number comes after a trillion? How much is a google? What is the origin of our system of weights and measures? What about a list of other measurements, such as Apgar scores or Beaufort scales or shotgun gauges?

Click on "Names for Large Numbers" to find out the answer to the question in the title.

How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurements

Eleven and Twelve

Why don't we have "oneteen" and "twoteen" instead of eleven and twelve?  These curious words actually come from Old and Middle English words.  Eleven comes from "endleofan" meaning "and one more" or "one left past ten" and twelve is derived from "twelfe" meaning "and two more" or "two left past ten."  Note that two and twelve begin the same.
Whenever we think English has crazy exceptions, we can usually delve a bit into the origin to find meaning.   Standardized spelling is fairly recent, so as our tongues relaxed around certain words, pronunciation, and therefore spelling, changed over time.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Laying a Foundation for Success





















The first day of SB472 training for enVisionMATH went very well! Kudos to the many teachers (and the principals who supported them!) as they spent a valuable week of summer preparing for their math instruction next year!


They charted, discussed, shared, and learned from each other. It's looking to be a terrific week!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Highgrove enVision Study Day

Highgrove has a hardworking staff committed to their students!

On June 16, teachers dedicated an entire day to expanding their knowledge about the new math program. After one year of implementation, they were ready to fully learn about everything enVision has to offer in the way of differentiation, technology and problem solving. enVision is a new, "written from scratch" series that is tightly aligned with the framework and emphasizes applied mathematics. They plan to follow up in the fall with an increased focus on problem solving with bar diagrams, use of the Math Diagnosis and Intervention System, and incorporation of the many innovative features that can support effective instruction and engage students

Magnolia ES


It was a privilege to spend time on Monday with the teachers at Magnolia Elementary School, who devoted a day to learning more about the enVisionMATH adoption. They discussed how window planning serves the dual purpose of looking at grade level standards and planning instructional time effectively. They also delved into the Math Diagnosis and Intervention System to see how this component can be used to provide "just in time" extra support in conjunction with daily instruction. Finally, all teachers engaged in solving problems using bar diagrams, a way to help students visually represent the problems they are attempting to solve. A very productive day!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Math is Fun

No shortage of great interactive math sites to engage students this summer!

Here is one:

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

How Teachers Can Get More Respect

From Daniel Willingham, the author of Why Students Don't Like School.  His articles are always compelling and thought provoking.  Most are posted on AFT's American Educator website.  Search the author index.

How Teachers Can Get More Respect

Monday, June 8, 2009

Playing for Change

Here's the link:

Playing for Change

Playing for Change

What an awesome video.

http://www.playingforchange.com/episodes/2/Stand_by_Me

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Comprehending Math

This is the title of a book I am currently reading; the subtitle is Adapting Reading Strategies to Teach Mathematics, K-6 by Arthur Hyde. The premise is that teachers can build into their practice math-based variations of K-W-L, predicting, making connections, inferring, etc. and "braid" together reading comprehension and math problem solving skills.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Law School vs. Credential Courses


lawyer

This cartoon was found on the Principalspage
blog.  The author of that blog posed a question that seems truly ironic.

Society loves teachers but hates lawyers (if the number of unkind jokes about them is any indication.)

Why is it then that most parents are proud when their children head off to law school, but generally discourage them from entering the teaching profession?  

Turtles on their Backs

I'm sure students are learning a lot these days, but without question, a key trait is helplessness.  As in Learned Helplessness.

I visit classrooms a lot and there are invariably two or three kids checked out, shredding their pencil or picking gravel out of their shoe tread or contributing to the detritus on the floor.  When asked if it might not be useful to dial into the lesson for a bit, just in case anything valuable gets shared, they are typically quite honest.  

"No, she'll help me later."  "I'm in the small (or special)  group." "I get a different worksheet."

These lines are delivered matter-of-factly.  Either these kids aren't aware that they ought to be aiming for a different kind of special group, or we have unwittingly elevated intervention strategies to entitlement status.  

Many believe whole class instruction is on course to yield to student-centered learning.   Will intrinsic motivation produce enough initiative to see students through?

Are the right people becoming teachers?

 This is a fascinating article:

http://www.habermanfoundation.org/Articles/Default.aspx?id=77

Monday, June 1, 2009

Here is my conundrum: lots of folks bemoan their math education, claiming it was boring or rote that they were often confused, and were left with little passion to pursue mathematics further.  Yet many default to those same methods, even when presented with more engaging options.
Why? Any thoughts?

Friday, May 29, 2009

It's not too late...

2011 Mathematics Framework Update

Inaugural Blog

This is my first post. I hope to post questions, celebrations and updates about all things related to students, math, and learning. It will be exciting if others engage in the conversation!