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?