About this blog

This blog is the platform that the Doug Reeves Team at JB Young Intermediate conducts book studies in order to both consume and produce information that can improve teaching practices. Last summer, 2011, we read Focus by Mike Schmoker and Enhancing RTI by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey. During our winter break, 2011/12, we read Productive Group Work by Sandi Everlove, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey. This summer, 2012, we are reading and blogging in regards to Mindset - The New Psychology of Success - How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Ch. 7: Making Math Meaningful

In this chapter, Schmoker discusses if there is really a need for higher math.  80% of the workforce will never use anything beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (p. 199).  Many students are lacking these skills.  They are so dependent on the calculator.  They need to be given multiple opportunities to practice and apply these skills.  Also, it is difficult many times to try and find a real life connection with what has to be taught.  

A phrase that kept coming up over and over in chapter was "interplay of numbers and words, especially on expressing quantitative relationships in meaningful sentences" (p. 202).  Students should be given about 15-20 opportunities each year to read current articles that could involve tables, demographic and quality-of-life statistics, and statistics.  Of course, students have to be shown multiple times how to read and interpret the information.  It must be read very carefully and repeatedly.  Think alouds are key to students understanding how we understand the text we read.  

I'm glad our data teams are going back to writing in the curriculum.  "When students are asked to explain or evaluate a solution or algorithm in writing, they come to a clearer, deeper understanding of a formula's meaning and application" (p. 211).   I like Doug Reeves's idea of giving a multiple choice test but have students explain why any one of the incorrect choices is wrong.  

One thing is for sure- we have to get writing back in the math classrooms!  
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 30, 2013 at 11:17 PM

    Jen I love reading that we teach at too high of a level in math- I agree! I also agree that when students write in math they have a deeper understanding. We have seen some excellent growth with even our most struggling learners when writing our thought process. Thinking aloud how we solve a problem is key- at the conference I attended they said we need to explain to kids that we have " side conversations" in our heads when we read( or do math) - thesis side conversations are modeled for students with a Think Aloud.
    Marianne

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  2. AnonymousJuly 7, 2013 at 11:08 AM

    I think we all saw so much growth when data teams were focused across all content areas, so I think it will be great to see that metacognition in math and have them write their thoughts out on paper. Dr. Volkova at St. Ambrose teaches a class to college students based on exactly that-take simple math problems that are at students level but then have them explain exactly how and why they did it. This was incredibly frustrating for so many in the class, even for adults doing elementary math this way, so it won't be easy but the gains can be huge. Good luck Law!

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