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Chapter 6 – Option 1 (Reflection) [Fall 2020]

10/31/2020 5:56 PM | Anonymous

Choose something from this chapter’s reading that resonated with you and share your thoughts.

Comments

  • 11/08/2020 4:43 PM | Stacey Daly
    The section, "Productive Struggle, Be Less Helpful, and Special Education" resonated with me. I find particularly as you move up in the grades that math problems and work tends to be more and more scaffolded for students with IEPs. Just as Zager wrote, I find the students are given rule after rule and end up "applying them indiscriminately." Most teachers do this out of the goodness of their heart as they are trying to make the learning accessible and easier for their students. I really liked Zager's point that we can and should give students meaningful accommodations such as "support(ing) students as they make sense of the question by teaching them to model the action in the problem, use manipulatives, draw representations, or use reading comprehension strategies to make sense" rather than rule upon rule for each situation. I ordered the book by Storeygard that Zager referenced and look forward to learning more ideas for developing the appropriate supports to assist students with IEPs in developing understanding of the math they are learning and not just learning math as a series of rules or steps.
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    • 11/12/2020 9:58 PM | Anonymous
      Yes, in that section, Tracy says that the only rule needed is "understand the problem". HOW to do that in a way that empowers students to solve it themselves is the trick.
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  • 11/13/2020 9:30 PM | Carrie Allen
    One of the things that resonated with me was the quite from Fawn Nguyen, "When we hand students everything they might need to solve a problem right alongside the problem, we rob them of this essential part of the thought process." I love this thinking, but really struggle with getting others to see my perspective! Some of the K-2 world like to give kids everything they need to be successful, but forgot that sometimes that actually backfires on us!
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    • 11/14/2020 4:20 PM | Anonymous
      Absolutely! I also love Fawn's technique of stripping out the numbers from the problem, so students can think about what quantities might be important and how they relate to each other.

      In K-2, I can imagine giving a math-y scenario without numbers (yet) and ask students what questions they want to ask / answer about it. Christopher Danielson's book "How Many?" is a good resource, along with his website talkingmathwithkids.com.

      It is always tricky to get other teachers on board with an unfamiliar idea; perhaps if you video some students being successful this way, or offer to co-teach a lesson with a reluctant teacher, it will feel more accessible to them. And of course, this year, everything is harder; teachers are struggling to just get by with their old techniques. Press when you can, but not if it is too much.
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  • 11/14/2020 4:28 PM | Anonymous
    I have so many things highlighted (this chapter is chock-full of thought-provoking ideas!)
    p 113: Aim to teach students to be puzzlers who stick with it. I do weekday Yohaku Puzzles (@YohakuPuzzle on twitter or yohaku.ca) and while each puzzle only has 1 solution (sometimes 2), I think about how to lower the floor and find other possibilities by changing/removing the constraints given in the puzzle. More possibilities means more fun in the puzzling.

    p 119: Aim for much more thinking in problems and less repetition: Use fewer, better problems, give ample room for student work rather than prescribed fill-it-in worksheets.

    p 127: Great guidelines to analyze rich problems

    p 129: Foster productive struggle by avoiding rescuing students—"Be Less Helpful". However, it is important to avoid destructive struggle by creating supportive space to work on problems (I take this to mean, don’t be punitive with grading or timing if you want students to experience the struggle.)
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  • 11/18/2020 6:53 AM | Cortni Muir
    One thing that resonates with me is the mentioning of the #MTBos (Math-Twitter Blog O Sphere). As a math teacher and coach, tthe #MTBos has really shaped who I am. Dan's video about math class makeovers is so powerful and inspiring. Additionally, I am a huge fan of Fawn. We definitely need to let students "own" the problem and help avoid number plucking. Her statement about when we give students everything we rob them of the essential part of the thought process is something that really sticks with me!
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    • 11/30/2020 9:32 PM | Anonymous
      I agree, Cortni, the #MTBoS community on Twitter has been a great resource to find supportive teachers, suggestions for the classroom, and productive discussions. You can follow some folks named in Tracy's book, lurk in conversations (read but don't have to comment), and search #MTBoS along with content hashtags like #geometry or #elemmathchat to find ideas and other educators. Don't be afraid to jump in!
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