Getting Ready!
These past few days have been exhausting for me as I attempt to get my mind and spirit into the school routine. Yesterday we had our yearly pep rally to celebrate the fine work our feeder area had accomplished this past year. The afternoon was spent yelling and cheering!
Today third grade spent the day at a Marilyn Burns math training. Our presenter displayed dedication and a willingness to serve children through her expertise as a math teacher. We developed a better understanding of the difference between multiples and factors. Which honestly has confused me for many years. Mathematical number games were introduced to help students develop a number sense. We are trying to get these students to think “outside of the box”. She wanted us to realize how we as teachers have to attempt to listen and understand their way of thinking on how they arrived at a solution. And she explained it is ok to make mistakes. Now the trick is to incorporate the games she displayed into the already tight math schedule. Onward to tomorrow!!!!!!
Posted: August 22nd, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: 4
Comments
Comment from shulburt
Time: August 22, 2007, 11:43 pm
Mrs. Medrano went to the same workshop a while back and she told me that what she intends to do is use some of these activities as an introduction on Mondays in place of some of the other scheduled activities…or a supplement depending on the unit they are working on.
It’s really hard to get kids to believe that it’s okay to make mistakes. We say those words to them…but our actions speak louder than words don’t they? We tell them it’s okay to make mistakes and it’s okay to take a chance but yet we get on their case when they don’t do well. So, I guess the burning question is really when do mistakes turn from a step in the discovery and learning process to a failure? Or is failure another one of those mistakes that we have to experience in order to learn?
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Comment from Dean Mattson
Time: August 25, 2007, 2:54 pm
It’ll be interesting to see how the students react to those Marilyn Burns activities. I know in the workshop I was at, the teachers were really into it and having a lot of fun. I think they’ll reach some students that the Sharon Wells curriculum isn’t reaching. But I wonder about the students who don’t have with the same proclivity towards math going in - will the activities be able to draw them in too?
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Comment from vbeaulieu
Time: August 27, 2007, 8:57 pm
We raised the same questions at the MB workshop I went to. We (the teachers) had a blast, but just about everything was “discovery” and “constructivist”. I loved it, but I was being told that there isn’t time with Sharon Wells. I asked if we could substitute activities, and most people said, “yes.” But there are those that like Sharon Wells…the script…the “I don’t have to figure out what to do today, she’s already done it for me.” How does that teach a child to enjoy math?
I understand that for students who have a hard time with math, MB might not be all that…but I believe these students could still benefit from the activities. Just enjoying them would have an impact.
Rebecca and I were talking about tying it into tutoring since we both took the training. Dean if you went to the training, would you like to incorporate it too…especially with technology?
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Comment from Wendy Rice
Time: August 27, 2007, 9:14 pm
I like your idea of incorportating it into tutoring. Sharon Wells is easy to follow, which we as teachers try to find the easiest way of giving the students information. But we also have the responsibility to teach children to think. Third graders get frustrated sometimes on the TAKS test when a problem is presented differently that how SW taught it. They must realize there are many ways to work a problem. We played a dice game at MB-never had an opportunity to analyze which combination we would have the best chance of getting-it was an eye opener for me. Third grade will be attending another Inservice in January-we shall see.
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