Our system provides funding for summer projects. Originally this funding was meant to support grassroots innovation and modernization of teaching/learning programs. Then in year's past, at the elementary level, the projects took a greater turn towards administration-led workshops and efforts. This year, however, I've noticed a return to more of a combination of grass-roots projects and administrative led initiatives. I'm happy to see this change, and happy to receive some funding and support for a number of new projects.
Graspable Math
I learned about this tool at a recent Mathematics Conference in Massachusetts. The tool truly helps students learn about and become flexible with numerical expressions. I'm looking forward to investing time this summer to deeply understand the tool on my own and in conjunction with the creators of the tool at a nearby university.
Math Performance Assessments
David Wees reminded us recently in his blog post that good learning is not performance, and I want to pay attention to that as I work with my team to create math performance assessments. Yet the rationale for creating these assessments is that I know that assessments, projects, and observations alone don't ensure that students learn in ways that are meaningful and memorable. That's why we will create one or more performance assessments based on standards that students did not master well in the past year. For example, I taught students how to create and use area models to solve fraction multiplication problems, but when they had to demonstrate that on their own, many could not do it. Yet they had multiple opportunities to practice and demonstrate this skills via teaching, collaboration, and assessments. A performance assessment will invite students to utilize this skill with a meaningful interdisciplinary problem, and it will also give students the chance to perfect their use of this skill via multiple opportunities to edit their work with peers and teachers and eventually present their work. I'm looking forward to embedding this process-oriented math learning approach with greater depth and more positive results.
Interdisciplinary Project Work
Our team will work together to refine our curriculum map with a greater interdisciplinary approach. We want to do this to make sure that the standards-based learning we do is deep, memorable, engaging, and not rushed. To be intentional about what and how we teach in integrated multidisciplinary ways will help us to better build our program so that all students achieve with interest and meaning.
Developing the Math Program
I've offered my time to help develop the math program, and will engage in this effort if there is a need and desire for me to participate.
Developing Social Studies, Science, Reading, and Writing Program
It's likely that my colleagues will take the lead in these areas, however, I'm willing to help out too.
Long ago, I participated with the summer study options often. Then when the options because too top down, I pulled back, and now that we're seeing a more distributive model of leadership related to this effort, I'm ready to participate again. I believe that the summer study list creates a positive foundation for growing our system efforts to teach well. I can see that this work is well organized and well coordinated with the five-year elementary curriculum goals. This is work that educators can connect with in positive ways, ways that will benefit the students and families we serve.
