Tell Students Why You Do What You Do

Today, armed with knowledge about the value of explicit teaching as well as knowledge of learning through exploration and discovery, I set forth to lead a math learning experience.

I started with a learning map--a set of steps to teach students a mathematical skill and concept.

Before I started, I said that sometimes I teach too fast, and that's not good for some learners so I'm going to slow down the introduction. I also said that some math is best taught explicitly and I was going to take a few minutes to explicitly teach the skill.

I noted that I understood that some already knew about this skill, but that I, myself, had revisited the skill numerous times and each time I learned something new. Willingham's book, Why Don't Students Like School, shows the value of repetition and review of known concepts/skills with regard to learning.

I then pointed out ways that they could access the lesson with strength including:

• having their notebooks ready
• taking notes, writing questions, sketching concepts
• marking up the page
• offering ideas and asking questions

Then step-by-step for about 10 minutes I reviewed the skill with students. After that I sent them off to either study the skill or work on their fraction projects alone or with friends. At that point I coached their learning as needed. 

Taking the time to give the rationale for your learning/teaching choices helps students to invest in the process. They get to see you as a decision maker, one who reads, researches, and deliberates a lesson's choreography. You model the learning process for them when you offer the story behind the choices you've made.

Also, when you share with students at that level, they're more apt to share with you. They'll share ideas for lesson change, enrichment, and possible modification if needed.

This is one way to improve the teaching/learning efforts. 

Amazing Author Visit

Bear Alert Amazon Link

You may want to visit David Biedrzycki's website.

Thanks to the efforts of our school librarian and funding by the PTO, the children's book author, David Biedrzycki, visited our school today and made a presentation to every class. He was amazing!

Mr. Biedrzycki is a terrific storyteller, writer, illustrator, and tech savvy artist. His quick-paced presentation led students through the story writing/illustrating process from the idea stage through publication. He also shared with us his new book, Bear Alert. The book is a wonderful story that uses clever play on words and reference to multiple bear stories, images, and connections throughout time. I can't wait to read the book again, and will definitely think about purchasing a copy for one of my young relatives.

So, if you're looking for a dynamic author/illustrator, or "authorator" as he jokingly referred to himself, to inspire student authors, I recommend David Biedrzycki.


Note: He also introduced us to Sumopaint which I can't wait to try.

Comparing Fractions: Lesson Language

Today students will study how to compare fractions with greater skill and depth.

First, I'll introduce the process with the lesson language below.

Then students will apply that process as they work on their fraction compare posters.

Later students and I will review the concept using this worksheet.

During the explicit teaching time, students will be seated at desks with notebooks. I will be at the front of the room leading the learning activity. My student teacher will walk around helping students follow the lesson.

Then during the project time, students will spread out in the room and next-door computer lab to continue working on their compare posters. At that time I'll coach individual and small groups of students as needed.

Take a look at the language below. Is this how you would teach this concept? How would you change the language or progression? What would you add?

Tomorrow, I'll work backwards a bit, and explore the concept and skill of simplifying fractions.

Learning Language

1. Let’s compare ⅞ and ⅚.

Take a few  minutes to draw and compare these fractions in your notebooks.

2. Let’s examine these fractions?

What do we know about these fractions?

• names?
• simplest form?
• closer to 0 or 1? How do you know?
• where do they fall on the number line?
• how far away from ½?
• what do they look like as a bar model?

3. Let’s compare the fractions using a number line.

Some fractions are easy to imagine and compare. We can easily place ½ and ¾ on a number line. ½ is less than ¾. Where do you think the fractions above belong on the number line?

4. Finding a common denominator.

• When fractions are not easy to compare, we can find a common denominator to compare those fractions. A common denominator is in a sense “splitting each fraction amount into the same number of parts.”
• A common denominator is a multiple that is common to each denominator.
• What is a common multiple for 6 and 8? 
• We can multiply the numbers by each other to find a common multiple. So 6 X 8 = 48, and that would be a common multiple, but that’s a big number and more difficult to work with. 
• Is there a multiple of less value that is a common multiple of 6 and 8? This number would be the Least Common Multiple (LCM) or Lowest Common Denominator (LCD)
• We can count up by the largest number and stop when we reach a number that is also a multiple of 6 like this 8, 16, 24! 
• 24 is a multiple of 8 and 6.
• We can change our images to fractions with 24 parts. That would look like this.

Even with a good tool, it’s difficult to work with only models when converting fractions to fractions with common denominators. There’s an easier numerical way to do this.

We know that when we multiply or divide any number by one, we get an equal number. The same is true for fractions when we multiply or divide any fraction by a fraction that equals 1 (1/1, 2/2/, 3/3, 4/4. . .), we will get an equal fraction.

Now with common denominators the fractions are easy to compare, add, and subtract.

What is the difference between these fractions?

If we add these fractions together, what is the total?

"Give Yourself a Promotion"

What would I do without Seth Godin. His post today, "Give Yourself a Promotion," provides good leadership to better work.

So what promotion will I give myself?

I want to reach deeply into the microsphere of teaching. The nuts and bolts of teaching well. The arduous details of the craft that empower, engage, and educate children.

Of course, to reach in means that I have to work with the supports, systems, and schedules that surround my work because I need some support to do this work well--supports that provide needed materials, expertise, and collaboration.

The effort has been outlined, now it's time to start the work. Onward.

TeachFocus: Evidence Collection and Share

Massachusetts' educators have to prove their craft with evidence. The evidence needs to match standards, indicators, and elements listed on the Massachusetts' Educator Evaluation System's rubric. The system represents worthy, though numerous, attributes of teaching well.

Rather than wait to the last minute, it's my advice that educators collect and display this evidence on an ongoing basis.

This morning I updated my files in the following ways:

1. I thought about my craft to date and the needed areas of evidence collection as outlined by my system.
2. I culled the standards, indicators, and elements that matched the evidence I chose from the TeachFocus website I crafted a couple of years ago--a website that outlines in detail each element included in the evaluation system. It was easy to copy and paste the standards, indicators, and elements into our system's evaluation collection system, TeachPoint.

I continue to support the following actions with respect to the evaluation system as well:

1. Teachers should keep a collection of their work, certificates, letters, and more as a ready reference. I keep an off-line notebook and online ePortfolio. I update periodically.
2. I recommend spending some time reflecting on the standards. I did that with the TeachFocus site listed above, and then I did it again last summer with a simpler version of TeachFocus titled, Reflect for Success. This document serves as a helpful day-to-day reflective guide for educators who want to develop their practice. 
3. Visit the MA DESE site for helpful information. 
4. Keep your goals and the expected standards upfront in your work:
• What is your professional goal? Are you "feeding" that goal? 
• What is your student learning goal? Are you charting their success and growth, reflecting, and making needed revision to reach the goal? 
• How are you meeting standards related to family engagement, collaborative work, and cultural relevancy?  
• What are you doing to advance professional learning, subject matter knowledge, and learning design? 

Cold, snowy winter days are good days to catch up on the paperwork, reflection, and work that contributes to your evaluation profile. It's much better to tackle this work now rather than during the hot, steamy days at the end of June.

Let me know if you have suggestions or ideas related to this work. I'm open to your thoughts and experience.