The Time Thief

I strongly believe that a math block should be longer than sixty minutes. Think about it for a minute- introducing/discussing a concept/skill (15-20 min), student practice time (15-30 min), and closing/ reflection (15-25 min)- sixty minutes goes quickly. In most cases, teachers cut out the last part thinking it is not as important as the first two parts. I am greedy. I believe all 3 parts are important. Honestly, I feel they are equally important. But when I ask about their math block hear over and over- "I just don't have time." I realize there is not enough time to do everything we want to do, so I propose we beg, borrow and steal time where we can!

One suggestion I make to teachers  I work with is to use their writing time for math. I am not asking the teachers to  teach a new math concept/skill during writing, but to use that time having students writing about math. According for to the book, Classroom Discussions Using math talk to help students learn, for a child to have conceptual knowledge they are able to talk, write and provide examples.  Many upper elementary grades call for students to write a Procedure paper, a.k.a How To's. Usually, students spend time writing how to make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. My question to teachers is- Why couldn't the student write to explain how they solved a certain problem from? Persuasion is another area are required to learn how to write, why couldn't the students write about why their way to solve a problem is better than another way? Poetry when studying poetry, highlight Haiku's. Haiku's have to be written with a particular pattern, and can be written in a series. Wow, look at the math that just happened there- patterns, series! Journals are all the rage in literacy! Having students respond to their reading by writing a response. It works the same in math! Students responding about their mathematical learning for the day is an impressive tool for both you the teacher and the student. (You can see where students are struggling, excelling, or right on target.)
It's amazing to see how easily you can integrate math into writing. Thus, stealing time to maximize learning!


Other Writing Ideas:
Retelling a story with their spin: example-  One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale
Writing their own word/story problems
Pesky Multiplication Poem (to help students remember the facts they are having a hard time remembering) 
Actrosic Poems- students create as a way to help remember certain things:
    * I do not mean: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally or Daddy, Mommy, Sister, Brother, Rover*
      Students did not create those, they were told those.


Happy Mathing!


 

Rigor

A clear definition of rigor has eluded me for much of my teaching career. I have heard people toss the term around, but I never held a concrete definition. As I sat in a rigor professional development last week I burst into laughter, professional I know, as the presenter stated there was no clear definition of rigor. 

I've spent most of my career paranoid that I was a insufficient teacher because I couldn't define the term, but could only describe examples of rigor.

Now that I have a clear picture of what rigor is, yet no concrete definition. I am planning a rigor professional development for the teachers at my school. I wonder if they will find it as ironic that something that is all the rage in education has no true definition as I do.

Once I put everything together, I will post it here for people to have as a rigor resource. 

Sunday Teacher Meets/Change Takes Time

One thing I have found to be a beneficial part of coaching is my willingness to give up a few hours on Sunday afternoon to meet with teachers. I know that this could be a bad habit, but honestly there are not enough hours to meet with all the teachers I serve (43) during a standard school week, let alone a year-round schedule. Trust me it is not every Sunday, but I am able to have really good coaching conversations in without the worry of picking up the kids in 30 minutes, another meeting conflicting, or the fact that we have a life after the bell rings.

I have been able to get teachers to dig deeper with their math lessons. I am excited to see the math class transform from surface level- gotta get this math "covered" (How I hate the term "cover" material...) to higher order thinking and digging deeper mathematical lessons. I have been told my several teachers that these Sunday sessions have transformed the way they plan and teach. I cannot tell you how that makes me feel, but I can assure you that there is slight satisfaction.

However, the "proof is in the pudding" and that "proof" is in the test scores. I fear that the bi-monthly/quarterly common assessments will not show this transformation with student's learning and teachers will go back to their old ways that get quick results (drill and kill). I am currently wrestling with how to cheer teachers on as a coach and keeping the trust I am building with them as they change their instruction to higher level, and yet what seems like the stalling of their students' learning. Change takes time, the students have not been expected to learn/think in this manner before and things will fall into place, but it will take more than a month or even two.

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