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The power of positive intention should drive our learning. Rather than dwelling on the struggle sometimes associated with learning from the Units of Study, our attitude should intentionally be positive as we approach this as an opportunity to learn something new and think creatively to engage students in real writing experiences. If we intentionally set out to be positive, accept and give grace throughout the learning phase, and set small attainable goals everyday, our teaching and student writing will improve. On the blog "Two Writing Teachers" Elizabeth Moore (one of the Unit's writers) recently posted tips for reading a unit of study. She discussed teacher autonomy within teaching the intended lessons and building the unit to meet your students' needs. Her most powerful idea includes choosing a lens or focus with which to read the units. This will change from year to year as you reflect on your lessons and improve. She also suggests and models the use of post-it notes to plan out the components of each lesson (connection, teaching point, active engagement, and link). The post can be accessed at this link:
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What words come to mind to describe how you were taught math? ...MEMORIZE ...FLASH CARDS ...RULES ...PROCEDURES ...HOMEWORK What words do you want your students to use to describe math class? ...EXPLORE ...COLLABORATE ...LOVE ...REAL ...UNDERSTANDING This year I had the pleasure of learning about classroom Number Talks from Chris Esch and Pam Wilson, consultants from Math Solutions. Their trainings are based on the book Number Talks: Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computational Strategies, by Sherry Parrish. A Number Talk is a daily 10-15 minute routine that occurs outside of the math block. The goal is to develop accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility when solving computational problems using purposeful conversations. Students work to make their thinking visible when presenting and justifying solutions to problems they solve mentally. There are several suggestions to successfully begin a Number Talk:
For more information on Number Talks, see this article: Number Talks Build Numerical Reasoning, by Sherry Parrish. |
Dr. Rena Hawkins
I am the Principal of Maple Elementary School in Smithville, MO, and co-host of the #ShareMOEdu podcast. I am passionate about teaching and learning while supporting a school environment that promotes a positive climate. #ShareMOEdu airs every Thursday on iTunes and PodOmatic, highlighting an educator who has a positive message to share. Archives
January 2020
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