Math Specialist Update
What's Happening in Your Math Classroom?
Depth Over Speed
- Tells students that you don't value fast work. Mathematical thinking is about depth not speed.
- Don't let mathematics discussions be driven by the fastest students.
- Have students give you a quiet thumbs up when they are ready to respond, instead of having them raise their hands.
- Use a variety of techniques to involve all students in classroom discussions, such as random selectors on your iPad or popsicle sticks.
- Don't always take answers from the fastest students.
- Value depth, creativity, different ways of thinking about math, and different explanations over using flash cards, timed tests, or speed competitions.
Check out the Youcubed website for more information.
How Are Number Talks Going in Your Classroom?
I have had the chance to model Number Talks in most of the classrooms and the excitement from the students has been great. I've had students come to my classroom and say, "Can we please do a Number Talk today? They are so much fun!" Students' number sense, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, computation, and collaboration improve when Number Talks happen regularly in the classroom.
I hope that you've had the chance to try a Number Talk from your new Greg Tang book. The books are also accessible on Greg Tang's website. In addition to the pictures for Number Talks, this website as games, free resources, and math PD opportunities.
I have additional resources available if you are ready to start creating your own Number Talk slides. I can model additional Number Talks or watch you do a Number Talk with your class. Let me know how I can support you as you continue to use Number Talks in your classroom.
Wait Time Revisited
- Wait time after posing a question - It is important to give students wait time after posing a question. Giving everyone time to think through their response is essential.
- Wait time after calling on a student - Students may take awhile to respond to a question, may stare silently at the the teacher, or may fumble through their response. As a teacher, we want to jump in and save the student. However, teachers that remain silent and wait for the student's response have seen significant changes in their students. Many more students are willing to participate in the classroom discussion.
- Wait time after a student gives a response - We need to remember that just like when giving students time to process after a question has been asked, it is important to give students time to process after an answer has been given. Everyone processes things at different speeds and allowing an adequate amount of think time is important. One way to extend the wait time after a response is given is to have another student repeat the response.
Increasing wait time from less than a second to a minimum of three to five seconds has powerful results including: increased length of student responses, increased student confidence, the number of students willing to participate increases, and failures to respond decreases. Let's continue to support our students by providing them with the best learning environment possible.
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Contact Information
Email: sklocke@washburn.k12.wi.us
Website: www.washburn.k12.wi.us/
Phone: (715) 373-6199