1. I've got a lot of work ahead of me!I think the age of technology takes away our reasoning and problem solving skills. The five practices brings those skills back into the classroom, but allows the students to own their learning. I wish my math classes would have been taught this way. I think it takes the fear out of math for both students and teachers. We always talk at school about going an inch wide and a mile deep with our math instead of a mile wide and an inch deep. I think the five practices helps us accomplish that goal.
2. I think you have to identify with setting that math goal because of it's importance. Selecting (it does matter who I choose to present), sequencing (the students do need to present in the right order), and questioning (don't show them the answer, advance them to that math goal) are things that really stuck with me the most.
3. I have taken the Open Up Resources training, but this helped me better understand it. I want to concentrate on each practice throughout the year. I don't want to try all of it at once and get overwhelmed.
I feel like I have a very concrete planning tool (5 practices) to use when planning a lesson. Although not completely new -- very Insightful to have the reminder and have the steps written down. I will use the task monitoring tool and rely on the 5 practices when planning my lessons. I had really never thought about the sequencing and how much of a role it can play in the development of your goal. I will definitely think about this more. A lot of work ahead of us, but I'm very excited to get students talking about math in the classroom. Small steps.. can't do it all in one year.. but feel we are headed in the write direction... conversation and multiple representations/strategies will hopefully make the math come alive.
1) That if I want productive conversations in my classroom that I need to put more time into planning and make sure that I have rich mathematical tasks to implement.
2) Giving students individual think time. Sometimes I rush this step because I feel like I don't have time for it. When I rush this step I don't give students time to process and then they don't have anything to discuss.
3) That if I want a productive conversations in my classroom need to take the time to plan properly. As I implement new materials this year, in to make sure that I try to anticipate multiple solutions and script assessing and advancing questions.
I also think that I rush the step where students must think individually. I always try to have them work alone, but then if I think someone will struggle I will tell them to work with a partner to help them. However, I think that only lets them slide under the radar of their partner. Amanda
The first thing I learned is that the tasks necessary for the most growth need to be written so that students must determine their own path in solving the problem. We don’t want students just doing things by rote patterns or memorization. We also want students to observe and make connections between the different paths and how they relate to one another. This method helps students to gain important mathematical strategies and experiences that they can turn to in the future.
First and foremost, we must allow time for students to think independently (think through by themselves) first before having them engage with others. This way they can begin making sense of the information for themselves instead of just having the most vocal or pushy student dictate what they know and should do.
I will definitely continually reference this book and what I learned in this class as I begin to implement the five practices. I know this will take time and additional effort on my part, but it will be worth it to see students mathematical growth. I will need to remind myself I need to do one thing at a time. I am excited but feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff and planning” that needs to happen in order to implement high order tasks that are successful.
I think this shift in mathematical instruction is both exciting and overwhelming...but it is also necessary. Engaging students in tasks and using the five practices really teaches students to be mathematicians and critical thinkers. The current reality of math instruction in most classrooms- teacher presents skill with one way to do problem, students practice and either get the answer right or wrong- only teaches students to be answer-getters. This is what teacher AND students are used to, so a big change must happen and there will be certainly be bumps in the roads and frustrations from all sides. I would really like to work on setting goals for lessons and units because that's where it all starts. Impactful math instruction starts with a strong math goal. I would like to strip my goals down and really get to the heart and foundation of mathematical learning and expectations. As I begin a new school year, I have s fresh group of students. NOW is the time to put these practices into play and set the stage for real math learning.
1. I have learned that I am going to be tasked this year with working a lot more on phases 0 and 1! Anticipation is key to working toward a high-level math classroom. Without these first two phases, I am not sure I can have the level of work I want. I learned that answering and working through problems as the arise does not allow me to focus on what my students are actually understanding about the content. 2. I think that I identified most with the 6th lesson. A monitoring chart is essential! I have never really thought about writing down the order and my thoughts as a walk around and talk to students. This lesson talked about how many teachers can remember one or two groups, but not all of them to be able to set up a sequence that will be effective. This is something that I really want to utilize in my room. 3. I will be able to reference the lessons as I work through my own planning. This will help me to focus on what the most important pieces are that I should be working on first. I can then use the references of this book and try to include the ideas that are already available to me. I do not have to start completely from scratch. Amanda Thorsen
I think my biggest take away was the necessity of the pre-planning. It is necessary to set a mathematically rich goal and not just having students "do" math. Secondly, I need to take the time to anticipate the various solutions I think students might find and also plan out my questions. This will take the pressure off me as I monitor the groups of students and guide them. As I think I mentioned earlier I hope to at least try a task once a quarter to start with this year. Also I plan to lead discussions with my colleagues to encourage them to also try tasks.
1) I've learned that the Five Practices is a proven, effective way to allow students to become the authors of their learning in mathematics. The 5 practices protocol is the best way I've seen to become that facilitator, that engineer of the setting in which students own their own learning and DO math. I have learned that implementing the 5 Practices will require a hefty cost up front in terms of planning, but will provide an exponential payoff in student learning. I'm looking forward to becoming a better teacher this year with the Five Practices. 2) I think Lesson 4 is the one that I identify with, simply because it involves the 'practices' that probably scare me the most: selection and sequencing. I'm just hopeful that I can keep the lesson goals in mind enough and do a good enough job selecting students and sequencing them in a way that points students toward those goals. Since this is the practice that happens "on the fly" or in the heat of the moment, it's the part that I probably will not have the most confidence in, regarding my own ability to select & sequence. 3) These "lessons learned" are good to know right now, but if I'm being totally honest - I probably won't be thinking about them during September. :) Seriously though, some keys to all of this are reflection and collaboration. I think if I resolve to reflect daily on my own facilitation of lessons, and honestly try to better my approach along the way in small ways, I will be in good shape. In addition, it's awesome that I have my 6th grade math teaching partner right next door who is taking this class and implementing OUR as well. Open Up Resources is definitely designed to utilize the Five Practices, and if we can collaborate on how lessons are going, and also with planning, this will make both of us even better. I'd also love to have our instructional coach come in regularly and give feedback, and I'd love to go watch our 7th & 8th grade math teachers when they facilitate a Five Practices lesson as well.
1. I feel that I have a better grasp on the 5 mathematical practices and how best to utilize them in the classroom. I think it provides me with framework to use when expanding on the use of highly cognitive tasks.
2. I think the emphasis on allowing students to be involved with independent thinking during tasks is the key for me. Allowing students to be involved with "productive struggle" and not jumping in too quickly to "bail them out" is important.
3. We are involving ourselves in as many opportunities as we can through Heartland AEA (both in classes and calling upon AEA staff) and professional reading. I think we are moving from the researching phase to the incorporating phase.
1. What have you learned about implementing the five practices? I believe it can be very beneficial, but I can also see that it is probably time consuming, not only in preparation, but also in implementing.
2. Which of the lessons learned do you identify with? Probably Lesson 4: The goals for the lesson should driver the teacher’s selection of responses to share during whole-group discussion.
3. How will these lessons learned influence your future work on the five practices? The high-level, cognitively demanding tasks are a necessary condition for productive discussion, is one that hits me. .
1. Implementing the 5 practices is a great way to have students use mathematical language in the classroom. Anticipation can cut down on time of discussion if you are getting the same questions year after year. It can also add time to the lesson if create further questions. The selecting and sequencing is critical to reaching your learning goal.
2. Students need time to independently think before working in groups. It makes sense, but it is against our nature to see the students struggle. I need to let students have time for their own thinking.
3. These lessons are great reminders of what you need to do for each lesson. Having the learning target as the main objective is key in these lessons.
1. What have you learned about implementing the five practices? It is important to let the students take ownership of their learning and thinking. We need to make sure we are allowing the students to go deeper into the content being taught.
2. Which of the lessons learned do you identify with? Setting a goal and making sure it is well thought out and displayed and discussed with the students. Making sure the selected task helps assist in reaching that goal. Start anticipating responses and questions so the lesson is more prepared and can aide when presenting in class.
3. How will these lessons learned influence your future work on the five practices? It is a great guide to help with all the work ahead of me to get my classroom set up using the five practices. I want to start implementing this into my classroom so I can start getting practice of the practices before we get our new curriculum next year.
1. I learned that setting a goal and anticipating are critical to a successful lesson and I think that is where I will be starting my focus this school year. I learned that it will take a big shift to implement the 5 steps successfully and that to help our students it will take more than just me on board. It is my job to help others see the value of student discussion and authoring their own ideas to start to spread the word about this shift in mathematics. 2. The lessons that have stuck out to me are the importance of goal setting. I have been using what I want my students to do to guide my lessons instead of what mathematics I want them to learn, and I can see the benefits in this change in mindset. Also, the importance to meet every student where they are currently at is the only way to progress their learning and that will take much more anticipation from me. I not only need to anticipate their solutions and road blocks but also craft questions to help move their understanding toward our goal. 3. I need to write all of this down and organize it so I don’t have to remember or start from scratch every year. My students deserve more than just what I can remember from year to year. They deserve a clear mathematical goal and a well thought out plan on how to help each of them reach this goal in my classroom.
1. I've got a lot of work ahead of me!I think the age of technology takes away our reasoning and problem solving skills. The five practices brings those skills back into the classroom, but allows the students to own their learning. I wish my math classes would have been taught this way. I think it takes the fear out of math for both students and teachers. We always talk at school about going an inch wide and a mile deep with our math instead of a mile wide and an inch deep. I think the five practices helps us accomplish that goal.
ReplyDelete2. I think you have to identify with setting that math goal because of it's importance. Selecting (it does matter who I choose to present), sequencing (the students do need to present in the right order), and questioning (don't show them the answer, advance them to that math goal) are things that really stuck with me the most.
3. I have taken the Open Up Resources training, but this helped me better understand it. I want to concentrate on each practice throughout the year. I don't want to try all of it at once and get overwhelmed.
I feel like I have a very concrete planning tool (5 practices) to use when planning a lesson. Although not completely new -- very Insightful to have the reminder and have the steps written down. I will use the task monitoring tool and rely on the 5 practices when planning my lessons.
ReplyDeleteI had really never thought about the sequencing and how much of a role it can play in the development of your goal. I will definitely think about this more.
A lot of work ahead of us, but I'm very excited to get students talking about math in the classroom. Small steps.. can't do it all in one year.. but feel we are headed in the write direction... conversation and multiple representations/strategies will hopefully make the math come alive.
Jenelle Jarnagin
ReplyDelete1) That if I want productive conversations in my classroom that I need to put more time into planning and make sure that I have rich mathematical tasks to implement.
2) Giving students individual think time. Sometimes I rush this step because I feel like I don't have time for it. When I rush this step I don't give students time to process and then they don't have anything to discuss.
3) That if I want a productive conversations in my classroom need to take the time to plan properly. As I implement new materials this year, in to make sure that I try to anticipate multiple solutions and script assessing and advancing questions.
I also think that I rush the step where students must think individually. I always try to have them work alone, but then if I think someone will struggle I will tell them to work with a partner to help them. However, I think that only lets them slide under the radar of their partner.
DeleteAmanda
The first thing I learned is that the tasks necessary for the most growth need to be written so that students must determine their own path in solving the problem. We don’t want students just doing things by rote patterns or memorization. We also want students to observe and make connections between the different paths and how they relate to one another. This method helps students to gain important mathematical strategies and experiences that they can turn to in the future.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, we must allow time for students to think independently (think through by themselves) first before having them engage with others. This way they can begin making sense of the information for themselves instead of just having the most vocal or pushy student dictate what they know and should do.
I will definitely continually reference this book and what I learned in this class as I begin to implement the five practices. I know this will take time and additional effort on my part, but it will be worth it to see students mathematical growth.
I will need to remind myself I need to do one thing at a time. I am excited but feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff and planning” that needs to happen in order to implement high order tasks that are successful.
Kate Wonders
ReplyDeleteI think this shift in mathematical instruction is both exciting and overwhelming...but it is also necessary. Engaging students in tasks and using the five practices really teaches students to be mathematicians and critical thinkers. The current reality of math instruction in most classrooms- teacher presents skill with one way to do problem, students practice and either get the answer right or wrong- only teaches students to be answer-getters. This is what teacher AND students are used to, so a big change must happen and there will be certainly be bumps in the roads and frustrations from all sides.
I would really like to work on setting goals for lessons and units because that's where it all starts. Impactful math instruction starts with a strong math goal. I would like to strip my goals down and really get to the heart and foundation of mathematical learning and expectations.
As I begin a new school year, I have s fresh group of students. NOW is the time to put these practices into play and set the stage for real math learning.
1. I have learned that I am going to be tasked this year with working a lot more on phases 0 and 1! Anticipation is key to working toward a high-level math classroom. Without these first two phases, I am not sure I can have the level of work I want. I learned that answering and working through problems as the arise does not allow me to focus on what my students are actually understanding about the content.
ReplyDelete2. I think that I identified most with the 6th lesson. A monitoring chart is essential! I have never really thought about writing down the order and my thoughts as a walk around and talk to students. This lesson talked about how many teachers can remember one or two groups, but not all of them to be able to set up a sequence that will be effective. This is something that I really want to utilize in my room.
3. I will be able to reference the lessons as I work through my own planning. This will help me to focus on what the most important pieces are that I should be working on first. I can then use the references of this book and try to include the ideas that are already available to me. I do not have to start completely from scratch.
Amanda Thorsen
I think my biggest take away was the necessity of the pre-planning. It is necessary to set a mathematically rich goal and not just having students "do" math. Secondly, I need to take the time to anticipate the various solutions I think students might find and also plan out my questions. This will take the pressure off me as I monitor the groups of students and guide them.
ReplyDeleteAs I think I mentioned earlier I hope to at least try a task once a quarter to start with this year. Also I plan to lead discussions with my colleagues to encourage them to also try tasks.
1) I've learned that the Five Practices is a proven, effective way to allow students to become the authors of their learning in mathematics. The 5 practices protocol is the best way I've seen to become that facilitator, that engineer of the setting in which students own their own learning and DO math. I have learned that implementing the 5 Practices will require a hefty cost up front in terms of planning, but will provide an exponential payoff in student learning. I'm looking forward to becoming a better teacher this year with the Five Practices.
ReplyDelete2) I think Lesson 4 is the one that I identify with, simply because it involves the 'practices' that probably scare me the most: selection and sequencing. I'm just hopeful that I can keep the lesson goals in mind enough and do a good enough job selecting students and sequencing them in a way that points students toward those goals. Since this is the practice that happens "on the fly" or in the heat of the moment, it's the part that I probably will not have the most confidence in, regarding my own ability to select & sequence.
3) These "lessons learned" are good to know right now, but if I'm being totally honest - I probably won't be thinking about them during September. :) Seriously though, some keys to all of this are reflection and collaboration. I think if I resolve to reflect daily on my own facilitation of lessons, and honestly try to better my approach along the way in small ways, I will be in good shape. In addition, it's awesome that I have my 6th grade math teaching partner right next door who is taking this class and implementing OUR as well. Open Up Resources is definitely designed to utilize the Five Practices, and if we can collaborate on how lessons are going, and also with planning, this will make both of us even better. I'd also love to have our instructional coach come in regularly and give feedback, and I'd love to go watch our 7th & 8th grade math teachers when they facilitate a Five Practices lesson as well.
1. I feel that I have a better grasp on the 5 mathematical practices and how best to utilize them in the classroom. I think it provides me with framework to use when expanding on the use of highly cognitive tasks.
ReplyDelete2. I think the emphasis on allowing students to be involved with independent thinking during tasks is the key for me. Allowing students to be involved with "productive struggle" and not jumping in too quickly to "bail them out" is important.
3. We are involving ourselves in as many opportunities as we can through Heartland AEA (both in classes and calling upon AEA staff) and professional reading. I think we are moving from the researching phase to the incorporating phase.
1. What have you learned about implementing the five practices? I believe it can be very beneficial, but I can also see that it is probably time consuming, not only in preparation, but also in implementing.
ReplyDelete2. Which of the lessons learned do you identify with? Probably Lesson 4: The goals for the lesson should driver the teacher’s selection of responses to share during whole-group discussion.
3. How will these lessons learned influence your future work on the five practices? The high-level, cognitively demanding tasks are a necessary condition for productive discussion, is one that hits me. .
1. Implementing the 5 practices is a great way to have students use mathematical language in the classroom. Anticipation can cut down on time of discussion if you are getting the same questions year after year. It can also add time to the lesson if create further questions. The selecting and sequencing is critical to reaching your learning goal.
ReplyDelete2. Students need time to independently think before working in groups. It makes sense, but it is against our nature to see the students struggle. I need to let students have time for their own thinking.
3. These lessons are great reminders of what you need to do for each lesson. Having the learning target as the main objective is key in these lessons.
1. What have you learned about implementing the five practices?
ReplyDeleteIt is important to let the students take ownership of their learning and thinking. We need to make sure we are allowing the students to go deeper into the content being taught.
2. Which of the lessons learned do you identify with?
Setting a goal and making sure it is well thought out and displayed and discussed with the students.
Making sure the selected task helps assist in reaching that goal.
Start anticipating responses and questions so the lesson is more prepared and can aide when presenting in class.
3. How will these lessons learned influence your future work on the five practices?
It is a great guide to help with all the work ahead of me to get my classroom set up using the five practices. I want to start implementing this into my classroom so I can start getting practice of the practices before we get our new curriculum next year.
Kelsey Burger
1. I learned that setting a goal and anticipating are critical to a successful lesson and I think that is where I will be starting my focus this school year. I learned that it will take a big shift to implement the 5 steps successfully and that to help our students it will take more than just me on board. It is my job to help others see the value of student discussion and authoring their own ideas to start to spread the word about this shift in mathematics.
ReplyDelete2. The lessons that have stuck out to me are the importance of goal setting. I have been using what I want my students to do to guide my lessons instead of what mathematics I want them to learn, and I can see the benefits in this change in mindset. Also, the importance to meet every student where they are currently at is the only way to progress their learning and that will take much more anticipation from me. I not only need to anticipate their solutions and road blocks but also craft questions to help move their understanding toward our goal.
3. I need to write all of this down and organize it so I don’t have to remember or start from scratch every year. My students deserve more than just what I can remember from year to year. They deserve a clear mathematical goal and a well thought out plan on how to help each of them reach this goal in my classroom.