By the Numbers

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In their final conversation, Renee’ and Heidi explain how the Dan Meyer instructional strategy, CGI, and the Van de Walle resources led to success with students once the Common Core State Standards for math were adopted.  Listen in as Heidi tells how she helped students understand the 8 Mathematical Practice standards and helped them become better mathematicians.

You can contact Renee’ Smith, Curriculum & Instructional Specialist at:

620-931-2528 Work

620-200-0763 Cell

Go down deep enough into anything and you will find mathematics.  ~Dean Schlicter

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In part two of their conversation, Renee’ and Heidi Harris discuss the decision to train in Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI).  Heidi describes this instructional practice as the structure  that allowed her to help her students make sense of math.  Listen in as Heidi explains more about CGI,  how she uses this research-based practice, and its tie to Common Core.

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You can contact Renee’ Smith, Curriculum & Instructional Specialist at:

620-931-2528 Work

620-200-0763 Cell

Go down deep enough into anything and you will find mathematics.  ~Dean Schlicter

 

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Renee’ Smith is joined by Heidi Harris in a discussion of her school’s journey to improve math education.   Heidi has taught as a classroom and an instructional support teacher at Avenue A Elementary School in Hutchinson, Kansas for the past 17 years.  When data showed that number sense was critically lacking in many of the students at the school, John A. Van de Walle’s book was chosen to assist with the understanding of how learners acquire math skills and the developmental process for math.  Listen in as Heidi shares how awareness of number sense was increased in these high-needs classrooms.

Renee’ Smith

Curriculum & Instructional Specialist

620-931-2528 Work

620-200-0763 Cell

Facebook @ReneeSmithbythenumbers

Go down deep enough into anything and you will find mathematics.  ~Dean Schlicter

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Join Renee’ as she and Tammy Fellers interview Dan Meyer about his real-world approach to teaching math.

Dan Meyer  taught high school math and currently studies math education at Stanford University. Dan was named one of Tech & Learning’s 30 Leaders of the Future and an Apple Distinguished Educator.

101 Questions – http://www.101qs.com/

Estimation 180 –  http://www.estimation180.com/

Video Story Problems – http://www.techsavvyed.net/archives/2352

Geoff Krall’s Problem Based Learning Maps – http://emergentmath.com/my-problem-based-curriculum-maps/

Dan Meyer’s Three Act Math Tasks-https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AjIqyKM9d7ZYdEhtR3BJMmdBWnM2YWxWYVM1UWowTEE&output=html

Renee’ Smith

Curriculum & Instructional Specialist

620-931-2528 Work

620-200-0763 Cell

Go down deep enough into anything and you will find mathematics.  ~Dean Schlicter

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By The Numbers will focus on what needs to be changed in Math education to help students be prepared for their future outside the classroom.

By looking at the  8 Mathematical Practice Standards from CCSS we can see the intersection between CGI and Common Core.

Mathematical Practice #1:  Students will make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

The connection here is obvious….that is the premise of CGI.Mathematical Practice #2:  Students will reason abstractly and quantitatively.  When students are involved in problem solving they are seeing numbers in context and they are required to attend to the meaning of quantities.Mathematical Practice #3:  Students will construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.  This occurs on a daily basis in a CGI classroom as students share their solution strategies and their answers to problems.  If disagreements occur, student are encouraged to engage in discourse with their classmates.Mathematical Practice #4:  Modeling with Mathematics.  In CGI classrooms, students are encouraged to represent their mathematical thinking with different representations.  This varies from using tools, to drawing pictures but eventually leads to equations.Mathematical Practice #5:  Using Appropriate Tools Strategically.  CGI students will do this naturally.  When presented a word problem, CGI students choose any method and tool that makes sense to them.Mathematical Practice #6:  Attend to Precision.  CGI students are required to communicate their mathematical reasoning precisely.  They are asked to attend to units and labels and use vocabulary and symbols accurately.Mathematical Practice #7:  Look for and make use of structure.  CGI students naturally pay attention to the structure of a problem.  They follow the sequence of the word problem and by using tools that make sense to them, they are able to solve complex problems. Many of these problem types are ones teachers might not believe young children are capable of understanding.

Mathematical Practice #8:  Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.  Students in these classrooms look for patterns, and through discussion teachers can encourage all the known solution methods  and help students  look for shortcuts.  Children are also encouraged to continually check for reasonableness.

Final thoughts that I shared at the KATM session were, although there might be a few concepts in elementary mathematics that do not lend themselves to word problems,  most concepts do.   This is why CGI is a natural fit with the Common Core State Standards.

For more information about CGI:  http://ncisla.wceruw.org/publications/reports/RR00-3.PDF

Renee’ Smith

Curriculum & Instructional Specialist

620-931-2528 Work

620-200-0763 Cell

Go down deep enough into anything and you will find mathematics.  ~Dean Schlicter

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