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What to Look for in a Math Classroom?. Elementary Principals Cadre Sessions November 21, 2013. Discuss the article with those around you. What are some new ideas that you may have learned from the article and how will they assist you with teacher observation?.
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What to Look for in a Math Classroom? Elementary Principals Cadre Sessions November 21, 2013
Discuss the article with those around you. What are some new ideas that you may have learned from the article and how will they assist you with teacher observation? What is your impression of the importance of procedural fluency after reading this article?
One principal said… “Lo and behold, I found a lot of our students in that class had not established a basis of understanding, but had established a series of rules. ‘Why do you do this?’ I asked a student. ‘Because that’s what I was told,’ he said.”
Consider these problems… Barbara has 8 pieces of candy. Ricky has 15 pieces of candy. How many pieces of candy do they have all together? Barbara has 8 pieces of candy. Ricky has 23 pieces of candy. How many more pieces of candy does Ricky have than Barbara?
Consider these problems… Barbara has 8 pieces of candy. Ricky has 15 pieces of candy. How many pieces of candy do they have all together? Barbara has 8 pieces of candy. Ricky has 23 pieces of candy. How many more pieces of candy does Ricky have than Barbara? Key words seem helpful, or are they….
Consider this problem… Barbara has 8 pieces of candy. How many more pieces of candy does she need to have 23 pieces of candy all together? How would a child who has been conditioned to use key words solve it?
Consider this problem… Barbara has 8 pieces of candy. How many more pieces of candy does she need to have 23 pieces of candy all together? How might a child reason abstractly and quantitatively to solve this problem?
Consider this problem… Barbara has 8 pieces of candy. How many more pieces of candy does she need to have 23 pieces of candy all together?
Quote from article… “Looking for instructional strategies…is a step in the right direction for principals seeking to understand what is happening when they observe in mathematics classrooms. .”
Things to look for in a Mathematics Classroom • Instruction emphasizes conceptual understanding while building procedural fluency • Students use manipulatives to explore and represent mathematical ideas • Questions focus on student’s mathematical thinking • Student communication and collaboration • Problems requiring analysis and explanation • Differentiated instruction
Quote from article… “Many principals assume that if students know basic mathematical facts and can perform basic calculations, they understand mathematics.”
Instruction and Interventions STEM & Instructional Resources Math Department Guy Barmoha – Mathematics Supervisor James (Duke) Chinn – Mathematics Supervisor Barbara Perez, Ph.D. - STEM Supervisor Richard Bobinchuck – Mathematics Staff Developer Kathryn Tobon – Mathematics Staff Developer