Math Workshop: Mini-Lessons together with Worktime

Welcome to calendar week 4 of our Minds on Mathematics book study.  If y'all missed them y'all tin acquire dorsum too read Understanding Takes Time and Shallow Versus Deep Math or Starting Class. 

This calendar week are going to accept a deeper expression at the mini-lesson portion of math workshop too speak most what move fourth dimension looks too sounds like. 

Mini-Lessons

Mini-lessons during math workshop should be

- Short too focused (under 10 minutes)

- Whole grouping instruction

- Goal is fostering independence

"The to a greater extent than I explained the less my students seemed to understand.  The to a greater extent than sample problems I did for them, the sleepier they appeared." (Hoffer page 103)

This quote from the mass perfectly sums upward my past times sense alongside teaching rather than listening. As I direct hold shifted my exercise from that of an adept giving out noesis to that of a facilitator helping kids build their knowledge, this quote is no longer true.  Many of the ideas presented inwards this chapter were ones that I direct hold been comfortable alongside for the past times few years.  My mini-lessons expression a lot similar these.  As I read, I kept coming dorsum to modeling thinking every bit something I actually wanted to move on. 

My Own Experience alongside Modeling Thinking

 I at in 1 lawsuit sentiment of my 2d graders too solving multi-step problems.  We are finishing the twelvemonth upward alongside to a greater extent than exercise adding too subtracting two too iii digit numbers too I wanted them to acquire the gamble to exercise these of import skills piece working on solving problems that involve to a greater extent than than 1 step.  I detect that alongside 2d graders, storey problems tin live tricky because at that topographic point are a lot of words on the page for those who are struggling readers.  I decided to purpose modeling thinking to assist these kids out alongside multi-step problems.

In the spirit of keeping my mini-lesson mini, I presented 1 occupation to students.  It was: Jonathan had 172 baseball game cards.  He spilled his quaff on business office of his collection too had to throw away 58 of his cards.  For his birthday, his friends decided to surprise him alongside 75 novel cards.  How many baseball game cards does Jonathan direct hold now?

I pose the occupation on the concealment too had a educatee read the entire thing.  I thus sentiment aloud most how overwhelmed I was alongside trying to figure out what happened to Jonathan too what I was supposed to do.  I decided aloud to tackle the occupation 1 judgement at a fourth dimension too to halt too recall later reading each sentence.  I switched to a novel slide on my concealment that had 1 business come upward up at a time.  After reading each line, I stopped too sentiment aloud most what I knew.  I would thus divulge the side past times side business too repeat.  I did much of the thinking aloud exactly also had some students contribute to my recall aloud.

When the occupation was solved, kids shared what I did to brand a challenging occupation easier.  Then I sent them to move alongside a partner on two additional multi-step problems involving some combination of add-on too subtraction.  They did an amazing chore too actually focused on what strategies made it easier. They finished past times writing their ain multi-step problems. Tomorrow I volition start course of instruction alongside a recall aloud on 1 of their problems too thus they volition duo upward in 1 lawsuit again too solve some other few examples.  

Work Time

The postulate too enquiry of the twenty-four hours at the kickoff of this chapter actually helped me recall through the big ideas most move time.

How tin nosotros facilitate thoughtful too productive move fourth dimension for math learners?" 

Facilitating thoughtful too productive move fourth dimension for math learners is something I direct hold worked difficult at developing over the past times 5 years.  I recall this is a forcefulness inwards my classroom too inwards my school.  My challenge for side past times side schoolhouse twelvemonth volition live to brand this thoughtful too productive move fourth dimension move inwards a multi-age setting.  With our declining enrollment over the past times few years, nosotros direct hold had multi-age classrooms exactly direct hold been separating kids past times degree for math class.  Next schoolhouse twelvemonth it is my goal to move alongside teachers to build capacity for genuinely multi-aging.  I recall it volition live a fun challenge to come across how nosotros tin construction thoughtful too productive move fourth dimension for such a various grouping of math learners.  

"Students acquire most when they pass math move fourth dimension thinking, talking, too making pregnant of mathematics for themselves."

This quote sums upward my teaching philosophy inwards 1 groovy sentence.  To me, this is where the fun too the learning of mathematics takes place.  I know inwards my ain instruction the math classes where I did the most talking were also the ones I did the most thinking too the ones where I lastly had a gamble to build the pregnant of mathematics for myself.  This nicely summarizes the constructivist ideas closed to learning too is what I strive to produce each too every twenty-four hours inwards my classroom.  

"pages of mindless computation produce non foster the construction of novel knowledge. Learners demand the chance to collect, generate, too frame their ain problems too inquiries. The learner must live inwards the drivers seat." (Hoffer, p. 116)

This used to live thus challenging for me.  I was really afraid that giving upward the drivers topographic point meant giving upward command of the province of affairs too of my class.  It took years of seeing how other teachers managed their classrooms too employing the best administration strategies earlier I was able to pace dorsum too actually permit my students live inwards accuse of their ain learning.  It is my goal to laissez passer on the illusion of the classroom running itself.  I direct hold high expectations for behaviour too existence on project too I am non afraid to pass the extra fourth dimension making certain the backbone of classroom administration is there.  Without fantabulous administration skills, y'all tin never live an fantabulous math teacher.  

Join us side past times side calendar week for the terminal installment of the Minds on Mathematics Book Study! 

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