June 2014 Currently

Oh man… it's June!!  More to come on how quickly that happened, but for now, I'm linking up with Farley for the June Currently.

Listening - I love spring.  I love to hear the birds in the morning that let me know that the school year is soon coming to an end.  I especially love it because it means that I get some quiet time for breakfast and then play time with the kiddos.

Loving - Did I say 2 days?  Now it's just 1!!  So excited to be done, but already planning for the next year…

Thinking - I need to stop for a bit and just enjoy being me and a mom.  It's too easy to jump into all of the "what if I..." and "why don't we try's…".  I know it will get done, but I need to pull away and just take some time to relax, recuperate, and do some fun summertime things with my own kids.

Wanting - More time!  Already my summer looks packed.  I just want about 4 more weeks to play!

Needing - I need to go to the store.  We're out of cereal and the end of the year is soooooooo busy.  No one's going to starve, but I may have some rebellious family members if I don't get some key items soon :).

Summer Bucket List:

1. Sometimes I think I get mired down in a lot of little details.  I need to take some time and focus on me and my family for a bit this summer.  One of my priorities is to make time for exercise, which will probably have to be early morning to allow for the "enjoy my kids" part.  During summertime my kiddos tend to sleep late, so I can make that exercise/clean/plan time.  Then, I want to make doing fun things with them a priority, rather than the exception.  I can handle a messy room….., I can!
2. This year marks my husband's 20th and final year in the Air Force.  He's retiring in July, which means I have to plan a party!  This will be both stressful and fun, but after that, he's totally ours for a bit (before figuring out what he really wants to do when he grows up).  We are going to make the most of it with trips to the amusement park, hiking, swimming, etc, before the rest of us have to go back to school.
3. Math Workshop - I did a lot of reading about this last summer, but never really got my feet off the ground.  I know it takes a lot of pre-planning and so I pitched it to all of the 8th grade math department and everyone is on board.  So…. that means there's no way out and we have to get going.  Although this takes a lot of time, I'm going to try to balance this with #1 and #2 on the list.  Makes for a full summer!!!

Minds on Mathematics: Chapter 10 (Sharing and Recognition)

So… I've finally caught up with my chapter posts since vacation!  Phew…. that was a lot of reading and reflecting, but I've done it.  I really loved this book and know that I'll refer to it over and over again.

Speaking of reflection, that's what this chapter was about.  The author discusses the importance of granting our students time each day to think about what they have learned.

Metacognition - thinking about our thinking - is the last step in a daily math workshop.  It gives the student time to sit back and process the items that they've covered during the class period.  They can think about things they understand, topics that are still unclear, and "a-ha" moment, or state something in a different way to help cement material.  It allows students to take a short, quiet moment to put the period at the end of the class and finalize their thoughts (instead of that mad rush of shoving papers in backpacks, tossing books on the shelf, and running out the door because the bell rang).

For my own classes, I will be utilizing my math journal (Math Survival Guides, MSG) for this purpose.  I will actually be doing this twice during my 111-minute class period.  I am going to have students reflect just prior to the mini lesson in the middle of class and again at the end.  Below is an example of a page I've created for one of our first units:

Notice on the right side the three topics - Write, Reflect, Review.  I am going to have my students complete one set of pages (for example, this is 5/6) each class period.  The left will hold drawings, foldables, and creative items.  The right side will almost always be Write, Reflect, Review (now that I'm typing, maybe I should switch the last two…?).  Write will contain any important information outside of the notes I'd like students to have.  Reflect will be something they think about and can write on prior to our lesson - possibly bringing in some background knowledge or items from the notes they are working on.  Review will be my "end of the day" piece, similar to the exit ticket.  I liked all of the suggestions listed in the book and mine will vary between questions for clarification, to explaining their understanding, to writing about what they'd like me to go over.  Since it will be in their journals, I'll probably collect them on quiz/test days to grade and may also glance at them while walking around during work time.

I do like the idea of reflection, but I have to come up with a system that works for me.  I tried exit slips, but being able to read, grade, and possibly give good feedback became overwhelming.  I'm excited to try the MSG system and see if it works.  I'm hoping this helps get the students in the habit of reflecting at the end of each class period.

Mind On Mathematics: Chapter 9 (Conferring)

Conferring is not something I've done systematically within my classroom at all.  I know I've seen it done within my own children's elementary classes, but middle school is a whole new ball game!  I think I've done it informally when I circulate between my groups - looking for understanding, stopping to explain things, etc.  But… I haven't ever kept a record of the conversations or looked for particular items that were preplanned.

My biggest take-away from this chapter was on the classroom management of conferring.  I never thought to explain about it to the students, it was just something I did.  However, by setting clear expectations and following the "never interrupt" rule, I think it will help with noise level and activity when you are not looking around.

The two things I see that I will have to work on are the record keeping system and time management.  I guess I will have to decide what exactly I'd want to keep track of within the records.  Hmmmm…. that's going to take some thought.  I'd love some feedback and ideas from anyone who has done this before.  I also will need to set a goal of how many students I will confer with each class period.  If I leave it random, I know that I have the potential to just let it go.

Good chapter - tons to think over on this one!

Minds on Mathematics: Chapter 8 (Work Time)

Hoffer describes four aspects of Work Time during a math workshop:

1. Planning around vigorous tasks that drive understanding;
2. Planning students' working groups to ensure that all are thinking;
3. Training students to engage as independent mathematicians during work time;
4. Stepping back from helping and instead serving as facilitator and data collector.

I've seen this work within my own field testing with very positive outcomes.  I gave two incentives for my class:  a lunch pizza for the highest scoring group and getting to keep their group (if they wanted) if the entire group scored 70% or higher on the test.  This really seemed to motivate everyone and scores soared!

One thing I will need to work on is #1 - vigorous tasks.  I have two new math teachers at my grade level and I think they are going to be a big help with this.  We will basically be rewriting how we teach each unit, based on the aspects above.  I've really been utilizing Illustrative Mathematics, Inside Mathematics, and the Mathematics Assessment Project (MARS) site.  They have great interactive investigations to really challenge the students.

I also liked the strategies Hoffer suggests for grouping students.  I loved the Appointment Clock way of grouping and think I might use that with our journals.  I agree with the thought that students can definitely tell when they are grouped by ability level.  My daughter hates that… She came home this year and asked me, "Why do the teachers always put a smart kid with the kids who don't do anything?".  I had to feel a little guilty when she asked because I know I've done this before.  I appreciated talking to her about her perspective.

This chapter is full of such practical ideas for a math workshop and I can see them really working well within my block class.  I will definitely bookmark it and come back to check it out again before school begins!

Minds on Mathematics: Chapter 7 (Mini Lessons)

Chapter 7 in Minds on Mathematics discusses the mini lesson.  I think this is great, especially since I teach such a long block each day.  I started using mini lessons last spring and think that they work out great.  Instead of the sleepy, bored, or uninterested stares I get when teaching up on the board, the students have tons of time to work on their activities and only have to engage as a full group for short time periods.

"A mini lesson is a quick and strategically designed to support students in developing acuity as independent mathematicians: a short, focused segment of whole-group instruction led by the teacher for ten or fewer minutes." (p. 103)

What I loved about this chapter were all of the practical suggestions - things I need to ensure I'm doing.  I loved the explanation on modeling your thinking.  I always assume I'm doing that, but not necessarily to the level explained.  Hoffers examples of how to show thinking strategies will be good to reference later: Real-Life Examples, Anchor Charts, Context, Thinking Aloud, and Hold Thinking will become resources in my teaching toolbox.

One thing I didn't necessarily think was great for the middle level were the quick checks for understanding.  I often use a version of the Fist of Five when my students are all facing forward, but I don't think I'd use the Stand-ups or Line-ups to check on how they are doing - too much of a lack of privacy for the students.  One thing I will have them do is draw a happy face, frown face, or face with a squiggly line on their paper and I'll walk around to see their understanding that way.  Everyone likes to draw faces (I see some great artwork this way) and they don't have to worry about what others think.

Minds-On Mathematics - Book Study

Today I'm linking up with Sherrie at Middle School Math Rules! for a book study on "Minds-On Mathematics" by Wendy Ward Hoffer.

 

This week we're in chapter 1, which is an overview of the "math workshop", which, as the title states, is used "to develop deep understanding in grades 4 - 8".

Questions for this chapter:
1.  What were your biggest ah-ha moments from this chapter?
2.  What components of math workshop are already present in your classroom?
3.  What are your next steps for planning for math workshop in the coming year?

What were your biggest ah-ha moments from this chapter?
Since I already use a version of this (learner-centered classroom), I don't think I had a huge ah-ha moment.  I liked learning about the history and purpose of math workshop, especially the thoughts of Vygotsky and his theory of proximal development, which really states that working in groups is great for kids (p.2).  I also liked that Hoffer linked the need for math workshop to the Common Core Standards.  As stated, math workshop allows students to "experience focus... congruence... and rigor" (p.2).  I loved the belief that students are capable of brilliance!

What components of math workshop are already present in your classroom?
The format of my classroom is very similar - warm-up; mini-lesson; reflection; and a huge chunk of work time.  I usually do my mini-lesson during the middle of our 111-minute block as a way to break up some of the time.  I thought it was interesting in the sample lesson in the book how the teacher modeled by using "think-aloud" and then had the students pair up and discuss what they saw.  There was a lot of think-pair-share going on and that type of discourse is something I'd like to work on. 
The biggest difference in the book model and what I do is the type of problems given during the work time.  I completely understand the ideas in the book, but I wonder if there is a balance between working multiple problems and working the challenging tasks.  I hope that is addressed in a later chapter.

What are your next steps for planning for math workshop in the coming year?
My next steps are to continue planning for a math workshop type classroom (I only field-tested this type of model for one unit in one class last year).  There is a lot of front loading and I think that assessments need to be completed first.  You cannot be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of planner.  I believe this takes much forethought and planning to implement it properly.  I'm up for the challenge... are you?

Mission: Math

I've come to the conclusion that if I want something to happen, then I just have to write it down.   Right?? I've been reading blog after blog this year, pinning items to my Pinterest account, bookmarked url's on my laptop, and have so many ideas spinning around in my head that I almost don't know where to start.  I'm hoping that this blog will give me some focus and, in the process, allow you to see my train of thought, inspire you to implement some of these ideas, and share some of your own creations.  Here's to hoping…

I currently teach 8th grade math, although really it's not 8th grade math, it's Algebra 1 and Geometry (2 of each class).  My school is on the block schedule and I have a crazy 111 minutes each block to motivate the kids to do math.  That might seem like a lot to those of you with traditional schedules, but I'm always amazed at how quickly the time goes.  I also have a daily 40-minute class ("Bridges") populated with about 25 students who need a little extra help (push?) with mathematics.

You should see the list I have going on my laptop of things I want to implement this year.  It's crazy long and I'm going to have to weed through it soon.  I know that summer is going to fly by way too fast…

My Top 3 Goals for 2013 - 2014

• Implement Interactive Notebooks with foldables (I'm going to call them MSGs - "Math Survival Guide" - sorry for any confusion to those of you military affiliated :))
• Create a "learner-centered" classroom.  I field tested this last year with good results and now want to use it with all classes.  This will be a lot of front-loading and revising this year.
• Incorporate more IB (yes, I'm at an IB school too) daily.

Sooooo…. I think you'll see that I'm a bit of a rambler as I like to think as I type.  I'll stop here for now and post again later with some more summer thoughts, but I hope that you'll enjoy following on my journey!