SO excited to be chatting with @kellykir02 and @gfletchy tonight! Thanks for kicking off #octmchat this year!!! It's not to late to join our conversation!
SO excited to be chatting with @kellykir02 and @gfletchy tonight! Thanks for kicking off #octmchat this year!!! It's not to late to join our conversation!
Hi! Super excited to be a part of this chat. My name is Hannah Hampton and I am an Ohio State Masters of Early Ed. candidate currently in my first semester of student teaching in the Southwestern District! #OCTMChat
Hi, everyone! I'm Jodie Bailey. Instructional coach @BRN_Elementary in @HilliardSchools - where I'm SO fortunate to work with @kellykir02! I'm also President- Elect for @ohioctm. Excited about offering more opportunities for kids to engage in problem solving this year! #octmchat
Hi! Alexa Fulmer with Cincinnati Public Schools and I’m a first year elementary math coach.
I’m looking forward working with Ts, learning from them and moving instruction to conceptual understanding.
#octmchat
A1 I think some students are not used to making their own sense of problems. They want to be told the “right way” to get the “right answer.” My students have struggled with the idea there can be more than one solution to a problem. #octmchat
A1: I think context plays a huge role in making sense. Lots of times students try to tackle a problem without connecting it back to the context. #OCTMchat
Oh, and I'm really excited this year working with my new crew of Elementary Pre-Service Teachers, who've been killing it on twitter lately. #OCTMChat#OSUElemMath
A1 Several things: reading level, too many procedures, the false expectation that you should "get the answer quickly", inexperience with perseverance, lack of wait time.... #octmchat
Joining a few minutes late... Anne from sw Ohio here. So excited to be back at it with #octmchat for the 2018-19 school year! And excited to see this joint chat with @kellykir02 and @gfletchy which came together at #TMC18 this past summer!!
Hello! I’m Clovetta Callender 😊 also a student in OSU M.ed’s program. I am currently student teaching in a kindergarten classroom within the southwestern school district. #octmchat
Q1- Sometimes it depends on how the question is presented to the students. Also it’s imperative that Ss feel it’s okay to make and learn from mistakes when problem solving #octmchat
A1: I'm currently seeing in my 2nd grade placement that many students can solve a problem but are unable to utilize language to walk others through their answers. There is a disconnect between what goes on in their minds and what comes out of their mouths/goes on paper. #OCTMChat
A1: I think students struggle with the skills needed to preserve and to unpack problems. So much of their struggle is tied to their comprehension skills #octmchat
A1 I think students are forced to look for and identify key words and it takes away their chance to make sense of the problem and construct their own meaning of the context #octmchat
A1. Love all of the answers so far. I also think sometimes student thinking is compromised by the things adults do: expose them to concepts they aren’t ready for, show them strategies rather than let them construct their own #octmchat
A1: Context is a huge struggle for kiddos when solving problems! Just last night my son became successful when I made the context relevant for him! #octmchat
A1- They don’t think through what makes sense they see numbers and just perform an operation. They don’t read the problems and paint a picture in their mind #octmchat
That's awesome to hear! All of us are smarter than one of us and the more teachers we can get collaborating from the get-go, the better off students will be. #OCTMchat
In reply to
@professorteds, @kellykir02, @OhioState
A1: I often see the language we use as a barrier to students understanding. Problem solving is tricky. Adding new vocab on top of that often intimidates students. I see this especially with my ESL students. #octmchat
A1 I don't think that it's problem solving or sense making that are difficult. I think it's more that children are used to math not making sense or seeing themselves as problem solvers that is the issue. #octmchat
A1 I believe sometimes students may not even know where to begin because there are so many possibilities, this makes problem solving near impossible. #OCTMChat
Hi, everyone! My name is Katie and I am in the Masters of Education program at Ohio State University. Currently student teaching in a kindergarten classroom. I am excited to participate in my first Twitter chat! #octmchat
A1: I think it can be difficult for children to make sense of the problems when they view the context in a different way than the teacher was thinking. #notice & #wonder help uncover Ss thinking about the problem - discussion is essential! #octmchat
A1: I also think problem solving is hard because they expect it to be asking for one operation when in reality and hoping you can use the one that makes sense to them. #octmchat
A1: not reading for understanding, not understanding what operations mean, don’t know what models mean, pick numbers and just do an operation
#octmchat
I agree that the focus on memorizing routines leads to a lack of confidence in making sense of problems. Ss expect to be "told" the steps to solve. #octmchat
A1: Context is a huge struggle for kiddos when solving problems! Just last night my son became successful when I made the context relevant for him! #octmchat
A1:Hey Hannah! I’m also seeing this in my classroom. My placement is with Kindergartener’s and they also have trouble sharing the “why” behind their answer within the classroom. They are often confident in their answer but have no clue why. #octmchat
A2- @BaileyJodie introduced me to numberless word problems. A great way to practice sense making with the students doing the thinking and learning from others thinking. Then using those strategies with worded problems. #octmchat
A2... visualizing what’s happening, acting it out, lots and lots of questions about the problem specifically designed to get them engaged in thinking about the math #octmchat
Such a great point from @mandyrobek! The operation anticipated by the teacher is not always the one that makes the most sense to the student. Is there more than one way to find a solution? In my experience - YES! #octmchat
A1: I also think problem solving is hard because they expect it to be asking for one operation when in reality and hoping you can use the one that makes sense to them. #octmchat
Hello Kelly and Graham I am a curriculim coordinator for Troy Public Schools in Michigan. I am most excited to work on early intervention in math this year. Currently I am using learning and about Math Recovery #octmchat
A2: I’ve recently started using BET lines and what are you noticing and wondering while working through problems. It’s eye opening for both the T and SS as to what their thinking. #octmchat
A2: I think the importance of modeling through think alouds in how to work through a problem is imperative. Children often don't know where to begin but having a teacher model how to think through a problem gives them help without taking away autonomy #OCTMChat
A2: I'll take up student pencils for the first 5 minutes of solving a task and have them directly model the problem whenever possible. It really frees up students thinking because they don't feel pressure to put something on paper. #OCTMchat
A2- @BaileyJodie introduced me to numberless word problems. A great way to practice sense making with the students doing the thinking and learning from others thinking. Then using those strategies with worded problems. #octmchat
A2 I've been altering a Complex Instruction practice, changing Assigning Competence to Recognizing Competence. When children know that their math thinking is valued and recognized, it helps them persevere and grow confident in their problem solving. #octmchat
I love numberless word problems from @bstockus along with encouraging students to draw the picture along the way. They have to create the story in their mind before they are ready to truly tackle a problem #octmchat
Totally agree! If we are truly problem solving (not just finding a known answer to a question) we must teach students that while there are wrong answers there are a range of correct answers from fair to good to better. #octmchat
It can be hard to make real life connections to math and problem solving when in the classroom for many Ss. On top of that, I see a lot of questioning kids who are afraid to speak up bc they "might be wrong," or aren't able to find the right words #octmchat
I didn’t realize this was an Ohio chat 🤦🏼♀️ I saw Graham’s name and thought the oct part of #octmchat was for October and that you all were getting a head start on next month
Miranda, I’m also noticing that language is a barrier for my students. It’s often a challenge to find different ways to communicate/express the same ideas. #OCTMChat
A2: Time can be one of the greatest strategies we can remind our students to utilize. If we can supply the time for students to work at their own pace, we can encourage creativity and differentiation. #OCTMChat
I wonder if that is because they don’t really know what they are doing? Are the just doing something to the numbers in the problem? I wonder what would happen if there was an extraneous #s? #octmchat
I love numberless word problems from @bstockus along with encouraging students to draw the picture along the way. They have to create the story in their mind before they are ready to truly tackle a problem #octmchat
A2: I'll take up student pencils for the first 5 minutes of solving a task and have them directly model the problem whenever possible. It really frees up students thinking because they don't feel pressure to put something on paper. #OCTMchat
A2: I think modeling is so important when helping students make sense of a problem. Especially with my kindergarteners, it helps to see someone think aloud to help guide their own thinking. #octmchat
I agree! Context is so important. Even as an adult, I’m more successful at solving problems when the problems are related and relevant to my life because I’m able to activate my prior knowledge and to use what I already know #octmchat
Hello everyone! My name is Lauren Furno, and I am in the M. Ed. Program at OSU! I am student teaching in a third grade classroom in southwestern city school district #OCTMChat
A2: Number talks for the win! The mathletes experience the beauty and creative side of the math I know. Their math esteem grows; their way of thinking is perfect for them. #octmchat
So glad you're joining #octmchat, Julia! We love talking to those beyond our Ohio borders! We chat every Thursday night at 8:30 pm EST! Hope you can join us again!
A3: The less I talk, the more they listen. I've found that lots of times I would be talking way too much. @SuMACzanne recommended audio-taping yourself as you teach. When I did....I learned a lot. #OCTMchat
A2 Love this idea! Sometimes I feel students get “stuck” and are unsure what to write down on paper. It is important for them to think it out and try it out before having to put the pen to the paper and solve the problem completely. #OCTMChat
Q3 Differentiate- Even today supporting my third graders as I pulled a few of them during math work for a small group, and then sent them back to work independently. I had to stop myself from pulling those few kids that CAN do it, but NEED time to struggle. Intuition. #octmchat
A3: I tend to scaffold by helping Ss to identify the first of next step and then say, “great, get going and I can’t wait to see what other steps you’ve done when I come back by in a few laps” Then I walk off to go work with other students. #octmchat
A3... I think the answer to this lies in the art of teaching. Knowing what type of problem to give, how to get them engaged with problem solving through it, and letting them go to see what they can do before we compromise their process! #octmchat
A3 love chap. 6 in the book Becoming the Math Teacher you Wish you’d Had on this! Ask yourself if the goal is attainable? as long as kiddos are in a productive struggle and not a destructive one (not frustrated). #octmchat
A3: I personally like the “I do, we do, you do” method. However, I know this method is not practical in every situation. Sometimes it’s best to give little to no instruction and see what your students come up with! #OCTMChat
A3: some of the best demonstrations I’ve seen have been done by students. Once we lay the foundation for mathematic conversations we can tailor our lessons as we see fit. Lately we’ve been doing a lot of turn and talk. This allows students to productively struggle. #OCTMChat
A3... and the art of deciding which strategies to you’ll have students share, and then the ever important questions you ask to help them construct the understanding themselves. It’s an art!! #octmchat
A3: once I was out of the classroom I heard the best advice that I want to go back and use... don’t carry anything to write with around with you. It forces you to ask probing questions instead of jumping in to save students #octmchat
It's hard to find that perfect balance, but the more they are talking the more they are learning. It can be difficult to know when to intervene bc you don't want them to become discouraged. I think every student and every class is different.
#octmchat
A2 I often have students close their eyes to visualize the problem. I ask them questions like , " What color hair does so and have in the problem?" " What kind of cookies are we sharing?" It helps them make connections to the problem to see it clearer. #octmchat
A3 I might be an idealist, but I don't think there needs to be a balance at all. I believe that kids learn best from watching each other, so things work best when NO adult in the room is doing the modeling or scaffolding. #octmchat
A3: to be completely transparent, being a pre-service teacher I think this is something I am still trying to find the balance between. You obviously want your students to be successful but also want them to do math in their own way that they are comfortable with. #OCTMChat
A3: This can be a tough balance to achieve. I try to only use teacher demonstration when I've run out of ideas - and usually I frame it as "I saw this from another student last year....what do you think about this method?" so we can analyze the work. #octmchat
A3: once I was out of the classroom I heard the best advice that I want to go back and use... don’t carry anything to write with around with you. It forces you to ask probing questions instead of jumping in to save students #octmchat
A1: productive talk in the math class about rich problems can be a tool for moving forward from the dreaded answer getting and fear of wrong answers. #octmchat
A3: It’s really hard watching a student struggle so I ask questions to help them move their thinking forward and then walk away. Walking away helps me not take over and helps the student process his or her thinking. #octmchat
It's worked really well with students (and teachers). My personal rule is that if I can't model the problem with manipulatives or a drawing, I probably don't understand it. #OCTMchat
A3- It can be a fine line sometimes between scaffolding and rescueing. Students need the productive struggle, alongside continued positive feedback from the T and classroom community. I also think encouraging Ss to talk through their thinking with each other is powerful #octmchat
A3- When starting a problem I always level the playing field with explaining the task and teaching any vocabulary. I love the productive discomfort of working on a problem. I usual intervene with “tell me what you know” and let them do the thinking. #octmchat
Absolutely! In my experience, the language barrier is immediately eliminated and every student has access to that initial question/estimation. Everyone can "guess". #OCTMchat
In reply to
@professorteds, @TheMissHirsch, @missconway6, @kellykir02
A3 it really is the art of questioning. Not to lead, but to hear how & why they are stuck. The perfectly asked question is so amazing when those lightbulbs go off. #octmchat
A4: Each other. Students can learn SO much from each other. Providing opportunities for sharing and community based problem solving is imperative to successful math problem solving within the classroom. #OCTMChat
