Analysis of Article "Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say" by Steven C. Reinhart

The purpose of the study is to identify how varying ways of knowing mathematics manifests in the use of the core practice of facilitating classroom discourse. I am interested in better understanding how teachers use their mathematical knowledge for teaching to facilitate meaningful discourse. Gaining greater understanding it this area will aid in assisting teachers in developing the skill of facilitating meaningful discourse. The ability to engage students in mathematical discussions that enhance student learning has continued to be a topic in mathematics education and is viewed as a major component of mathematics education reform. It is vital that teachers, novice and experienced, develop the skills necessary to create a learning environment

Taught not as a static subject, but an interactive one. Our students should start with applicable math, using objects, angles and visual learning to reinforce the lessons. Children should be shown how math is in every part of our lives, and see real-world examples of how math affects their daily life to encourage excitement and curiosity. Math is the foundation of all of our science, teaching children how to see math in everyday life will lead to greater understanding of the world around them, and why math is important. It is currently taught as a very dry subject that has no connection to their real life outside the classroom, we need to change our approach so they see math as part of daily their

The first high-leverage teaching practice is called “explaining and modeling content, practices, and strategies”. This method is found in almost all math classrooms. When a new topic was introduced, my CT explicitly wrote out all of the steps to the problem. Then she modeled all of the steps with an example by both verbalizing her thoughts and writing them down. She even wrote out a thought bubble whenever the students had to add a positive and a negative number. Although the problem tells you to add, they must think subtract.

How are your lessons designed for student learning of mathematical concepts, procedures/algorithms, and mental math strategies through problem solving?

There are three main focuses to engage children in discussion small group, large group, and pairing. Mr. Reinhart wants the student to be responsible for their own understanding of math, as well as why the math is important to the student. Allowing students to process what they are learning is the most important part of understanding. “Increasing wait time to five seconds or longer can result in more and better response” (Reinhart, 2000). Another important concept that Mr. Reinhart mentioned in the article is “Be nonjudgmental about a response or comment” (Reinhart, 2000). Encouragement is the key in making students feel successful and allowing students to listen to their peers and respect differences in learning

This article described the how a group of educators came together to introduce problem solving to third-grade students throughout the year as a means to teach other concepts instead of just teaching this concept when it was reached in the textbook. The educators were in groups of three with a mathematical consultant. During the course of this project the educators met with the mathematical consultant every four weeks to discuss how students responses and their presentations. During these meeting the educators would often make adjustment to better fit the students. The article contained subsections about the special spark, the before, during, and after of the problem

As a result of implementing any of the ten lesson plans, the students will learn about quantities and their relationships. Moreover, the students will use their curiosity to explore and learn about the world around them. For example, they can learn about how and why leaves change colors. As a result of developing and implementing this artifact, I learned that educators need to ask and respond questions to help foster students’ inquisitiveness and scientific thinking. I also learned that teaching mathematics can be done through interactive activities, and not through hand outs. To improve these lesson

I am looking forward to reading the article you shared by Annie Murphy. I think it’s great when educators share strategies that are effective and help support students learning. I plan to implement many of the strategies that you shared from Murphy in your initial post. For instance, one of them was to start with a question instead of the answer. True open-ended question genuinely invite authentic reflection and discussion (CEA, 2016, para. 20). As we ask open-ended questions this is a way to elicit discussion, brainstorm solutions to a problem, or create new opportunities. Also, the quality of student response will increase if, they know the teacher is seriously interested in their input, plans to discuss the results with them, and is willing

Their 2000 publication, the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, is still prevalent. This document, setting forth ten guidelines for improving math education, refined, extended, and replaced NCTM’s earlier recommendations. Not only does the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics address five important content areas, it also establishes five important mathematical processes deemed necessary in quality education, like problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, representation, and connections. When it comes to making connections, NCTM further asserts that instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students

One strategy that I thought was useful was One-to-One Correspondence. It is important to teach students how to relate math concepts to real life objects and situations. Relating math to a student's personal life could help a student who is struggling in math. If the student could connect a math concept that they are struggling with to a personal connection, it could make the concept easier or more reliable to them. Many students always ask "Will we ever use this in real life?" when learning a math concept. It is important to teach our students how to use math in a real-life situation, so they are motivated to learn the concept and practice it every day. As well, relating the math questions or concepts to the student's interest will help motivate

Next, I observed for thirty-two hours solely in a fourth grade classroom. The mathematics time I observed in this class was spent working on problems out of a mathematics textbook. The students moved problem-by-problem and page-by-page through this textbook. Since this technique requires little to no critical thinking, it is not likely that they will recall how to solve the problems. Lastly, I spent thirty-two hours observing two sixth grade mathematics classes. The first class was students, who were performing at grade-level, and the other class was students who were performing below grade level, however both classes used the same teaching techniques. The teacher lectured, the students took notes, and then the students completed an electronic worksheet. The students then had to write their answers down on a physical piece of paper to turn in for their grade. The students were wasting time by having to copy down answers instead of learning more about mathematics. Students are not retaining what they have been taught because of the low level of critical thinking currently being used in schools.

My teaching philosophy is based in my belief that teaching one of the most noble acts one can provide to others. My prior STEM work experiences have motivated me to give back to the educational system that empowered me to pursue a career in engineering. My teaching techniques incorporate continuous improvement, frequent feedback, encouragement and high expectations. I especially encourage those students who feel they are incapable of learning math by explaining learning math is an achievable journey requiring their practice and perseverance to enable success. I strive to present consistent, clear lessons and activities that enable students to learn material in a way that fits their personal learning style.

While reading the book “5 Practices” I realized that I was not alone in the idea of worry about I as a teacher am going to teach students everything they know if I don't just tell them. The book gives five practices that are meant to be “student centered instruction manageable by moderating the degree of improvement required by the teacher during a discussion”. The book also stated that instead of focusing on the in the moment questions, plan ahead and and anticipate questions students might have and develop questions that will “better structure a student's presentation to further their mathematics for the

In the article, “How Should Elementary Math Class Look and Sound”, I learned that math can be taught in ways where the teacher do more than just tell them the steps to solve a problem. Teachers can inhibit students to figure out the steps to take when solving and equation or a word problem. For instance, making the students read a word problem out loud and disaggregating the word problem piece by piece. Moreover, I also learned that by doing so it let students deepen their thinking about math and can sometimes help with the understanding. In addition, I have seen in the reading classroom I’m observing my cooperative teacher using a similar method. For instance, she will tell the students to tell her what they think the story they are about to

My husband is an I.T. and worked night and rotated shifts for 12 years. Our quality of life improved significantly since last year when he started to work day hours only. I can say that his previous schedule affected not only his sleep and health but also interfered on our routine as a family, since that I also had to work and take care of our children on my own and making sure that he could rest enough for another night of work. After the change his is having time to take better care of his health, exercising, sleeping and eating better. We have more time to spend together as a family and it reflects directly on our quality of life.