PTO Meeting Tokeneke School

Math in Darien Elementary Schools

March, 2010

A Few Key Messages About Needed Changes in Math Education

Mastery of facts requires more than facts and procedures

Students learn math with understanding

Problem solving is not found in texts and requires experience

Brain research tells us that in order to be successful, students have to see connections to the real world.

The comparisons and contrasts to the world and experience are critical.

We need to help children work on math as THINKERS and REASONERS.

The ability to retrieve information matters very little if there is no ability to apply or adapt it. We can plant memory in two ways:

1. REPETITION: but you need to repeat it 4 times to get 48% retention or 24 times to get 80% retention

2. PROCESS-teaching in an authentic way that requires manipulation of a skill.

Math learning must be connected to real life and be seen in contexts.

Strategies for early addition1. Add in pieces8+48 +2 +2

16 + 1216 + 10 + 2

Group by place value

14 + 12

Tens together, ones together

10 + 10, 4 + 2 = 20 + 6

Find easy sums8 + 24 + 6

Make smart groups 29 + 29

5 x 88

Is it easier to work in:9’s or 10’s

4’s or 5’s

11’s or 12’s

85 + 65 + 35 + 15 + 75 + 25

7 x 10 x 8 x 10

8 x 4 x 3 x 250

How do you know?

15 + 15

75 + 75

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/15/science/20080915_NUMBER_SENSE_GRAPHIC.html

•Language Arts Instruction

•Student Centered Learning

•Now Math -

•What are we working on?

Math Continuum vs. DRA

Assessment driven instruction

Assessments

•CMT

• 3 times a year assessment to show growth over time

•GWM assessments

•Up close conferencing

Once we know about our students as mathematicians we need to differentiate to meet the students’ instructional needs

How is this done?

How do we help teachers differentiate?

Experience with GWM – 8 years

Supplemental materials – Cathy Fosnot Units

Greg Tang

First Steps