Red Pen Reflection

I have learned many things from Rick Lavoie. One of the most important is to remember that I never struggled in school, so I cannot know how it feels to constantly have my work returned covered with glaring red marks. Recently, when faced with returning just such a math test for corrections, I decided to try something else. I had watched the student accurately complete four math activities online and noticed that he only saw one problem at a time. Thinking that a page of problems might be what was overwhelming him, I wrote each incorrect problem on an index card. The next morning, I asked him to do some math review with the cards, letting him choose the order. He completed them all correctly. It got me to wondering how he would have done on the original test if the problems had been given to him one at a time. Perhaps presentation, rather than content, causes some students' failure to demonstrate their knowledge. Are we setting them up to fail?

Was the Bus Empty When it Left the Terminal

Image from FreeFoto.com

While gathering math ideas for the sisters I'm tutoring, I came across a problem that has a problem. I decided to find out if they could see it too. Here it is:

For the Good Cheer food drive, your class collected 320 cans of food. Each family gets 40 cans of food. How many cartons will you need to pack them?

I'm sure the intended answer is 8 - the number of families who would get food. However, the question asked how many cartons you need. Both girls knew the problem; they needed to know how many cans fit in a carton. We talked about vague, ambiguous, or just plain bad word problems. I told them not to be afraid to speak up when they come across such problems. 

We moved on - 

The bus left the terminal and picked up 5 people at the first stop. At the second stop, 2 people got off and 4 people got on. At the third stop, 3 people got off and 5 got on. How many passengers were now on the bus. 

Instantly, the older girl asked, "Was the bus empty when it left the terminal?" I grinned and congratulated her for getting the message. No test was needed to assess her learning.

That morning, all three of us had a great time playing math!

My Heart is Happy

Flickr photo by fauxto_dig

This is a great day! One more student is beginning to replace the I can'ts with I cans when it comes to math. I played math for an hour this morning with two new students, 5th and 8th grade sisters. Prior to today, the one word that described how the older one felt about math is FRUSTRATED. We played with addition, multiplication, and fractions. Both girls are bright, articulate, and eager to understand what math is all about. Their mom didn't want to overwhelm them, so our first session was just an hour. We made plans to get together again on Thursday, so she asked the 8th grader if two hours would be too much. The young lady replied, "I could do this all day!" I had told her when we met that I help kids understand math because it hurts my heart that so many kids feel defeated by it. Today I responded to her upbeat attitude and enthusiasm by saying, "My heart is so happy!" What a great day! I can't wait for Thursday.

There's a Pattern to It

Last month, while an associate sub, I walked out of a middle school math class thinking, "Wow! That was fun!" The students spent the first part of the period using the Percent Of activity on this website - http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/estimation-game.php - to hone their estimation skills and increase their number sense. Some of those with higher scores explained their thought processes to others. They all enjoyed trying to improve their outcomes, and most succeeded.

Previously, the class had worked to determine which of three restaurant patrons was the most generous tipper, so the next activity expanded on that. The teacher projected a chart with several dollar amounts across the top and percentages (1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%) down the side. Students worked in pairs to complete the chart. Listening to their conversations was great fun. Most pairs were diligently calculating each result, but I started to hear a few talk about the relationships between the percentages. The most exciting moment for me was when one boy looked up at me with a grin and exclaimed, "There's a pattern to it, isn't there?"

I applaud the teacher for this example of math being taught and learned the way it was meant to be - with a combination of cooperation, collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking.  

The Power of Positive Thinking

Since March, I have had the opportunity to chat several times with the 5th grader from the homework group. (See From Can't to Can) Each time she mentions something positive about math class. I subbed in that class yesterday while the students worked on the final test. Before they got started, I told them that any can'ts in their heads would keep them from thinking and asked her to tell them what they needed to believe. She grinned and said, "I think I can!" After school today, she and I worked on some strategies to help her learn and remember some of the addition and multiplication facts that give her trouble. Although I am a volunteer after school, I was richly rewarded when she said, "Ever since I've been working with you, I am really liking math." She now believes in herself, and it has made a big difference in her attitude and her accomplishments.

Tonight I rediscovered a poem I had forgotten about and am making a copy for her - "It Couldn't Be Done" by Edgar Guest.

Thanks for Asking

Lately, I've had several experiences with the one kid in a class who will speak up and ask the question most of the others are wondering about. I love it!

While subbing in the computer lab, one 2nd grader came up to tell me that the teacher lets them have the lights turned off on Fridays. Having discovered in the past that there may be disagreements about such things, I asked the class how many would object if I turned the lights off. About half the hands shot up. Then I heard a small voice say, "What does object mean?" I explained that it means you wouldn't like it, and all of the hands quickly went down.

Near the end of another 2nd grade day, an intercom message told one little boy that his dad would pick him up tonight. Later, I noticed that he was looking confused and not getting ready to go. Finally he said, "How long is it until tonight?" I knew the secretary meant after school, but he did not. This got me to thinking about how hard kids must work every day to figure out the meaning of things they hear. I told my 91-year-old mom, who struggles with hearing, that it must be similar to how she pieces together conversations when she doesn't quite hear all of the words.

Three cheers for the kids who will ask for an explanation!

From Can't to Can

Some of my most rewarding experiences this year have taken place after school, while volunteering with the middle school homework group. This week was no exception. I enjoyed teaching K-4 music, although I sing off-key. Then I headed next door to see who needed help. I found a 5th grade girl struggling with a math test review. She was really down; the can'ts in her head were shutting down all possibility of real thinking. I smiled, encouraged, explained, asked questions, and listened. She was working with fractions, so I gave her one of my dry erase cards I made to help her rename and/or reduce fractions. (See Equivalent Fractions) I watched her eyes slowly light up, and we had a great hour of math. She left saying, "I can!" We met again the next day and she dug in to finish the review with a positive attitude. She will take the test today, and my fingers are crossed that she will stay calm and think things through.