I recall Maggie replying to what I wrote, long time ago on the blog, with a question about how I transfer methods to teach Literacy into Mathematical implementation, and, I was stumped. I was always under the impression that teaching Math is nothing like teaching Literacy. Since I was stumped by Maggie's question I have been thinking about it and, at my age, I feel that learning is a never ending process. Well, I don't want to waste whatever time I have left:):):)
A few days ago, in one of my third grade Read 180 groups, (not even working on Math), there was a sentence containing a six digit number: 330.000 of something. The student couldn't read the number and he just said thirty three, and just kept saying that three times. I had to do a "mini" Math lesson in the middle of a reading program, without getting my "tucked away" home made Place Value chart. So I covered the three zeros and asked him to read 330, and he did beautifully. I uncovered the rest of the numbers and asked him to read the whole six digit number but he lost it again.....and said three hundred thirty........over and over again. I empathized with him, because some of the other four students barely had their eyes attached to their sockets. They knew how to read that. However, I have always told them that giving someone the answer without giving them a chance to think is like robbing/cheating them from the learning/thinking process. They have been great about not blurting the answer......now!!
So I HAD TO get my chart......and asked him to put those numbers on the chart, noticing that the 330 is under the thousand "roof." Bingo......he could read the numbers and he was so proud of himself! To me the process of covering the zeros resembles chunking in Literacy, reading a long word by identifying the shorter words in it, seemed to be an AHA to me but perhaps to others it is not news:):):)
I had to share this with you all. I was too lazy to get my chart to begin with, at times being lazy has its own advantage:):):) Hopefully this makes sense to you. Thanks for taking the time to read.
6 comments:
Ina, I had the same thing happen yesterday during math. One of my students had answered _____ = 8 - 4 as -4. When I had him explain his thinking, he read from right to left . . . "4 - 8 is -4". Made perfect sense to him! So I reminded him that just like reading, we read it from left to right. Once he understood, he quickly corrected it.
Karen, does he speak Arabic? Because Arabic is read from right to left........:) Or he is not accustomed to seeing a Mathematical problem looking like this!!! BUT he surely knows about the negative numbers!!!
One of my ESL kids, a few years back, was reading a book about policemen, where it says, "The policeman was patrolling the street." When he read "patrolling" he was chunking it as, PAT -- ROLLING, like rolling on the ground.......of course he couldn't figure out how it should sound or what it meant because he was not a native English speaker and he had no idea how it should sound!!! He explained that he chunked it, as I taught him, pat..roll..ing and of course it made sense too!! So I had to explain the irregularities of the English language, which has "rule breakers."
I definitely learned from this student!! AND many more!!! Since I took this Math course I have tried hard to really find commonalities in my delivery practices both in Literacy and Mathematics.
Thanks Karen!!
It makes so much sense to me to think of teaching math in a similar way to teaching reading, in a meta-cognitive approach. As elementary teachers, we surround our students with print resources-books, magazines, posters-because we are so aware of how becoming a good reader is indicative of a child's success in school and in many life applications. What do we tell them to do - if you don't understand, read to the end, and then go back. Break it up the unknown word into smaller parts. Use context. Make a prediction. Use what you know to figure it out. What would make sense here? Make a picture in your head. What other word could you substitute for this word. Use your knowledge of word morphology (well, maybe I wouldn't say that!)
A lot of the strategies that we use to teach kids how to read (and we do it so much that it becomes second nature to us) also apply to strategies that we can use in teaching math, especially math reasoning skills. It's interesting that all elementary teachers rightfully pride themselves as being teachers of reading and writing, but there are not as many who feel confident about themselves as a knowledgeable and skillful teacher of math. I see a lot of similarities, even in the approach that Maggie keeps banging into our heads, that kids have to have personal experiences with the math before they can make the conceptual jump to manipulatives. Don't we provide language experiences for kids, especially for younger students, to provide a context for reading and writing?
It makes sense to me that we need to change the culture of elementary school education so that elementary teachers see themselves as Teachers of Math as well as teachers of reading and writing. It has occurred to me that that is really what this program is really all about.
Mary... this comment show a great deal of reflection on your part. Your buy-in is obviously becoming meaningful to you. I like the way you backed up to look at the bigger picture... a change in school culture to one where we focus on, and understand good teaching practice in general, not subject-specific teaching techniques. Eating mangoes is the very best kind of learning, be it reading, science, art or... heaven forbid... MATH!
Once this fundamental idea is owned, much of the dilemma over math is dissipated. Of course, there is still much learning to do to actually apply it, but the buy-in to a 'personal contact with the idea' approach makes the rest of it a lot easier.
Thank you for your thoughtful contribution. I'm sure others will appreciate it.
"It makes sense to me that we need to change the culture of elementary school education so that elementary teachers see themselves as Teachers of Math as well as teachers of reading and writing. It has occurred to me that that is really what this program is really all about."
I need to quote Mary Linneman, and I love this very much Mary!!! But why should we only limit this to elementary level? At the elementary level, teachers teach all subjects, so the lines, as on the streets/roads, are not solid - - - - - - - - !! In a way, we are supposed to teach Literacy, Math, Science, and SS.
At the middle school level, they have specific teachers, one for Math, one for Language Arts, one for Science, and one for Social Studies. How are LA teachers going to teach Math and how are Math teachers going to teach Literacy?
Finally now, at the middle school level they are looking for Math teachers who have strong Literacy background to deliver Math through Literacy:):):)
Does this mean that They (finally)Get It? So instead of I GET IT should we call it WE GET IT now Maggie?
In Indonesia, where I came from, about 37 years ago, I taught 4th grade, and I taught Literacy, Math, Science, SS, Music, PE, Art, English, and Cooking and sewing (on Saturday)!!! We didn't have Specials so we can have some planning time either:):):) Well, I didn't have to plan because everything is by the book and no thinking skills. Rote memorization, that's all, which is the drawback. I felt like being brainwashed. However, when we had a test, it always happened first thing, when we were "fresh." Nothing is routine, we have Math in the morning then the next day we had Literacy first, etc.......changes everyday. Perhaps that's why I don't require routine to enable me to function/work. Does this make sense? I know that I shouldn't compare or shouldn't keep thinking of Indonesia because I am here in Maine now, but I can't help it.
I am so glad that I am part of this innovative course, because this has certainly "open doors" to allow me to weave/teach through all disciplines.
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