Weekly Message Giving Thanks

As teachers, we have an awful lot of responsibilities. We are held to a higher standard because we choose to work with children. Often, teachers work more hours than most with little monetary compensation or recognition.

Sometimes, it is hard to really focus on the positive when we have so much on us as teachers and as Americans – a faulty economy, NC Wise, new writing assessments, required meetings and trainings, cuts in budget, construction at work, days when the heat does not work or works too well, or a 401K that significantly drops every quarter.

It is easy to find our way into negativity, but I have found the best way to break myself of this mentality is to look around me, take a deep breath, and think about how lucky I am.

I know that what you do is not easy, but I am so thankful that you care enough to find new avenues to reach our students, you tutor after school, you take time to build personal relationships with our kids, and you have chosen a life of service.

I have many personal blessings. I have a mother who is a breast cancer survivor, two healthy boys, and a loving husband. We have a roof over our heads and food on the table in a really tough economy. I have family friends who love my boys and really enjoy them. And I have a job to which I am dedicated and personally invested to make a difference in this world.



I am blessed and lucky to be able to work with teachers who spend long hours because they want to help children. I am blessed to work with Principals of vision who keep loving children in spite of their challenges. I am overjoyed to see new National Board Certified teachers and the large number of teachers continuing their personal education in addition to maintaining a classroom.

I challenge you this week and next to think about the following 3-2-1 activity for yourself.

Three things for which I am thankful…

Two things I can do for others less fortunate than I…

One thing I need to work on for myself…

This simple reflection gave me great insight into how foolish it is to waste energy on those things that don’t matter, but to exert my energy on those I love and on those who need what I can offer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have an opportunity to spend time with those you love and reflect on life’s greatest gifts.

Teaching Mathematics

Semiotics

The Study of Change

Research shows that children who are even 6 months behind in math by the sixth grade never catch up with their peers.
-Mel Levine, Thinking Mathematically podcast

Recently, our district hosted Jennifer Parker with All Kinds of Minds in a session called Thinking Mathematically. This new module considers all of the brain functions needed to be successful in math. The module is based on All Kinds of Minds’ neurodevelopmental framework.

This framework is a justification for differentiated instruction and can help teachers match classroom strategies to the developmental needs of their students. This module helped highlight, once again, the critical importance of creating a firm foundation of skills in the Elementary years, particularly in the cumulative field of mathematics.

The module makes good points surrounding math instruction.

Math is the study of change. In all mathematical operations, the basic subject matter is change. (Semiotics is the study of change)
Math places heavy demands on memory function
It is possible to make use of a math skill and not really understand it (fractions, negative numbers, etc)
Speed of processing becomes important with the verbal explanatory part of math
Word problems contain some of the most complex sentence structures children face
Word problems violate the order of mention. In other words, they tell you what to do, but not in the order in which you are going to need to do it


Recommendations for math instruction include:

Requiring students to verbalize processes. It is unacceptable for students to say they did it all in their head
Saying math facts out loud helps that information to be entered in phonological memory. (There is some research that shows a connection between children with phonological problems and children with difficulty learning math facts)
Children who get through math by using a step wise process without any conceptual base face difficulty as skills deteriorate over time
We need to encourage all children to create mental images of math concepts
We need to show linkages between concepts


Virtually every study that’s been done on kids and math show a strong link between math success and strong spatial, nonverbal, thinking abilities.

Levine calls Elementary Math Concepts a platform for sophisticated mathematical thinking and application. He identifies the 7 layers or challenges that children encounter in elementary school.

· Number Sense- having a grasp on how numbers work
· Number Combinations-addition and multiplication facts
· Basic Operations-add, subtract, multiply, and divide
· Geometric Sense- a significant challenge to look at the world of space, its various parameters and dimensions, and shapes and their interactions.
· Data Display/Analysis-Graphing different processes and displaying them in that way
· Word Problems- bridge math with practical world
· Fractions-mastery of fractional thinking is one of the final requirements if kids are going to be competent at mathematics

These areas become the infrastructure for what children will learn beyond the Elementary years.

We have a large number of teachers who have attended Schools Attuned. The training is more than using the attuning process. Pull out your placemats and consider the framework as a rationale for differentiated assignments. The glossary provided will help you as you identify challenges for students and look for strengths so leverage in the classroom.

Part two of our three part refresher will be held at the HPS Instructional Annex on February 24th at 3:30. The topics will include Attention and Memory. It is not too late to sign up for this topic. (SEA Activity 11-96) The third module will be online and completed at your own pace. If there is enough interest, we will also repeat the math module again this spring.

You can also consult the following web addresses for more information.

http://www.schoolsattuned.org/
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/