Reflect after reading Chapters 5-7:
How do we answer questions in a thinking classroom? When and how do we give tasks?
Consider the following questions:
- What is resonating with you from the reading?
- What caused you to pause and think during this section?
I love the way ch 5 broke down the three types of questions. I think i spend the most time on proximity questions. Third grade is such an age where that seems to be the way because we are constantly moving around the room to check for understanding or on task efforts. I agree though that most of the answers seem to be about things the kids already know. I wonder if that is a lot because third grade is a lot of re-assurance and re-affirmations for self confidence (at least in my room this year it is). But maybe those are more stop-thinking types of questions where the kids just want me to do it for them. It gives me a lot to think about. I will say though that the replacement questions in this section are amazing! I am looking forward to seeing how these change my classroom. I plan to photocopy the question pages and shrink them and attach to my badge lanyard t help me be more intentional about helping my students be both answered and heard.
ReplyDeleteThis section also helped me reflect so I can continue to work on where/when in a lesson to give tasks. When kids are amped up and energy is up, I love giving the challenge right away and have seen positive results in this.
I loved how in ch 7 they changed the wording of homework to check-your-understanding questions. I do not give homework anymore but think i could bring it back (in an optional way) by renaming it. This will help kids and families feel like it is not just busy work but designed to make sure they are prepared to meet the next challenges in the class.
I agree with you on how we answer their questions. Thanks for the idea of putting those on your lanyard! I am going to copy you. :)
DeleteMy students have learned not to ask me if they are correct. I have mastered a poker face when it comes to answering them. They will read a story problem, I expect them to tell me before they start to work on an answer what math operation they are going to use. They will say plus, when it's minus, I say ok why? They change to minus, I say ok why? They get so mad at me! I'm going to write out the questions from chapter 5 on page 89 so I can very my answers now. :) It will still make them mad.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to try a rich task at the very beginning of our group time. Usually I start with an entry task related to their holes in math. One of my jobs is trying to help them get caught up in areas they are weak in. I'm going to try to find tasks for them to do around these. (after we have done some fun ones to get used to this) I will still need them to do one on paper though so I have the data to enter.
Sometimes I use our homework sheets to work on problems with my students. It's interesting because almost all of them have a "stretch your thinking" problem at the bottom. My students beg me not to do these, when after reading this that is where they need to start. I understand now why they don't want to do them, they cannot just give a simple answer, do a mimic solution, they need to think to understand and they are not used to that.
In chapter 5, I'd never really thought about the different types of questions students ask but it makes so much sense how they can be 'categorized'. It made me realize that I'm answering a lot of questions that I probably shouldn't be. I like that the chapter gave some suggestions for what can be said and done in place of answering the questions so that students feel acknowledged and encouraged. I'm definitely excited to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 6 I love the idea of making sure the beginning of the lesson is high energy and giving thinking tasks right away. In Illustrative math, which I'm currently teaching, I see this with the warm-up built into every lesson. While this is only a small part of the lesson, the warm-up is always engaging and promotes high energy, fueling excitement for the lesson to come. I have students sit at the carpet area a lot in my room but, as a whole, they don't often stand. I'm not sure if this would work for my group this year but is something I'm definitely willing to try.
This is the first year I have not been giving math homework and I don't miss it. Most of the kids and families don't either. I give practice problems that are 'can do's' at home, not 'have to dos', and this has worked well for those who want or need extra practice at home. Chapter 7 reinforced for me the reasons why I've been thinking about ditching traditional homework for years. I'm continuing to enjoy all of the new ideas/thoughts I'm learning from this book!
I've read this book before but I am re-reading it again with all of you so that I can be reminded of the great teaching moves that are described in each chapter. I'm telling you...the book is just as insightful the next time around! One move that he described in the Q & A section of Chapter 5 has been a complete game changer for me. Liljedahl says that after a task is given (on VNPSs around the room), stand in the very center of your classroom and force yourself to stay there for the first 3-4 minutes. And just watch them. I've done this with a few different teachers at multiple grade levels and it is pretty incredible. First of all, 3-4 minutes feels like a *really* long time! But it's amazing how much thinking happens WITHOUT OUR HELP. As teachers, it is our instinct to immediately start circulating the room. When we do that we usually drop hints or "just get them started" and we are robbing them of their own great thinking. Standing in the center of the room allows us to quickly see how ALL groups are doing (huge benefit of the vertical surfaces!) and then you can differentiate which group(s) you should visit first. Small teaching move that makes big impact.
ReplyDeleteI help students in Algebra classes and during Academic help. It is often difficult to avoid stop-thinking questions, since the math concepts are getting more challenging for them. Some of the students know that if they ask repeatedly in a random manner, they will eventually get the answers from me, which is easier for them. They make it difficult for me to avoid these questions. The effective comebacks to these stop-thinking and proximity questions in chapter 5 is remarkably helpful. I have tried and was able to avoid quite a few stop-thinking questions. For me “Why do you think that is?” and “Can you show me how you did that?” works the best.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky to help in one of the SPED math classes where I experienced the practices discussed in Chapter 7. The teacher happens to use “check your understanding” questions, which are well accepted by the students. I do notice the difference and their resistance when they are given an assignment meant to be graded.
The different types of questions really resonated with me in chapter 5. I love that this book is not only informative, but provides ways to incorporate these ideas into a classroom immediately. The 10 things to say in response to a proximity or stop-thinking question is huge for me in my role as a support that I can provide for teachers. It is something simple yet powerful that teachers can do right away.
ReplyDeleteIn order for students to really have productive struggle they can't be given too much direction for a task, but that also has to be balanced with ensuring students have a base understanding of what they are supposed to do. Chapter 6 clarifies this in a way that makes so much sense. I love the idea of a standing huddle to give directions! This was probably one of my favorite easy moves to make!
I had not given homework for years due to the fact (as the book stated), the kids who really needed to do it either for practice or to practice responsibility didn't do it, and the kids who didn't really need to do it always did. It just became too much of a hassle and I wasn't seeing any benefit. However...changing it to check your understanding questions is a game changer! I would love to hear of someone that tries this and if they notice a change!
I am limited to 30 minutes with each group, which does not leave me with a lot of time, but we often start out with a warm-up of some kind to get their brains problem-solving. While this definitely promotes collaboration with their classmates, I notice now that I may be asking too many questions that prompt them in the right direction. After reading these chapters, I will be working harder to step out of the process a little more to get them working closer with each other.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that did resonate with me is letting the other students fill in a student that might come late. As that is often the case for one reason or another, I feel often times I have to restate the instructions, or go back and explain what we have just done. It would be interesting to watch other students fill them in on the task rather than waiting for me to explain everything again. I also enjoyed the idea of having them stand during instruction or maybe move about the room engaging multiple senses while learning.