Reflect:
- Video Link: Part 1: Fast Does NOT Mean Fluent
- Graham Fletcher's Ignite Talk: From Memory and Memorization - There IS a Difference
Consider the following questions:
- Which of the 10 alternative ways to build math fluency have you already tried? (or which ones are you considering trying?)
- How do/when will you fit these alternative ways into your school day?
- What caused you to pause and think during this video?
After watching the videos, please post your response to one {or more} of the prompts above.
Interact:
Read your colleagues' reflections. Feel free to respond to someone by sharing a comment, insight, or interesting possibility.
 |
I have tried several the strategies from Fast Does NOT Mean Fluent video. One of my favorites is the use of games to teach skills. Students are automatically so much more “bought in” to a lesson if they have an opportunity to play and engage with their peers. One of the strategies I would like to use more is the use of manipulatives. I have not done this as much as an upper grade teacher but can see the benefit. I already did a little research and found a great way to use some of our manipulatives with adding fractions with unlike denominators. I am looking forward to trying that tomorrow! I think these alternatives blend in with our day well. There are many times where I can implement these strategies instead of or in addition to what we are doing. I have never liked doing pages and problems with students, so these alternatives are a great support to continue diversifying the math block. I appreciated the definition of fluent. I knew fluency was more than fast, but I liked the way both videos broke that down clearly. I also really liked the idea of the goals journal. We are doing some goal setting next week and I would like to find a way to blend in some of the goal setting ideas.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle! It's so funny that you mention that you don't really use manipulatives because you teach a higher grade and it is the majority of what I do! I also mirror your intrigue about the goals journal. Will be interesting to see if we are able to incorporate those somehow in our year! :)
DeleteSome of the strategies I have tried from the video are, games, formative assessments, students exploring strategies with visuals, and hands on manipulatives. All of these strategies have been so beneficial for teaching kindergarten, I honestly do not know what I would do without them! I am intrigued about the idea of personal journals for development, but not sure how that would look in kindergarten, especially in the beginning of the year. Goal setting is something we talk about it, but it takes them almost the entire year to develop understanding around goal setting. I also want to try more strategy based activities. One thing that did make me stop and think during the video was when she was talking about the finger trick for multiply with 9 and then 10's trick and how they don't create memory recall for 12, 13, and beyond; and that totally stuck with me because that was how I was taught to multiply and I do not have that multiplication math fluency in those higher digits. So that part was really relatable for me.
ReplyDeleteLearning through "tricks" was relatable to me as well Kristin. It wasn't until I actually started teaching math that I became more flexible in my thinking around numbers and operations - and even still - I find myself falling back onto some of the tricks I memorized. I so wish I would have been given experiences that made me a more flexible thinker when I was a young mathematician. I can't imagine how different my journey would have been!
DeleteI thought this was great! I am new to teaching so I have not tried many of the strategies but I think that the experience with hands on manipulatives are so important. I also like the idea of giving students a game that helps them practice just as many problems as a worksheet. Today I gave my students a game where they rolled dice and counted the number on the dice they thought it was so much fun. When I was in 3rd grade we had timed multiplication tests. I never moved very far because I was not fast enough. This made me think I was not good at math but that was not true, I was just not fast. I would not want my students to fell this way.
ReplyDelete