Geometer's Skethpad!

OK - I have to admit that this is one of my favorite pieces of software that I have seen for having students play with complex ideas on a computer.  For a virtual manipulative - it is far and away the best I've seen (not that I have actually seen that many; and most of the ones that I have looked at were free).  I could have played with it quite a bit longer.  It was fairly easy to use, playful, useful and insightful once I got the hang of it.  In the Cohort, our ever efficient brains eventually led many of us to strategize about what shapes to use first and what versatile ones to save for last.  I can see how this would be a very effective adjunct to teaching geometry in class; actually better than most physical manipulatives I've seen.  If my school district does not already have it when I get there (have to be optimistic), I will lobby for it!

Technology in the Classroom

So what do I think of the itouch in the classroom?  Honestly, I have used it very little beyond recording student interviews and literacy assessments.  For those ends it has been very helpful to track information.  The students have enjoyed handling them while helping me record their work.  I would make more regular use of them if they had video capabilities. I can see videoing presentations, readers theater or other fun antics and sending them home to parents or to student files that they can keep for a portfolio.  I would also like to see students use them to create stories, but have not made it happen yet.  At the moment, I feel very limited by time constraints and have a hard time giving up the time it would take a student to get up to speed with an app that might be useful for them.  I can do so much with them in that amount of time, and let my assessment of their work guide my future instruction.  Perhaps these are the whinings of someone who feels overburdened at the moment.  Cheers to better uses of the itouch in my classroom by the next time I write.

Ideas for Supporting S in Literacy

1.   What have I learned about my buddy’s needs, abilities and interests?

When I first met S, her open face and ready smile put me immediately at ease.  She is excitable, talkative and eager to please.  When I first asked her about herself she told me that she liked penguins and pandas, M and Ms, painting with watercolors, reading and science.  She also told me that she likes to be clean and organized.  When she went on to share some of her writing with me, I noticed that she likes to move fairly quickly over the text (familiar because it is hers), reading with some expression in her voice.  A few times I heard her use a past tense verb where present tense was appropriate, and I thought there was a slight mispronunciation of a “d” or “t” as a “b,” but I could not confirm it as it was not consistent. 

Then she read from a text they were reading in class.  I have a sense that she is rushing her reading a bit, adding endings to words and naming similar sight words that don’t make sense, but moving on anyway.  When I stopped her and asked her what was going on in the story, she could not quite figure it out either through words or in the pictures.

I asked her about what she likes to read.  Immediately she said, “Ramona.”  When I asked her to tell me about the story she described details with interest and characters with insight.  There is a bit of a conundrum for me: she clearly understands some things, but completely misses others.  She gets the overall gist of passages, but not the details.

In subsequent reading time together I discovered that she loves to read and is proud of it: “I read 130 words per minute!”  As we began to do our own assessment I found that she can read some passages fairly quickly (just over 100 wpm) with fluidity and expression, but others are quite slower, sometimes even in the same passage.  This overall inconsistency seems to be related to decoding unfamiliar words, especially names and words over 3 syllables long.

In both the spelling and reading inventories I found that she likes to do them as long as she feels successful and wants to stop the moment it gets hard for her. When asked if she would like to go back to the text and look for the answers she didn’t remember, she politely says “No.”

Most intriguing to me over these past two meetings with her is her choice of reading materials.  She chose to read one of several “Hannah West” novels written by a local librarian and set here in the Seattle area.  The author writes with suspense that is difficult for S to understand, yet she reads on.  It surprised me that she continues to read when she seems to be missing big chunks of the plot.  (Then I just read Tovani and she tells the story of her friend that likes to read Anna Karenina every year and see what new insights he finds.)  I like puzzles, especially real-life ones like this one!

2.   As a result of this knowledge, what learning objectives and materials are you considering using for your next lesson?

If given the opportunity I would work with S on several fronts.  The first is the strategy of asking questions as I read.  This is a valuable skill to start growing for all readers and could be especially helpful to S right now.  I would model how I do it right from the start by looking at the title and through the pages of the text.  As I go on to read the text, I would stop to ask questions aloud.  Ideally, we would then move to guided reading groups so that students can give each other insight from their perspectives as well.  For the text, I would ask Maggie, her teacher, for guidance on a grade-level text and a group of students at similar reading levels. As they stop and voice their questions, I would write them down.  As they find answers I will ask for their evidence (informal assessment that will guide further instruction).  I want to make explicit the many clues we find in what we read. I would like to do this with both fiction and non-fiction.

Second, I would like to do a reading inventory of words that begin with “b,” “d,” and “t,” as well as a list of verbs, to see if I can pinpoint the problem in what I hear.  It may not show up in her reading a list of words, but I would like to see if it does.

Third, I would like to help her find a just-right book for her independent reading and check in regularly to see if she is understanding the text. She is very excited about reading and likes to think of herself as a good one.  I want to do what I can to support her where she is and promote her growth and development.  Any suggestions?

Mathematical Meanderings

Wow, I learned a few things today in math.  I've thought about using math journals both as an interdisciplinary tool and as a way to check for understanding, but must confess that looking through all of them each week, sounds daunting, not to mention potentially out-of-date with where they are now.  Today we talked about using online journaling thru RSS feeds.  That makes them seem more relevant to me.  I can find out the same day they write about their confusion and address is readily.  I appreciated learning that they should never be graded - I hadn't thought about that yet.  I mainly wanted them to help inform my instruction.

We also learned a few more tools to add to the toolbox:
* Fathom - a very dynamic graphing software that can even use data sets from the web!
* Data and Story Lab - on the web for finding interesting data sets.  I liked the idea of inspiring our students to be "data detectives."
* Geometer's Sketchpad - we hope to get a demo of it next week.

We talked more about the "Using Creative Writing and Literature in Mathematics Classes" article today. The idea of using multiple disciplines to get students to show their understanding excites me.  I'd love to give groups a video camera and have them tell their story or even explain how to do the math, so that the writing isn't even a block for them.  It could be illuminating and entertaining!

Reflect on Your Teaching Everyday

I like that.  At the end of each lesson, or the end of each day, taking a moment to reflect on how students are progressing and what I can do to further their learning; to make a real study of my effectiveness as a teacher and of my students as learners.  At first this feels burdensome, a heavy brick added to an already back-breaking load (I went for drama because I liked the alliteration!).  The sooner we tend to this however, the sooner we can stop wasting time and resources on an unproductive path and find something that works better for our students.  The best way to get the information we need is to have very regular assessments of all kinds that don't feel like assessments to the kids.  We need to pay attention, formally and informally, finding many ways to check for understanding everyday.  We should also pay attention internally; maybe have some sort of engage-o-meter.  We can feel when the students are engaged, and keep notes about what really works.  I wonder if this comes naturally after a time?

I appreciated Robin's categories on her lesson plan: Share and Summarize; Application and Extension; and Assessment that is followed by Reflection.  Working these right into my lesson plans will help me make a habit of it.

Be an Agent of Change

"Be an agent of change by teaching critical thinking" in your classrooms; a direct quote from our math teacher last week.  That is a powerful statement.  How do we teach critical thinking?  By checking for what students might already know that might help them in this problem; for application of the previous knowledge; for what predictions can they make; challenging them to engage, to connect; to become problem solvers, detectives? 

How do we wake up their minds? It has to be safe. It has to be relevant, interesting, or funny.  Once we get them to connect with the work, we have to help them develop analytical thinking habits - some basic questions they can ask themselves (and each other) to check what they already know and see how what they learned fits or shifts the prior knowledge.

I think maybe I don't like the term "critical" thinking because of negative associations I have with the word critical.  For me it connotes judgement and more of a closed mindset.  I want to cultivate open, distinguishing thinking in my students.  Distinguished thinking.  I like the sound of it!

iTouch for my Classroom

Reflecting on educational uses for the iTouch in my classroom, the first thing that comes to mind are my students who struggle to keep up with the rest of the class and appear to be embarrassed to participate because of it.  There are 5 computers in the class already that have assigned times for each student, allotting an equal share of opportunity for each.  The problem is that some students could benefit much more significantly than others, and that being on the computer in the front of the classroom becomes a distraction for other students during work time.  That is where the specific value of the iTouch comes in.  It is small enough to be used at student's desks with a small screen that cannot draw other students' attention away from the task at hand.

The first student that I think might benefit from using one is by far the squirrelliest in my third-grade class and the one that refuses to read in front of others, although he can clearly read to himself and find answers to questions asked of him, and hates writing. It is as if he hates the physical act of writing.  Given the opportunity I would start him with StoryKit so that he could write a few stories with pictures.  Ideally he would have an iTouch with photo taking abilities, so he could take and use photos from his school life.  I think this might get his creative juices flowing enough to overcome his shortest-stories-ever syndrome.  My daughter appreciated being able to draw her own pictures with this one as well.

Next I would make good use of math games at Math Drills Lite for my student with LD that struggles with working memory.  He really needs to practice, practice, practice, and this app is very customizable with useful tips to help the students learn more about the operation that they are working with at the time.  This would be an easy, discreet and fun way for him to get his practice. Another good math app for multiplication is Timesby.

Last, I would have a slew of easy to access brain, math and word games available for all students to play with when other work is finished or they need a brain break.  So far I like Word Spy, Word Warp, Shakespell, Hangman, 3D Words, Bright Puzzles, Brain Blaze and Finger Physics.  Mostly I want to expose the students to many ways to play with our knowledge making our brains much more interesting, entertaining and playful places in which to live.  What I like about having these games at the ready is that each student can find their interest and level and still be learning. Learning should be fun after all!