Active Listening

Who is?  Who isn’t?

Making it possible for all students to participate actively in class talk from time to time is much easier than making certain that all students are listening actively all of the time.  

I use a variety of techniques to ensure students participate actively.  Among them are

·       pulling name sticks out of a cup

·       alternate genders

·       the last student picks the next student.  

The problem with these techniques is that once a student has responded, they feel they don't really have to listen anymore because they've had their turn.  

To help alleviate that problem, I use two variations of the name stick idea.  

·       One variation is that I return the name stick to the cup, but I put it in with the name in the opposite direction of the other sticks so I know who has already been chosen.

·       Another variation is that I have 2 or 3 sets of name sticks in the cup. 

Even with these variations for choosing someone to give an oral response, it doesn't always guarantee that all students are always actively listening.   

 I have always used “think, pair, share” or “turn and talk” and “discuss in your group” to keep students actively engaged.  A new twist that I’ve added to this technique is after students have conferred with a partner, I ask the student to share what his partner said!  (Classroom Discussions:  Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn, p. 151, Chapin, 2009)  Needless to say, the first few times I did this the kids looked at me like I had 3 heads!  They had no response!  Not in a hundred years did they expect me to ask them what their partner had said!  I finally let them off the hook and explained.  The students seemed relieved once they understood.  After that, their attention and participation during “turn and talk” improved remarkably.  

Homework: The Results

The use of Moby Max Math was most definitely a feasible, efficient, and effective way to assign and complete homework.  It was easy for me to manage each student’s progress and assignments.  I had nothing to create or check-Moby Max Math did it all!  The kids enjoyed doing their homework online and all students did their homework!  Without going into specific data details and percentages, the results on the standardized test showed overwhelmingly positive growth for my class as a whole.  The projected learning growth claimed by the company proved true as well.  My students averaged 15 hours of practice from October to May and showed an average learning velocity of 1.3 years.

Moby Max offers many attractive features that make this product a good choice for meeting individual needs of students.  The program provides immediate feedback with explanations of incorrect responses and praise for correct responses.  I highly recommend Moby Max .

Homework?  Now I love it!

Math Homework: Love it or Hate it?

With the implementation of a new mathematics curriculum, I was uncertain how I would incorporate homework as a meaningful review and practice for my students.  So much of the new expected manner of teaching involves developing a conceptual understanding of a concept using hands-on activities and discussions with peers.  How does one create the traditional homework worksheet for that?  Not only is a traditional worksheet inappropriate, but it is time consuming to create and this method uses a lot of paper and copying, scarce commodities in the public school world.  In addition, I would have to check student work in a timely fashion in order to provide immediate constructive feedback for efficient retention as noted by Phye & Andre (Shute, 2008) and to plan for differentiated instruction.  I turned to technology to find a solution.

As I continued my search, I found Moby Max, an online program that was inexpensive enough for me to pay personally and that made claims to great gains in learning growth.  It is also research based.  I tried the program for the free trial period and knew that this was the answer for which I was searching.  I paid for my classroom level subscription and set up my class data.  Now I hoped to find answers to some burning questions:

1.  Would this program be a feasible, efficient, and effective way to assign and complete homework?

2.  Would my class show expected growth on the standardized test?

3.  Would my students realize the learning growth claimed by the company?

I predicted that using this program would prove to be efficient.  I wouldn’t have to deal with mounds of paper and manually checking work.  Would it be effective?  I predicted that the students would enjoy doing homework on the computer, thus increasing their desire to do it which in turn would increase their learning (Damonense, 2003).   I also predicted that this method would be feasible as most families this day have some type of device with internet access.  To accommodate students who did not have internet access outside of school, I provided time during the school day for them to complete their daily assignment of fifteen minutes of math homework.  

Click here to go to Moby Max

Next time:  The results!

Welcome!

Hello everyone!

I would like to introduce Primary MatheMagic, a K-2 math resource that will hopefully prove valuable for teachers and parents alike. 

I encourage you to share ideas and experiences that you have encountered in using particular strategies or materials; positive feedback and constructive criticism of ideas and materials that are shared.

In light of the adoption of the Common Core State Standards curriculum, it will be beneficial for teachers around the country to share best practices with each other.  

Families relocating should expect the same level of quality instruction for their children no matter where they are. 

I hope that you find my posts useful and inspiring.

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