I want to touch a two specific topic. For example comprehension instruction in math. How many of us read through a math story problem and feel like this:
I now know how to help students look at this and comprehend what they are reading. I will use before, during and after reading activities and strategies to help students comprehend what they read. I will also help students prepare for readings (or word problems) by activating background knowledge and setting a clear purpose for the reading.
In this class I also learned how to structure my classroom so that students can have the opportunity to communicate using oral language. I want to have think-alouds be a very common thing in my classroom. I think that they really help students in learning. Additionally if a student is thinking-aloud I, as the teacher, can see exactly what they do and don't know. So if a student says they don't understand I'm not guessing at what they don't understand, instead I can see what part they don't get from the think-aloud.
To put it simply, I learned many helpful techniques and strategies to using literacy in mathematics. I will be using these techniques and strategies in my classroom in the future. I also learned about language and the many aspects thereof. I feel like I know what literacy and language are now and I can affectively implement them into my teaching in the future.
Clarissa,
ReplyDeleteI was like you. I was wondering what I was going to learn about teaching literacy in a math class. I have had my mind opened this semester about teaching math. I can see how comprehension instruction, vocabulary instruction, oral instruction, etc. all diversify and enrich teaching mathematics. I think by using these instruction strategies our classrooms will be more interesting. I was definitely amazed at how applicable literacy was in a mathematics classroom after taking Amy's class.
I loved your word problem on here. That is exactly how I feel sometimes! I would have never thought about literacy instruction in math either, but I can see how it would really help. It could have made a big difference in some of my math classes if some of my teachers would have used these strategies.
ReplyDeleteI love memes they are the best. I remember doing think-alouds in my math classes and that always helped me. Word problems always seemed abstract and by talking them out, they made more sense. I also love the idea of using interests of students in math. Any way to make it more involving for the student in any subject I think is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteDang straight. Literacy is just as, if not more, important in mathematics as in any other subject. It's a language, in and of itself, and so it would naturally require literate students and teachers. There are so many meta-things from English classes that will be helpful to me as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome semester!
PS: That picture is epic. =D
A lot of the decisions I have made have been based on my ability to do math (or lack thereof). I struggled with math from third grade onward. I appreciate the fact that you want your students to succeed in your classroom. I hope you have a successful student teaching semester. I know that talking through a problem can help students find errors in their thinking.
ReplyDeletethink-alouds in math are so important! I think allowing your students to talk casually and comfortably about mathematics will allow them to explore the true ideas we are trying to teach.
ReplyDeleteI always say to my students: Math is not a spectator sport. You have to "get your hands dirty" so to speak. You cannot simply watch a teacher do a million examples and hope to understand.
So often I hear students say "it makes so much sense when you do the problems!" If we can help our students communicate in math language, they can get to this point of understanding on their own.
Hi Clarissa--I liked how your blog included a math joke. I think that, if you included jokes like these in your classroom, it could be one way to decrease math anxiety as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your final posting!