Professional Development
In February, I had the opportunity to hear from a professional development speaker named Dr. Jenay Leach. She worked as the Science Coordinator at Fairfax County Public School District, which is one of the largest school districts in the country. She talked a lot about inquiry-based learning and why it is vital to incorporate it into elementary curriculum. She shared a video with us that went into greater detail on the topic. One of the best things you can do for your students is to start each lesson with a question. Have your students really think about the question and discuss it in small groups before discussing it as a whole class. Don't give the answer away! Productive struggle is encouraged. Inquiry-based learning tends to be much more engaging, as it is not just dumping out facts to your students. Students have an active role in inquiry-based learning, which is why it is so crucial to implement this strategy into STEM classes!
Jenay Sharp Leach, Ph. D.
Grove City College '04
I recently watched a TEDTalk called "The Five Principles of Extraordinary Math Teaching," by Dr. Dan Finkel.
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Start with a question
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Math tends to start with facts, rather than starting with a question. Starting with a question will add depth to your lessons and get students thinking. Thinking can only happen when you have time to struggle.
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Students need time to struggle
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Many students feel that if they cannot solve a math problem in 30 seconds, they are "terrible" at math. We need to teach children to persevere and be courageous when solving math problems.
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You are not the answer key
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Teach your students that not knowing is not failure.
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Say yes to your students' ideas
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Saying yes to students' ideas does not = saying they are right. Having your idea dismissed right away is very discouraging as a student.
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Play!
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Einstein called play the highest form of research. Let your students have FUN! Math should be creative, curious, and engaging.
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Before my Math Methods field, my co-op teacher sent me a professional development video series by Christiana Tondevold that I thought was really impactful in preparing me for the lesson. The six part video series featured:
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Fast does NOT mean fluent
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Helping kids learn math facts
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Math experiences that build fluency
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Students with math fluency
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Importance of visuals in math
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The root of math fluency
This video series really opened my eyes to some key points when teaching mathematics at a young age. Just because a student is working faster than other students does not mean they understand it any more or less. It is important to help students when learning foundational math skills. Have your students talk through the problems they are solving, and even work together on them to hear other perspectives. Visuals and manipulatives are very helpful when it comes to teaching mathematics. I saw my co-op teacher use manipulatives daily when teaching math to first-graders.