Tuesday, October 31, 2017

A student asked...{Slice of Life}


I was in the hallway with lunch buyers while they waited their turn to buy lunch.  I always try to praise them for waiting patiently and quietly because we wait right outside the music room.  I try to encourage them to eat their lunch and visit less.  While we wait small conversations happen.  

Today I was asked, "What's your favorite day of the week?"  I was speechless.  I didn't have an answer.  I know my favorite color, my favorite animal, and favorite book (for that day).  This little girl was waiting for my answer so I asked her what her favorite day was.  She told me Wednesday, very quickly and with confidence.  I wanted to ask why but her neighbor starting sharing his favorite day.  

She was waiting for my answer.  At first I said Monday.  I thought, I like fresh starts.  Then I said Friday and thought I'm tired but love the feeling I made it through the week and have time at home ahead.  Then I said Saturday.  It's a whole day with my family without feeling like I have to get ready for the week ahead.  After all those answers I didn't know if I had a favorite day of the week.  

I went about my lunch duty and the afternoon and thought the question had left me but I drove home thinking about it again.  Right now, Tuesday is my favorite day because I get to connect with friends via Slice of Life.  Do I need a favorite day?  

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for fostering this writing community.

Monday, October 30, 2017

I Know Numbers!, My Newest Math Picture Book


I Know Numbers! by Taro Gomi is my most recent math picture book purchase!  I've been talking with students for years about numbers in their lives and this book is a great addition to this line of thinking.  A variety of characters, young and old share different ways numbers are a part of their daily life.  There's a boy checking his temperature wondering if tit's high or low.  The look of worry on his face is so realistic.  I love the page with the mama weighing herself and I'm happy to share it's a happy weight for mamas.  There's an old rotary dial phone and a television with number buttons on the actual Tv base.  Clothes and shoes are being tried on, various sporting activities use numbers, and numbers show distance.  Lots of great examples to spark some thinking about the relevancy of numbers within our daily lives.  The illustrations are warm and demonstrate the how numbers of used.  Makes sure you give plenty of time for students to soak those in!                                                                                                                                                     

Monday, October 23, 2017

Top Ten Things I heard from Math Heroes while at #OCTMconnects, a Math Conference!

This past Thursday and Friday I had the privilege to attend our local state math conference.  This wasn't my first time to attend and it won't be my last.  It was so fun to see familiar faces and make new connections.  This year I attended a meeting for emerging leaders and what a fun session it was to see preservice teachers motivated and committed to their careers while inservice teachers shared passions and hopes for making the teaching of math more visible and helping each other.  Passion fosters excitement and the presenters I spent time with were passionate, positive, and became my heroes.  This list will just touch the surface from my two days, if you would like to know more about something let me know.


Top Ten Things I heard from Math Heroes while at #OCTMconnects, a Math Conference! 

10.  "Hey, you went a little more literacy this past year!"  I was shocked a math hero noticed what I was sharing and posting.  A little nudge to find balance in my sharing because I equally love literacy and math.

9. "Do we really want kids coming home and having a second shift?"  A question raised while discussing homework.

8.  If you live in Ohio, look at the new model curriculum for mathematics.  It states no timed test!  Fluency is being efficient, flexible, and accurate.  We need to look at structures to build and support fluency; fingers, flash dot cards organized and un-organzied, five grams, ten frames, twenty frames, and rekenrek.  

7.  I participated in my first Mystery Number Skype and what a fun way to use technology and think about numbers with friends from different places in our world.  Lisa Murray @lmurray has lots of experience and ideas or you can check out the hashtag #MysterySkype.

6. Zearn.org was mentioned in a few sessions and with positive teacher feedback.  I haven't had the time to explore it yet but looked back and realized this was a ten top from last year too.  Maybe it's a technology piece to explore.  

5.  I've never been to a conference where in multiple sessions one book is repeatedly mentioned.  Of course, I came home and ordered my copy of Principals in Action: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All is also in e-book format for a fraction of the paperback cost and of course, if you are a member of NCTM you get a small discount.

4.  Lots of coding learning for me.  There are four Pillars of Coding; variables, loops, conditionals, and functions.  There is current legislation to add coding courses and a teacher certification to the math departments.  

3.  While exploring coding avenues myself, the presenters said, "we want you to be comfortable with failing because that’s how you learn."  I had some fails while exploring coding and what a good feeling to have as a goal - get comfortable with failing.

2.  Not only was the book Principals in Action recommended lots there was a lot of discussion about the Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices

1.  OCTM is hosting a book group this year in a Google Community - Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You Had and twitter chats are going to be weekly for just 30 minutes on Thursdays.



Thursday, October 19, 2017

OCTM - Math Workshop Makes Connections




I'm so excited to be spending today and tomorrow at this year's Columbus Connections the 67th annual conference for Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics.  This year I'm sharing a how-to anchored in my story of mathematics and finding what makes sense for me and my students in a time of great demands.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Pam Allyn with The Literacy Connection

This past Saturday was a magical day here in Central Ohio.  The Literacy Connection brought Pam Allyn (co-author of Every Child a Super Reader) out of New York City to the Midwest to inspire and reaffirm what students need.  As I sat with colleagues from my district, I realized she wasn't only guiding us in our work with students she was filling our hearts and buckets to get back in the trenches and fight the good fight.  She urged us to stay true to our beliefs and was thrilled so many teachers had taken a Saturday to learn and grow.  While it's hard to give up a Saturday, if it's the right season for you I'd encourage you to do it.  It's more relaxing than taking a week day during the school year and builds relationships.  There's time to talk and listen.  There's time to catch up with old friends and make new.  I'm so glad I got to share this experience with so many teachers.




Ten thoughts from Pam Allyn that will guide me through the year - 


- "teaching is scientific about what works and then there’s also the love", so true we can't forget to love what we do, love the students we are with, and find moments of love.

- "we are in the world of ticket tape and it's scary but literacy gives us a safe space." 

- "have students read 20 minutes a day, independently."  

- instead of struggling readers, she recommends shifting our mindset with striving readers and reminded us reading levels have their place but students are not a reading level

- "our striving readers are our most fragmented readers, no more pulling during read aloud or independent reading"

- "we are micro-managing reading levels", she urged us over and over again, this isn't necessary.  

- "Books are just books until you put a relationship into them and they become different.", foster relationships with books

- "main thing we want to know about our kids - are they happy?"

- "let’s create a super reader community with our parents.  There's plenty parents can do around the social emotional and engagement piece.  They don't know what to do, get them involved."

- "illustrations also show 7 strengths of the Super Reader."