It's
Monday night, and I just got home a little while ago from my nephews
championship baseball game, which they won! My kids are finally asleep and I can
sit down and write. I am going to switch my Guided Math books around. So
tonight, it's Guided Math in
Action, by Dr. Nicki Newton.
Chapter 1- Guided Math an Introduction is pretty basic. It is an
overview of what a guided math lesson in action looks like. Guided math is all
about meeting the needs of your students, and giving you the time to pull small
groups in order to achieve this.
While the teacher is meeting with their small group, the rest of
the class is working in various centers and independent work, which is also at
their level.
At the end of each chapter are reflection questions to help you
think through the chapter.
1. Currently, do all the students in your class feel that they can
learn math? I am on summer vacation, but if I think back to my most recent
class, no I feel like some of did not feel like they could learn math. It was a
struggle for them.
2. What do you do with the students that are frustrated? I would
try talking to my kids, seeing if there was an underlying problem. I would ask
them if they are honestly paying attention, are they participating in the
discussion, are they trying their best? Most of my students would have a
problem with one of those three questions, and we would address the best way to
solve that problem. If they were doing what they were supposed to be doing,
then we would sit down and figure it out.
3. Does everyone participate in mathematical discussions? The
answer to this is definitely no. And the reason why I am reading this book. I
am looking for better ways to engage my students, so that I can help them love
math, and not be frustrated by it.
4. How do you promote perseverance in your classroom? We talk
about giving up, always trying your best, what to do when you get frustrated. I
had a student that would instantly shut down every time we took a test. He
would complain that the didn't know what he was doing. We sat down and talked
about how his attitude would effect the grade he got on the test, and what he
could do to fix it. Eventually when I passed out tests and recognized the look,
I wouldn't give him his test, I would just tell him to come and get it when he
was ready. He almost always did okay once he came and got it, and usually
passed.
This chapter was a short and easy read, but didn't give a whole
lot of meat. I can't wait to delve into the upcoming chapters, and learn how I
can use this in my classroom in the fall, and make it work! See you next Monday
for Chapter 2 - Guided Math in a Numerate Environment; or tomorrow for Chapter
1 of Guided Math: A Framework for Instruction.
I hope you are having a great week!
Kari
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