Goals are important as they help us and our growth mindset. It is good practice to after a training to take one big idea back with you to help you grow as an educator!
Of course, while participants found resources and ideas to put into their classrooms, questions remained. These are some that were left on my question board at the end of the session:
How do I fit all of these ideas into my workshop along with my activities?
With everything that a teacher has to fit in during the day, I see where this can be a concern. I understand how difficult it might be to get in your lesson each day. Some of the activities/resources that I have shared with you might be good opening activities in lieu of or in addition to the mini-lesson. In addition, once you have taught the routine, the activity might be an activity that students can complete independently or with a partner.
In all, we need to be intentional as we plan our lessons to determine what pieces of our text we want to use--maybe doing all of the math journal problems won't be necessary? Maybe students can practice a few of the problems instead of the whole page, and that will leave you extra time for some of the extra resources you are getting. I might also recommend that a technology station that students use, like IXL, is not necessary every day. The rich problem solving activities and thinking routines will provide them with far more realistic practice than the rote practice of problems that some online sites might offer. Mix it up! Every day doesn't have to look the same, and building our students' conceptual understanding and problem solving skills is worth finding the time for.
If you continue to struggle finding ways to make it work, consider a coaching cycle or meeting to help you wrap your brain around all of your options.
How do I use the number rack and beaded number line whole class? How can I teach them when and how to use that tool?
The rekenrek and beaded number line are great tools for our students to use to make sense of problems. We should encourage their use at all elementary grade levels. The more that these tools are used as part of our instruction, the more likely that the students might be to use the rekenrek independently.
There are many online resources to help you better understand the use of the rekenrek and beaded number line.
Here are a few: Rekenrek Activities
The rekenrek as a visual model
Top 5 Rekenrek Activities
Beaded number line for 3rd grade
Beaded number line for 4th grade
Beaded number line for 5th grade
How do I set a growth mindset in math? I have kids that give up before even attempting a problem.
Great question! I believe that setting this tone from the beginning of the year is key. Jo Boaler's youcubed website has some great resources about this topic. If you look through her Weeks of Inspirational Math activities, growth mindset is prevalent, and it will help guide your classroom learning. She also has other resources available that focus on the growth mindset.
This topic has many resources available online with just a little searching. Certainly, praising effort over intelligence is a key change that can have a big impact!
If you look at the word cloud on the right side of the screen, you may notice that I have written about these topics in the past as well. Maybe following one of those links will give you other ideas or resources, too.
I enjoy providing PD for our district, and participant feedback is important to me. I want to be sure that I am meeting the needs of our teachers. I hope some of these resources will help!
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