So I went to this Educators Workshop a few weeks ago, and the school that put it on has a math curriculum based on Piaget called D.A.P. -Developmentally Appropriate ... something (can't remember the P). Anyways, one of the questions I had for the presenters is whether or not the students ever hit that frustration level with math that causes students to completely shut down (they said no!). I see this over and over in math with my third graders, I have about 10 students just hangin' on by a thread, barely comprehending what is going on... and I often think back to what we learned in literacy about how you want the students reading at an independent level, and receiving instruction at an "instructional" level. Well, in regards to math, these students are well beyond the instructional level, and deep into the frustrational. Why is this allowed to happen in math, but not literacy? Why do we just keep moving the train forward without addressing the fires along the way? Why do we allow huge gaps in mathematical comprehension? Won't those gaps continue to grow as they get older?
I think this needs to be addressed, but I'm not sure how, when districts approach math curriculum with a one size fits all mentality. I'd love to teach math in small groups, rather than whole class, but how could you structure this? And how do you avoid creating groups that will ultimately be labeled, advanced, dumb, dumber, and dumbest?
-Hux
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I fully agree with you. It always seems that there is a student (or more) that gets "left behind" in math - or any subject for that matter. Is there any one solution? I don't think so. But ...
ReplyDeleteI was just talking with my MT today on this and it was suggested that just as we take students aside for one-on-one reading during indep. reading times, we can do the same during math work time or even during those 5 to 10 min periods just before break (you know that time between lunch and recess that happens?). It's not much, but it's a start.
Maybe while students are working on math independently, you can take a small group like you might during guided reading - only here it would be guided math?
Just some thoughts.
How is the pilot math curriculum going in your classroom? We are loving Math Expressions - it's streamlined, focused, and I feel like it's easier to differentiate the lessons than Everyday Math. Has it made as big a difference for your kids as it has for ours?
ReplyDeleteThe new curriculum is ok. Its heavy heavy into word problems, which I think would be awesome if they weren't so scary to the students. I sometimes wonder if students grow up doing math as word problems - ie keeping them in context of things we do everyday, like dividing up cookies, or handing out items and what do we do when there isn't enough? they would have a better basis to grow. But when they learn isolated facts like 5+5 = 10, well, who cares? what does this matter to anyone?
ReplyDeleteack... anyways, i like all the word problems, but man, it is really putting our kids through their paces, huge...gaping... holes in knowledge. which led me to the above question!
-hux
I am really struggling with the math curriculum in my school too -- or rather a lack of curriculum. They don't have a complete one at all. They have the original Investigations, from 1996, and they didn't buy the whole thing then. It is so strange to me, they have a list of what want us to teach, but none of that is one their end of the year test. The things on the end of the year test aren't on the list of what they want us to teach. What do you do? Teach to the test?
ReplyDeleteWe also have some students who are lost, but my MT pairs them up alot and that seems to really help.