Lenny VerMaas

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Lenny VerMaas

• Instructional Strategies That Work
• ESU 6 Milford NE
• 402-761-3341
• Home phone [phone]
• Email lvermaas_at_esu6.org
• Web page http//manila.esu6.org/lvermaas/

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Writing For Understanding in Mathematics

• Its the first day of school, what am I going to
  do?
• Getting to know your students better.
• Finding Math Anxiety
• Correction of a problem missed on a test.
• Why is writing so valuable?

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Some instructors feel that writing may not be
readily applicable to more rigid subjects such as
math. I am not sure I would include writing in
math, that might be more difficult.
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One of the reasons for my choice of mathematics
was my lack of skill in writing and in particular
spelling. I wrote few papers in high school and
college and paid for it when writing for my
masters comps.
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Writing in math class supports learning because
it requires students to organize, clarify, and
reflect on their ideas.
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What to do on the first day of class?

• First impressions last a long time and are
  difficult to change.
• Setting expectations is important.
• The atmosphere in the classroom should match what
  you want to achieve in your class.
• Students get a lot of rules the first day of
  school from every other teacher.

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Activities to Consider

• Acrostic
• Getting to Know Each Other Better
• Guess Who?
• Where Am I?
• Autobiography Poem
• Two truths and a lie.
• Math and Me
• Reading Words of Advice from last years class.
• Letter to parent or guardian. (contact parents by
  phone)

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Compare and ContrastVenn Diagrams
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Compare and Contrast Using A Venn Diagram
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Possible Comparisons

• Begin with an easy concept so that students can
  learn the format of the Venn diagram, use
  students in your class.
• Three branches of government
• Democrats, Republicans, Independent
• Bush, Kerry, and Nader
• Types of families (single parent, grandparent,
  traditional, extended, etc.)
• Instrument types (strings, woodwinds, percussion,
  etc.)
• Colors (primary/secondary/tertiary.
• Types of animals (reptiles, mammals, birds)
• Homes of the Three Little Pigs
• Tennis, volleyball, ping pong

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I believe that ALL students can learn mathematics
given time and opportunity.
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If you dislike math, you have never had the
right teacher.
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Mathematics is not a set of facts, rules,
formulas, and procedures that are packaged and
ready to be passively received by the student.
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Words of Advice

• Look for ways to make new ideas work, not reasons
  they wont.
• Speak positively about each other and our school
  at every opportunity.
• Treat everyones opinion as important.
• Treat mistakes as learning experiences.
• Help each other win, take pride in each others
  victories.
• Have FUN

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Students can identify events or situations in
their past which have contributed to lack of
confidence in their ability to do math.
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Math Anxiety

• Terrys Story
• Lenores Story
• My Students Stories
• Three clusters of problem areas
• Grades 3 and 4
• Grades 9 and 10
• College Freshman

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Math is the only subject about which adults can
cheerfully exclaim they know nothing, and still
be thought intelligent and even educated.

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Yet math and science also claim the highest
respect in the everyday world. We attribute much
of economic competitiveness and most medical
breakthroughs to superior knowledge and skills in
math and science.
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We also (rightly or wrongly) characterize the
study of math and science as more rigorous and
intellectually challenging than the study of
literature, social studies, or the arts.
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Part of the problem is that we regard high math
and science skills as important but elitist, not
for every student.
Marge Scherer, editor Educational Leadership, ASCD
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Every student may never meet a quadratic equation
in later life, learning the mathematics hones
critical thinking and problem solving skills.
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We must believe that every student can learn
mathematics.AND
We need to help students to learn mathematics and
to enjoy mathematics as much as we do.
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Lessons from Athletics

• Even Michael Jordan sweats when he plays
  basketball.
• Learning mathematics can be difficult.
• If it is to easy we dont learn as well.
• Learning fundamentals is more important than
  speed. (swimming)
• Winning streaks versus losing streaks.

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A Caring Classroom

• Easy access to the teacher.
• Feel free to ask questions without fear of
  humiliation.
• Responsive to students questions.
• Get to know your students.
• Realize that not everyone learns in the same way.
  What works for one may not work for another.

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Correct Solution to a Missed Problem

• Pick a good problem--reach a little, stretch,
  learn something.
• Explanation must be at least one page long.
• Use pictures and diagrams were ever possible.
• Explain in words what was done with the numbers.
• Tell and explain EVERY step of the problem.
• Bonus points for alternate steps to find
  solution.
• Looking at the rubric

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(No Transcript)
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Teach a variety of formats for note taking
(informal outline, webbing, combo)
Some visual depiction
Informal Outline of notes
Summary statements about the information, reflect
and comment on what you have learned.
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T-Charts

• Main Ideas
• Reasons President Wilson designed
• the plan for peace
• Three Immediate Effects on U.S. Allies
• Three Protocols created by the Plans

• Details/Examples
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.

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T-Charts

• Steps to find Standard Deviation
• Find the mean of the set of scores.
• Find the difference between each number and the
  mean.
• Square the difference
• Add up all of the differences
• Take the square root of the differences.

• Work/Examples
• The work for the problem will be done here.

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T-Charts

• Work to solve the problem.
• Correct the problem and solve.

• Explain in words what was done
• Explain in words what was done wrong and what
  should have been done.

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T-Charts

• Facts
• Information
• Truth
• Information
• Main Events
• What the story is about
• Looks like

• Opinions
• Inferences
• Fantasy
• Big Ideas
• Predictions
• What it reminds me of
• Sounds like

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Math Class Log Description

• Designed for students absent from class.
• Have someone each day in class be responsible for
  taking notes, keeping track of announcement,
  getting handouts, etc.
• The log keeper acts as a reporter, observer, and
  commentator for the day.
• Provides an opportunity to observe the notes
  taken by students.

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My Math Notes

• Must be a spiral notebook
• Name on the front cover
• One section for important concepts and worked out
  examples.
• Vocabulary words and definitions in another
  section.
• May be used for portion of time during test.
• 25 points per quarter.

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Why Writing in Mathematics

• Writing across the curriculum is defined as a
  tool for developing thinking.
• Writing forces students to organize ideas, find
  relationships between observations, deepen
  understanding, and think about the subjects in
  detail rather than memorizing miscellaneous
  facts.
• Students writing help me to understand where
  students are going and what they are learning.

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NCTMs Curriculum and Evaluation Standard

• The assessment of students ability to
  communicate mathematics should provide evidence
  that they can express mathematical ideas by
  speaking, writing, demonstrating and depicting
  them visually.

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Writing in math class isnt meant to produce a
product suitable for publication, but rather to
provide a way for students to reflect on their
own learning and to explore, extend, and cement
their ideas about the mathematics they study.
Marilyn Burns.
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Writing (and Reading) Must be Done Across the
Curriculum and in ALL grade levels.
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What do You See?

• Maria haves 12 coins his mom gave her 3 coins
  four her birth day? How much coins do maria have
  now!

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ClosureHead, Heart, Foot

• Something you thought differently about regarding
  similarities and differences
• Something you felt today
• Something you will do, based upon the information
  shared about similarities and differences