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Welcome to ASDEC Multisensory Math Online. This is where you can connect with your instructor and other class participants. You may submit questions to the instructor by email and they may be answered on the blog for all participants to follow. I sincerely hope you enjoy the class.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Post# 14 The Language Makes the Difference


Many participants in the distance classes remark that they love being able to rewind and listen to the language of demonstrations again and again.  To do this effective, all you need to do, is take the briefest of notes while you watch the videos.

At the bottom of the viewer, you will see an hour and minute reading/marking.  As you watch, if you see something you might like to see again, simply note the Day and Video title and the hour and minute marking.  This way, if you think you would like to review a part of a demonstration again you can do so.  You can also pause the video as you write down the specific language you like.

Indeed, this program and course is well known especially for its use of instructional language.  The language of place value quantity tracking and the demonstration on factors and multiples in multiplication are but two.  Another demonstration we will replicate in the video conferences is the language used for regrouping from the whole to the fractional part for operations with fractions.

One of the beauties of the video class is that you can pause, record, rewind and practice.  This is one feature the on-site live class does not have. (Also, if you see a place in a video that is not quite right, out of sync or some other glitch, please note the segment and minute and share that with me.  This is a newly edited version and the editing software updated in the middle of our production.  This caused several technical issues which will need tweaking.) 

Recently I was at a school consulting and we reviewed the language of division as it relates to story problems and problem solving.  The language was key to offering the students explicit instruction in ways to draw solutions and differentiate between the two possible meanings of division.  This same language was used to illustrate meaning in division of fractions which provided meaning and context.  

The concept-focused language paired with simultaneous processing - the "read the quantities with your hands" or the "touch and say"- is one of the central tenets of this course.  It is not only the use of the manipulatives which solidifies learning.  It is the "multisensory loop" as I call it: the hear it, see it, say it, touch it - all at the same time, creating multiple memory strands in the brain.  If the language is off, the thread may not endure. 

4 comments:

  1. Being able to correctly apply the explicit language of the course makes me anxious. While viewing the video I'm taking notes when activities are modeled and writing down what is said. However, my notes seem isolated and I wonder if I will be able to access them and apply them to correct activity in lesson plan. Does anyone have any suggestion on how to keep everything organized and notes for each activity easy to access?

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    1. I agree, it can be intimidating to get the language "right". I went back through my notes and found the holes so I could rewatch some parts of videos in a targeted fashion. I may try to rewrite some of the most important phrases (especially for fractions) directly on the binder dividers for that section. And then practice, practice, practice!

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  2. It has been really interesting to begin to put focus and emphasis on language used. As you point out, if used correctly then, not only does it facilitate learning, but it is an inherent part of the learning and not at all separate. I am beginning to see the necessity of carefully choosing terminology used during instruction.

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  3. I know! It is a lot of pressure to make sure my language is repeatable and retrievable. This explicit language is SO important for the student's understanding. I love ending my lesson with one of these phrases, such as "What does the exponent tell you? How many times to multiply the base."

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