You are not in
isolation. Ask your own children or spouse to help you with your
homework. Practice with real “students.” Get out those manipulatives and
ask your students or even your spouse/significant other to play the student
while you practice the language and the hands on applications.
Participants take
this class for different reasons. Some are classroom teachers who want to
expand their skill set for reaching all types of learners especially those who
are challenged by learning differences, learning English as a second language,
poverty or previous poor instruction. Some of you are home educators who
want alternative methods for sculpting lessons. Some are supporting
professionals such as academic language therapists, tutors or learning center
administrators. Each of you has specific goals and ideas of what you want
to gain from this course.
The course outlines
the research supporting a multisensory, conceptual approach to teaching
mathematics. It was originally geared toward those working with students
who have challenges with language based learning disabilities, but it has come
to incorporate so much more. Students struggle for many reasons and we
need to be cognizant of all the ways learning differences may occur. I
have endeavored to address this in the manual and in the course.
In this posting I
would like to address one more difference among participants. It is the
level of math taught.
A primary or
elementary school teacher will immediately be struck by the basic level of
addressing numeracy detailed in the early videos. I have worked very hard
to enumerate creative ways to build this foundation skill. I have
extended the concept of numeracy to automatic pattern recognition in the form
of place value.
Building on that,
we apply our numeracy skills to operations and fractions and even integer operations.
Each skill builds on the previous one and links concepts and
applications. The language is often the unifying principle.
Some of the
participants in this class have an additional unique challenge. They are
dealing with older students who lack foundation skills, and yet they are tasked
with teaching upper grade level content. These might be educators in
special education, resource room teachers, educators in independent schools for
students with learning disabilities, and even ELL teachers who work with older
students who have missed crucial foundation skills and have the impact of
learning a new language.
These reasons all
present unique challenges for the educator. I will try to address these in
several blog postings this week. The blog entries will be important for
all of you because early childhood educators will need to know the importance
of using appropriate language and providing linkages for teachers who follow
them. Upper elementary, middle school and high school teachers need to
know the language and methods necessary for building skills even while they
address on grade level content.
On your final
exam, you will be asked to comment on blog postings that have specifically
resonated with you. Keep that in mind this week as you check in with the
blog. Don’t fall too far behind in reading the blog. I
sometimes have participants who wait until the last week and find it impossible
to catch up before access is closed.
I just read the article on Subitizing (Subitizing: What is it? Why Teach it?). Together with the video content on this subject, I have to say that I am enlightened. These ideas about beginning and underlying math skills are fascinating. I can see the connection between conceptual subitizing and some later skills, though I have yet to fully understand the link to other math skills. I am confident that the more I listen and read, the more I will see this link.
ReplyDeleteOne more thought: I see what you mean about textbooks not supporting conceptual subitizing. This crucial topic seems to be missing both both implicitly and explicitly. I guess as the research becomes more wide-spread we will see some changes. Your work is so important!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above comments! The video content and article on subitizing were eye opening. I currently work with an almost 3rd grade student who cannot add without counting on. I cannot wait to see her again and begin to use these ideas to support her. I am so excited to have an idea about the underlying skills to work on with my kids who are sent to me because they 'need help in math'.
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ReplyDeletethanks for this usefull article, waiting for this article like this again. teach to one
ReplyDelete