Snap Shot of Responses

Snap Shot of Responses to Questions Posed after Observations:
How might your plans be adjusted to use a variety or series of questions to challenge students
cognitively, encourage discourse and encourage them to initiate higher order questions?
For many teachers, discourse and math talk is not easy to implement in mathematics
classrooms. Few American classrooms display consistent or even occasional use of student talk.
Most classrooms consist of lecturing, asking students to recite, or posing simple questions with
known answers. Research shows that mathematical thinking of students is aided by hearing
what their peers are thinking. When students put their own thoughts into words it also pushes
them to clarify their own thinking. In addition, teachers can spot student misunderstandings
much more easily when they are revealed in discussion instead of remaining unspoken.
Although we rarely stop to think about our most common conversational prompts, they are
among our most important instructional tools. Throughout this lesson, students were
encouraged to think privately about new ideas and discoveries then move to discuss them as
small groups at their tables. During this time students questioned one anothers ideas and
asked for mathematical proofall of which are part of the Common Core Standards for
Mathematical Practice. As I work with my students and build their levels of understanding of
the Hierarchy of Talk, I hope to hear them prompting one another and responding to one
another in ways that promote higher order thinking and questioning skills.

How do you use the Common Core State Standards 6 Literary Shifts in your lessons?

It has been very natural to incorporate the six shifts that effect teaching and learning. Some
shifts, such as focus and coherence, have happened at a building and district level as Ive
worked with teachers from other grades and buildings to narrow and deepen the scope so that
our units focus on only the concepts that are prioritized in the standards while making sure that
units allow for connections in student learning within and across grades so that students can
build new understanding onto foundations built in previous years. As Ive taken a leadership
role in the 8th grade mathematics department, Ive worked alongside Geraldine Divine and
Valerie Mills and other colleagues from Oakland County to explore more in depth the functions
based approach to algebra at Algebra for All Years One and Two, as well as how to increase
student comprehension of algebra at Supporting Engagement and Mathematical Reasoning
Through Classroom Discourse. Together we have explored the components of mathematical
tasks (including the launch, explore and summarize phases), using multiple representations and
Smarter Balanced assessments.

With a focus on multiple representations and mathematical discourse, deep understanding,
application and dual intensity are easily viewable in each days teaching and learning. My
classroom has never been the traditional math classroom where students do warm ups, check
homework off an answer key, take notes, do examples and start their assignment in class in a
monotonous cycle every day. As we shift to the more rigorous Common Core Standards, I can
hardly contain my excitement for the ways in which it requires the culture in all math
classrooms to change. The CCSS have made it critical for us to re-evaluate the ways that we
engage students in mathematical thinking. We need to equip our kids with mathematical
vocabulary and rich language that will propel them into thoughtful mathematical discourse via
open-ended, inquiry-based tasks that all students fully engage in. We need to provide them
with a multitude of tools and strategies with which to do the work of mathematicians. I have
noticed and become increasingly curious about my students' excitement over mathematical
tasks as well as their deeper understanding of content related to their mathematical thinking
and dialogue. I am thrilled to take this thinking further by continuing to research and
implement more effective discussion techniques, instructional strategies and teaching
structures in algebra.

In addition, Ive used the district paragraph model to help students convey their mathematical
thinking through writing with a focus on how to convey their own theories, work and results.
The use of rich mathematical tasks has allowed students to write meaningfully in the algebra
classroom.

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Snap Shot of Responses to Questions Posed after Observations:

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