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Tuesday, April 5, 2016

SOL: Math Choice. A reflection.

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Link up at www.twowritingteachers.wordpress.com.  We are so grateful for this community. 


Friends, there has been much reflecting this year!  A new job, which I think I'll finally be ready to explain after I complete my first year.  

But today, I want to tell a math story.  

My co-blogger, Annie and I did some explaining about our work here.  It's been about two years that I've been considering math choice now.  

And then I started a new job.  

So choice time looks a bit different now. 

We are still working with Math Practice Standards and Stand focus by grade levels.  

We are still working through some whole group teaching points.  

Students still work through and demonstrate skills for me. 

I can confer and reteach on the spot.

And I think we are arriving at the pinnacle of choice.

So my giant analog demonstration clock is in my teacher chair.
Little Miss picks it up.  
"I want to learn how to tell time."

I look left.  
I look right.  
I get a whiteboard, some time flashcards, and pull up a seat next to Little Miss and the big clock.  

We had gone over some things in class.
But she wanted to know more.  

(A furtive whisper here):  I taught it to her.  Right there on the spot.  And she learned how to tell time without waiting for the lesson plan.  Because that is what she asked to work on during choice time that day.  

I want my students to be seeking out opportunities to learn.  
I'm thankful that I'm seeing glimpses of this.  

Joy!
Kendra

3 comments:

  1. That is what my whole school thrived on, choice! What a wonderful story, Kendra. Maybe now she will teach some of her friends.

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  2. I applaud you for meeting this student where they were. When the student is ready the teacher appears. Imagine how many times you would have had to teach that to your student if she wasn't ready for it or didn't have an interest in the topic?

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  3. I applaud you for meeting this student where they were. When the student is ready the teacher appears. Imagine how many times you would have had to teach that to your student if she wasn't ready for it or didn't have an interest in the topic?

    ReplyDelete