Comments on: Owning It http://mathforum.org/blogs/suzanne/2013/08/04/owning-it/ a Math Forum Blogs site Sun, 15 Sep 2013 15:14:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Suzanne Alejandre http://mathforum.org/blogs/suzanne/2013/08/04/owning-it/#comment-126685 Suzanne Alejandre Mon, 05 Aug 2013 01:22:19 +0000 http://mathforum.org/blogs/suzanne/?p=615#comment-126685 Anna, you've asked some great questions. First I must confess that while I taught middle school for many years before joining the Math Forum staff full-time, I'm currently not a full-time practitioner. While I know that I can speak from experience it just is NOT the same as if I were currently in the classroom. I am very conscious of that difference in what I do as a visitor in a classroom and what a full-time teacher might do. Your questions deserve more thought -- I'm going to review the full videotape of at least one class period when we taped in May. [We spent four days at a school (Christopher Columbus Charter School) in Philadelphia. I was able to teach at several levels -- 7th, 4th, and 3rd -- and Max, Annie, Steve, and Valerie were also guests in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classrooms! We were videotaping to seed the Companion Website for our Forthcoming book, Powerful Problem Solving: Activities for Sense-Making with the Mathematical Practices. The best part of it all is that we received signed video permission forms for all of the students!]. Once I review one of the tapes, I'll post again on my blog and I'll use your questions to frame my post. Thank you for posing such thoughtful questions! ~Suzanne Anna, you’ve asked some great questions. First I must confess that while I taught middle school for many years before joining the Math Forum staff full-time, I’m currently not a full-time practitioner. While I know that I can speak from experience it just is NOT the same as if I were currently in the classroom. I am very conscious of that difference in what I do as a visitor in a classroom and what a full-time teacher might do.

Your questions deserve more thought — I’m going to review the full videotape of at least one class period when we taped in May. [We spent four days at a school (Christopher Columbus Charter School) in Philadelphia. I was able to teach at several levels -- 7th, 4th, and 3rd -- and Max, Annie, Steve, and Valerie were also guests in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classrooms! We were videotaping to seed the Companion Website for our Forthcoming book, Powerful Problem Solving: Activities for Sense-Making with the Mathematical Practices. The best part of it all is that we received signed video permission forms for all of the students!].

Once I review one of the tapes, I’ll post again on my blog and I’ll use your questions to frame my post.

Thank you for posing such thoughtful questions! ~Suzanne

]]> By: Anna http://mathforum.org/blogs/suzanne/2013/08/04/owning-it/#comment-126683 Anna Sun, 04 Aug 2013 18:57:46 +0000 http://mathforum.org/blogs/suzanne/?p=615#comment-126683 Love this glimpse into the "I notice.... I wonder" approach to starting mathematical investigations. I also like how the whole class presentation follows pair work. What's your opinion on pair vs group work as a precursor to presenting an explanation to the class? Do you give students feedback on their explanations? Also, what are other kids in the class doing while the kids who have been selected present to the class? Just some of the issues I've struggled with in using this type of structured discussion. Love this glimpse into the “I notice…. I wonder” approach to starting mathematical investigations. I also like how the whole class presentation follows pair work. What’s your opinion on pair vs group work as a precursor to presenting an explanation to the class? Do you give students feedback on their explanations? Also, what are other kids in the class doing while the kids who have been selected present to the class? Just some of the issues I’ve struggled with in using this type of structured discussion.

]]>