Here's what I learned.... Those mental routines are meant to be pacey (make a mental note -what needs to be worked on at a later date DO NOT worry about it during the MR). All kids need to have constructive failure. Let them make the mistakes!!! Should be incorporating 2 problematized situations per week into our maths. Spend lots of time learning those teen numbers and teach the decade word names. | So what does this mean... I need to have those easy peasy, middly piddly and those sting in a tail questions ready to go. Show answer and move on, do not go off on a tangent- can do that another time! Give them space to work out problems, try not to jump in too early to rescue them. Tuesday and Thursday will be set aside for these. Construction of a word wall. More incidental chats about number names. Bigger focus on place value. | Now, what am I going to do about it..... Hmm what am I going to do about all this. Be organised and have that list of questions ready and raring to go for those mental routines. Embrace those little challenges that the students are facing with those problematized situations and build on those tricky parts they get stuck on. Develop anchor charts to display around the room. The teaching of number, number, and more number is so important with our little people. It is our job to lay that foundation and we want it to be a sturdy one!!! |
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I enjoyed the day and have more of an understanding now of what Natural Maths is. I did the counting fractions activity with my kids and I think they understood improper fractions quicker than ever before!!! We are going to do it again tomorrow and play buzz and they are all looking forward to that! Here’s what I learned:
A. I am a rescuer!!! I hate to see too many big junior primary eyes staring up at me pleading for a clue to begin somewhere!! B. Too often I get caught up in the answers during Mental Routines and that’s why sometimes those golly MR’s seem like they are taking me forever to get through!! So what’s my interpretation of this learning: A. I think as I’ve gone down in the year levels (middle to junior primary) I’ve given my students less time for them to have to “cope” on their own (and I’ve also become a mum during that time too). I think my “mummy instinct” jumps in. At home I am remembering to make sure I give my kids enough time and opportunities to learn on their own how to tackle problems (like how to butter their toast) and this is what I have to do with my students at school. B. I need to go back to my Mental Routines being a little bit ugly instead of being the rescuer–I think I am rescuing myself from feeling like I’ve failed if things get a bit too ugly instead of giving the kids an opportunity to learn themselves or through interactions with peers. Now my action plan to build on this learning is: A. I can remember being told on lots of occasions that kids need time to think. Each Tuesday and Thursday in our class we are going to provide problematized situations for the basis of our maths lessons. I think this will give the kids opportunities to build on the strategies that we learn through our mental routines, more collaborative learning and I’ll begin to see that not being a rescuer means I’m not hurting anyone either. We will be learners together. B. In our class we have made a word wall – to keep a track of the new language that we’re introducing and to keep reminding me of the language to use. I am using timers to keep MR short and I will jot notes onto a whiteboard to remind myself for a MINI-lesson and not getting fussed about making an amazing anchor chart, but a useful and student lead/owned anchor chart. A “quote” that I has played in my mind since our last session: I can educate your child for yesterday or educate your child for tomorrow. If I educate your child for yesterday, they will not get a job.
Thank you to the Jervois staff who lead the learning and sharing tonight. It was a great opportunity for you to share your Natural Maths journey which began last year for all of you in different ways. I will be at Jervois again next Monday capturing some more of the work in Natural Maths to share with the cluster and beyond via this blog.
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