In February,
I had the opportunity to attend a math conference led by Wendy Ward Hoffer and
focused around her book titled Minds on
Mathematics Using Math Workshop to Develop Deep Understanding. I was fortunate to go with a team from the
district, many of whom I recognized, but hardly knew. My skepticism was turned up high and my
willingness to try something new unfortunately was lower than I would like to
admit as I boarded the plane. It was a
mixture of excitement and anxiousness that we feel before attending
professional development training. The
fear that you’ve just left your classroom and family for multiple days and the
hope that what you learn at the conference will make it worth it.
Within the
first thirty minutes of the conference all anxiousness was quickly washed away
by pure excitement, and it wasn’t just because of the killer cowboy boots and
fabulous earthy styled hair the speaker, Wendy Ward Hoffer, was rocking. It was because the words she spoke about the
learning of mathematics were so simple, so honest, and so spot on. She introduced what she has identified as the
key beliefs around the learning of mathematics, which included:
1.
Math is about
making sense.
2.
Students are
capable of brilliance.
3.
Understanding
takes time.
4.
There is more
than one way to solve a problem.
5.
All students
are capable of doing the math.
The
components within a math workshop are always the same. They include teaching for understanding by
identifying thinking strategies, using the workshop model, and including lots
of student discourse. Wendy repeatedly
stressed the importance of two-thirds of the workshop time being student
focused and lead, along with the encouragement of student talk
While quickly
clarifying that math workshop is not a station rotation model, it was clearly
defined that it is a structure for lesson planning and a framework for thinking
about math instruction. The math
workshop framework consists of four essential components including a,
1.
Cognitive
hook
2.
Mini-lesson
3.
Student work
time (independently, with partners, and in groups)
4.
And a
Reflection
The cognitive
hook is used to gain the attention of your mathematicians. The hook is followed by a mini lesson which
begins to frame the thinking of the day’s learning. Then comes the best part, student work
time. Work time is focused around rich
mathematical tasks. It is during this
time the teacher will intentionally insert a moment to pause the thinking of
students to catch them based on the needs observed and then release them back
to the learning. The work time should
consist of a balance of independent, partner, and group time. As always, student discourse is truly at the
heart of math workshop. Students being
allowed and encouraged to think about the problems and then talk about the
math. It is during these conversations
they gain confidence, new math knowledge, solidify their thinking, and showcase
their math thinking in a way that it could be shared, justified, and discussed
with others. The final and critical
component of the math workshop model is student reflection.
I remember
thinking the simplistic idea behind the shifting of thinking about the learning
of mathematics was genius! The
professional development received had provided a framework that would blend
beautifully within the curriculum, tools, and other resources with which the
district has already provided. I left
the conference ready to go back into my classroom and turn all of my students’
minds on to mathematics.
In honesty,
however, it took me over two weeks of dragging my feet, figuring out some of
the small details, and getting over the general fear of disrupting the flow of
our math time for me to try it. But jump
I finally did, okay the first time was more like a belly flop, but I was in the
water and it felt about as good as a belly flop does. I muddled my way through the hour. The quality and quantity of student work was
okay, and their understanding of the concept progressing, but it was their
reflections in their math notebooks that ultimately got my teaching partner and
I. Comments such as, “Math was fun
today.” “I didn’t get it right away, but
my partner showed me their way and then I got it.” The next day, we tried it again and using the
workshop model felt a little better! And
today I can tell you, that more days than not, using the math workshop model
within our math block is as exciting as jumping off of the high diving board
into the deep end of the pool.
The students’
engagement has gone up, their feelings about math have changed for the better,
their critical thinking has increased, and they started to feel like the
mathematicians they truly are. They no
longer fear failure within mathematics, but instead look at it as a stepping
stone to get to true understanding. They
finally look at all math as something they CAN DO and if they cannot quite wrap
their brain around the concept yet, they look at it as a puzzle they are going
to try to figure out.
Throughout
this learning journey, I have again been reminded of my role as a teacher. I am here to pose a challenge, make students
think for themselves, encourage them to persevere, catch them at just-in-time
moments to support their thinking/learning (this step may be repeated multiple
times dependent on the student you are working with) and celebrate them for
success and willingness to be risk-takers.
It’s truly what teaching is all about!
It became
evident very very quickly to me that this was the exact professional
development that I didn’t even know I needed, and I’m so grateful for having
had the learning experience. As you take
a plunge this summer into deeper learning, why not try the high dive? It may just be the exact refresher you are
looking for.
Twitter Tuesday Questions-
Q1:
How do you encourage student discourse within your lessons/classroom?
Q2: What are some creative ways you
have students reflect on their learning?
Q3:
What profession development are you excited to be digging into this
summer?
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