#ede339

[adaraede339]

7x7:

Even though it is kind of pretty obvious that 4x7 is going to be twice as much as 2x14, for some reason I didn't really make the connection until I saw this video. I also thought it was interesting how the students divided up problems with small numbers such as when a student divided 3x7 into 2x7 and 1x7, even though 3x7 isn't really a complex problem---although maybe it is to a third grader.

I also thought it was interesting that with 7x7, a problem that many of us probably think of as 'well, you just square it and you have the answer', the students divided up the problem into 3x7 and 4x7---I never thought about breaking it down.

I wonder if the class knows about squaring, and if the way that they solved this problem will affect how they think about squares.

Doubling and Halving:

Something that I noticed was when one of the students pointed out that the rows and columns were in a different order than everyone else, so it wasn't the same size. The teacher explained that they could easily look at it sideways or turn their head to the side and that it was the right size, regardless of which direction it was in. I think that the student hasn't fully developed a sense of conservation, so he saw the box a little differently than someone who has a fully developed sense of conservation

Even though many of the videos we have watched show doubling and halving and we have talked about it here and in M118, I wonder if students actually like using doubling and halvling.

[adaraede339]

Video 3.1 Response

This number talk is in a third grade classroom, and the problem addressed in it is 38+37.

I really liked how while the students were thinking about answers, the teacher reminded them to let others think and not raise their hands until she asked to (implying that she didn't want people to be distracted by other people having their hands up)---which is definitely one of my favorite aspects of a number talk. When she said this, she initially said don't raise your hands until I tell you to, but then she quickly said until I ask you to, reminding herself and the students that she is asking them, not telling them. This shows me that she really believes in being an asking teacher, not a telling one, which we learned in class is a better way to teach and for students to understand and retain the information, because they have to figure it out themselves instead of simply regurgitating something the teacher already said or showed.

In math while we were growing up, many of us didn't really realize the real value of the tens place--- if a problem was 44+53, we would add the 4 and the 5 without really thinking about the fact that the 4 was really 40 and the 5 was really 50. When one of the students started saying he was going to add 1 and 6, the teacher asked him if he was really adding 6 and 1, which helped the student reinforce and remember the concept of place value.

[adaraede339]

Video 5.6 Response

This number talk was about 1000-674

I liked the strategy that one of the boys used: if you add 400 to 674, you'd be over 1000, so an answer above 400 wouldn't be possible. (to determine that 426 wouldn't be a feasible answer). 

I noticed that the students had a lot of different strategies, and the teacher wrote all of them, and asked who else had used each of those strategies. I also thought the look of horror on the face of one of the girls sitting in the front when Jackson originally said 324 was hilarious. The way that all the students started ooh-ing when he said 324 and they all wanted to correct him/ give the correct answer was interesting. I remember being in math class growing up, and one person would give an answer, and no one else would really give another answer, even if it was wrong. My teachers also never asked us to explain HOW we got our answer, so that is one part of number talks that I really like.

I liked how, like in most of the other number talks we've watched, the students were able to have a conversation with each other, not just with the teacher, but I did think that in this particular number talk, they were having their conversation more through the teacher rather than them talking to each other.

I liked how patient the teacher was when one of the boys was taking a while to articulate what he was trying to say, and didn't cut him off even though he was stuttering a bit. She could have (and the teachers I had growing up would have) just told him to "spit it out" or called on someone else instead, but she waited for him to give his answer in his own time.

[aearwaker-blog-blog]

5.6 Video Response

    During the number talk, the teacher did a really good job asking and not telling. In this video, when one student got the wrong answer the teacher did not disregard his answer but allowed the students work it out by themselves. The teacher could have just told the student who got 426 that he was wrong and told the class what he did wrong. Instead she asked the students what they thought he did wrong and why. One of the students explained by 426 could not be the correct answer. I found this a good way for the student to understand better. In the first class of EDE 339, Dr. Tapper mentioned that what the students have to say to one another is more meaningful than what the teacher has to say. This moment allowed one the students to explain his thinking, not only did this help the one student who did not get the right answer, but it also helped the student explaining understand the problem more. Being able to explain the math shows comprehension. Also, when the student was explaining, the teacher repeated that the student was saying in a more organized manner. This helped clarify what the student was trying to say for the other students.

    The white board filled with different strategies helps show that not just one way works best when it comes to solving math problems. The first strategy was taking of chunks, then there was a number line and lastly there was students counting up. In the last class, Dr. Tapper had said that addition is easier for our brains. The students who added up to 100 from 674 had a much simpler time working with the large subtraction problem. 

[aearwaker-blog-blog]

Video 3.1 Response

    I liked how the teacher had the students use their thumbs to show that they were done. This is a good way to show the students are done, while being quiet for the other students that are still figuring out the problem. I also liked how the teacher asked for multiple strategies used by the students. This shows that there isn’t just one way to do math. Students were using strategies that are in our textbook such as doubles/ near doubles.

    She broke all down the problem with the problem with the different strategies; this helps the student comprehend what they are doing instead of just using a procedure. In one of the strategies, a student added their 30’s and then the 7 and 8 then had to add the answers together. When the student said that they knew that 6 +1 was 7, the teacher quickly asked if the numbers were really 6 and 1. This gave the student a chance to correct herself and said that she knew that 60 +10 was 70. This helps reinforce place value and shows comprehension.

    When the teacher had 3 strategies on the board, she asked about the sharing strategy to make friendly numbers. This was a good way for the teacher to remind the students of another strategy that could be used. While the teacher had one student share his thinking about making both the numbers 40’s, she neglected to ask for more strategies to “share” numbers. Why did she ask a question then not go in to detail about it or not ask another student’s strategy for sharing the numbers. The problem 38+ 37 could have been 40 + 35, but this way of thinking was not put up on the board even after the teacher asked about sharing to make friendlier numbers.