Math Thinking Strategies

Training AIMS to improve classrooms

This week, almost 300 teachers with Surry County Schools are completing training to learn how to make science more applicable for students as well as how to use math to help that process along.

All kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers and science and math teachers in sixth through eighth grade have gone through the Activities Integrating Math and Science training at Gentry Middle School. They have learned about different hands-on activities they can use with their classes, been given materials to take back to their classes and also received a $50 voucher for resources from the AIMS catalogue.

“We’re trying to teach them activities to get students engaged and provide them with the materials they need,” said Jennifer Scott, director of professional development and communication for the school system.

Teachers spent time with trainers completing activities in their focus area for each grade level as well as learning what questions to ask students about the activities and how to increase higher order thinking skills in their classrooms. Each grade level had a focus module that is based on their curriculum. Kindergarten teachers focused on weather and each could get a weather kit which includes a barometer, cloud charts, immersion thermometers and rectangular tubes to take back to their classrooms. First-grade teachers focused on solids, liquids and mixtures. Second grade deals with sound. With AIMS, physics starts in second grade so those teachers could get a “Primarily Physics” book.

“We’re learning different ways to teach vibration and sound. We just made guitars and talked about how you can change pitch,” said Misti Bartley, second-grade teacher at Rockford Elementary School. “She’s given us great lessons. Not having taught second grade before I am so excited we’re getting to do all this. Science is an area where I struggle with how do you show them, how do you make it visual and hands-on.”

Third-grade teachers focused on the skeletal and muscular systems of the human body, using songs to help remember the names of the bones and muscles. Fourth grade worked with electricity and magnetism. They each could get a magnet lab. Fifth grade worked mainly with force and motion and could get a simple machines Lego kit.

“There’s lots of hands-on activities. I’ve learned lots of great strategies today so far and we’ve focused on vocabulary, critical thinking skills and problem solving,” said Nicole Hazelwood, fifth-grade teacher at Dobson Elementary School. “In fifth grade, we focus on math and science. We have the science EOG (End of Grade test), so it’s really important to reach those students. She’s given us new and inventive ideas and new perspectives.

Math, Algebra & Teaching Strategies -Developing Critical Thinkers ...

Math Teaching Strategies

Algebra can be a brilliant teaching strategy that (when used properly) will help children to become analytic, systematic and deductive thinkers. It's the combination of these skills that enables teachers to create life-long learners. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) supports the wide ranging positive impact of algebraic reasoning with their position statement, "Knowing algebra opens doors and expands opportunities, instilling a broad range of mathematical ideas that are useful in many professions and careers. All students should have access to algebra and support for learning it."

What is it that everyone wants to know? Generally, everyone wants to know the answer to a question. Or they are longing to determine a missing step in a process or to link one small bit of information together with another to create the image of the “larger picture.” Imagine if we had the ability to reason through any situation and by brain power alone, determine plausible outcomes, concrete connections or definitive answers to any problem.

Wow! Imagine what high-stakes state testing results would appear like if students were armed with such reasoning skills. If you consider the nature of state tests you must understand that these assessments are less about rote skills and more about in-depth, logical reasoning coupled with prior knowledge. Not only are reasoning skills necessary for being successful, they are also fundamental for the application of previous understanding in new situations.

Understanding the tiers of learning introduced by Benjamin Bloom will help educators target critical thinking skills in their students. Because most state tests evaluate children on their ability to solve for an unknown, giving them the keys to find those unknowns is critical. The higher levels of thinking required to be successful stretch a child’s ability to make connections between information, grasp and demonstrate clear comprehension of the subject and to show knowledge by not only having the “right” answer in the end, but by also having all of the pieces of information-gathering synthesized into one final product; hence the need for Daily Algebraic Reasoning Exercises.

The Daily A.R.E is a teaching strategy teachers can use to create critical thinkers.

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