School Our Way

Have you spoken to your student about how different his or her school day is?  If you haven't, you may want to ask.  I've included some recent images of the "goings-on."

 

  

Everyday Math and the Exploratory Curriculum

In recent years, I have not been shy about my feelings concerning the Everyday Math program. As a mastery teacher I have not been a big fan. I did not support it during the adoption pilot last year. However, this old goat may be singing a new tune.

Permit a bit of history. I began my teaching career in 1969-1970. In my many teacher training classes as an undergraduate and in both of my masters programs, there has always been an emphasis on child developmental readiness for specific learning tasks, a prescribed way of delivering instruction (a la Madeline Hunter’s lesson line), and, during the last decade, a series of federally mandated standards that define the parameters of curriculum taught; how it’s taught, when it’s taught, and what benchmarks determine mastery. I have, in my 40 years in the classroom, watched the proverbial pendulum swing from constructivist methodologies, where students make their own meaning from curriculum, to behaviorist methodologies, where students are instructed and assessed in a rigid cycle that purports to bring curricular mastery. For most of my 40-year tenure, my teaching has been evaluated on the basis of student academic growth in terms of specified points above or below basic on nationally normed standardized tests. This evaluation protocol has, to a great degree, determined my development as a “mastery teacher.”

By “mastery teaching” I mean that I am likely to stay with a concept or skill until I am assured that every student in the class has achieved mastery. Provided me with a √ on a skill-mastery list. You, as Integrated Exploratory parents can immediately see the fall-out from mastery teaching in a district like ours. It slows down the rate of learning for some students and has lead to the extraordinary levels of differentiation that occur at both the K-3 and 4-8 schools.

Most mathematics texts follow the behaviorist methodology cycle: build background, instruct using task analysis to break the skill or concept into tiny chunks, guide student practice, provide independent practice, assess learning, then build on that learning. Frankly, this strategy certainly retains some appeal for me. It does work. But it doesn’t allow for those students who need less practice, and who enjoy digging deeper and wider into a particular concept or skill. This, I am beginning to understand, is what the Everyday Math program brings to our table.

In a second extraordinary “Ah, ha” moment of this extraordinary exploratory year, I have begun to see this recently re-adopted program as the perfect compliment to our Integrated Exploratory program. It is not mastery based, as the whole Exploratory curricular focus is not mastery based. It does not provide massed practice. Instead, it spirals around and around, revisiting concepts at increasingly higher levels, until students naturally develop crucial arithmetic understandings. It allows for student interaction with mathematics on an exploratory basis. It slowly (almost imperceptibly) builds deep conceptual foundations of mathematical understanding as it broadens student computational competence.

Unlike some currently popular imported programs, Everyday Math (EM) has a horizontal rather than a vertical structure. It relies on fundamental concept development to solve a wide variety of problems using a wide variety of strategies, rather than insisting on memorized algorithms to solve a particular type of problem. In this way, EM students become better equipped to venture solutions to unknown or unfamiliar types of problems using their broad understanding. It should be noted that once a student has mastered a particular problem solution strategy, be it traditional or one of the interesting variations discussed in the Everyday Math text, students are encouraged to use the one (or ones) they find most comfortable.

Vertically based, single-algorithm-reliant instruction can, in fact, disadvantage students. Having only a single algorithimic skill at their disposal, some students may become stymied when faced with unfamiliar types of problems because they cannot readily (or easily) apply their usual solution strategy. They may not be equipped with the broader mathematical foundation or the requisite higher level thinking strategies to do the job. Everyday Mathematics is about developing critical thinkers who are undaunted by unfamiliar situations or questions; mathematical or otherwise. And isn’t this what Exploratory is all about?

I confess. I have taken some liberties with the program. I have elected not to teach the program unit by unit as the publishers suggest. I have taken specific skill sets that relate to what we are doing, and have integrated them into our larger explorations. An example of this is our upcoming math instruction on coordinate grids. We are (and will be) using many of the skills in Unit 9 (e.g. coordinate points on a 4-quadrant grid, x and y axes, and addresses of cells to locate information) when we begin our field studies in science, and when we learn Excel to record field study data in spreadsheet format.

Although I cannot, in good conscience, say that I believe this program is the right and proper fit for every child. I believe it is a program that matches the current tenor of the Integrated Exploratory program.

More Images from BTSN

Back to School Night: Design Challenge

For those who missed our Back to School Night event on Wednesday evening, I am adding a few photos to this post. Parents were invited to use the Design Process to create the "Ultimate Backpack for a 5th Grader." Parents were prompted to think about how this strategy can impact the engagement of their students. And, judging from the intensity of the interaction, and the positive comments after the activity session, it appears that Exploratory Class parents know, understand, and accept this strategy as a viable classroom option.

More photos will follow.

Hands-on Science

On Tuesday we were treated to an in classroom science lab. Lisa Dettloff, former science teacher at Nueva School in Hillsborough, broughtScared Pepper,Rainbow Milk, and an assortment of vinegar and baking soda explosions to our class. We discussed what avariable is. We were able to choose an experiment and a variable to change. We recorded our observations in our investigations journal, and are currently constructing posters to demonstrate what we learned.

The students were thoroughly engaged and delighted with the 90 minute activity.

Here are a few photos of the experience.