Tag: teaching with data

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“When I feel stuck in math, I can ____” (Lesson Sketch)

April 2020 Update. Distance learning versions now available: Stuck Strategies: Data and Reflection and Stuck Strategies: Complete Bundle

I am starting a new class, with a new group of students soon. I’m excited. And nervous. And all the conflicting things that change makes me feel.

There are many things to figure out in any new teaching situation. But this is also when I am most-glad for old-favorite classics. My new class and I are starting with an old favorite lesson  about productive struggle in math class.

I particularly like this one to start with a new group.

It’s powerful to start by saying “Yep, we all feel stuck sometimes. “

It’s even more powerful to start the year by saying “But ‘stuck’ isn’t the end of the story”

Feeling Stuck in Math Class? Reread the question Look at a previous question Re-read the directions draw a picture or diagram check your work think about it differently check your notes check the book work with a peer ask for help ... Keep trying!

Originally published Feb. 2018, updated spring 2020

These hint cards floated across my teacher-media radar. And I was intrigued.

I see too many students hit a roadblock and stare at it helplessly, unsure of how to get around it, and that’s the end of that study session/class/learning until someone comes around to get them unstuck.

I liked the idea of a resource that they could access when they hit those roadblocks, that wasn’t just waiting for me.

I work hard to convince my students that it’s great to ask questions, so I wanted to be sure I didn’t discourage that, just to broaden the options to include resources and strategies that they have or can implement themselves.

(Because self-directed learning, but also, homework.)

((And ultimately, for my students, a high stakes test when I’m not around to help.))

Also, I didn’t want to make a different set of cards for each lesson.

(Because in the reality of my prep time, I couldn’t be sure they’d actually happen every week, and I needed something reliable if students were going to use it.)

So, the idea rattled around in my head for weeks until it was ready to come out.

What emerged: have a discussion about strategies, and combine it with a math lesson so students don’t revolt about losing math time.  (Because, #reasonstoloveadultlearners, they would be upset to miss out of math time)

So, after the introductions and the homework policies and the other start of the term business, we brainstorm responses to the stem “When I feel stuck in math, I can ____”.

Some of my students were far better than others at this, and one class ran out of ideas after ‘keep trying’ and ‘ask for help’.  This says much about the struggles of that particular group of students.

But it also says, come prepared, teacher, with some ideas of your own.

Once we had a list, we collected data about my students’ current habits. (I had my students come to the board and make tally marks, you could use a printable ballot, hands, four corners etc.)

Then we analyzed our results. One class made bar graphs, one wrote statements with ratios. Since that first time, I’ve done percents and a few other math skills.

And, now their strategies (and the bar graphs) are on the wall, right next to my white board. A reminder – I hope! – for the rest of the trimester.

A full version of my lesson is  available on Teachers Pay Teachers

The lesson plan includes the plan (with standards and procedures), extension ideas, multiple data collection variations, and student handouts for fractions, ratios, percents, and bar graphs.

Free! I’ve also shared our answers as a printable handout that could be added to a binder/notebook

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Back. Also, Lesson Sketch: Learning Strategies

So, that happened.

If, we define ‘that’ to mean life, a slight case of overwhelm, and an unplanned 5 month break.

 

But, it’s summer. I’ve been to the ocean, I’m off from teaching, and I now have the bandwidth to come back to this.

And, with my newly cleared head, I’m thinking about one of my favorite lessons.

 

Lesson Sketch: Learning Strategies

Why: 

I preach and plead for my adult students to study outside of class (see , por ejemplo: homework, more homework and planning for homework)

But —  I know the research: most students don’t use particularly efficient strategies to study. I think this doubly applies to my adults who didn’t have great success in the school the first time. And, they have even less time to waste on inefficient studying, this time around.

So, I’ve added preaching and pleading to study effectively. 

Also, this is one of a set of first class of the term exercises I use to ease people into doing math and being a student again. (Other examples: Stuck Strategies, Retrieval Practice)

 

What: Introducing research-backed strategies for effective learning + simple data and analysis.

The Learning Scientists have summarized lots of cognitive research to highlight 6 strategies. I rarely have enough students or time that it makes sense to do all 6, but they’re there if you do. For my class, I generally prioritize: Spaced Practice,  Interleaving, Retrieval Practice and Elaboration. 

 

How: 

I introduce the topic. I might talk about how scientists do experiments to see what works (I might add that if I had known you could do experiments about learning, not just chemistry or physics, I might have liked science better in high school)  I might talk about making the best use of our time, or about shaking things up/experimenting with new techniques, I might remind them how frustrating it is to forget what they’ve learned.

 

Then, I split the class into groups, and assign each group a strategy. One time I gave out these posters, more recently it’s been the bookmarks, because less is more. If tech wasn’t a headache, I’d try the videos. The group is in charge of working together until everyone understands the strategy.  (This can take some coaching) Then we jigsaw, and they teach it to their peers. (More coaching)

 

Once everyone understands the strategies, we take a poll:

Do you already do this?

Will you try it this term?

 

Then I have students analyze the data for the strategy they started with. Depending on the class and the time of year, they might find the percent, ratio and/or fraction of the class who gave each answer.  If I have more time, we might make graphs of the results. In a way less time pressured world, we might make a bulletin board display with the strategies and our data and study tips for other students at school.

 

Results:

Spaced practice is a hit. (at least in theory) Whether it happens or not, in the day to day of busy lives, they get this idea. In the great division between tortoises and hares, many of my students are tortoises. Slow and steady sounds good.

Interleaving, on the other hand,  is a hard sell. It just sounds so much harder and more confusing, and math is hard and confusing enough, thankyouverymuch.  (Although I make them do interleaved practice every week and they tell me it helps, so maybe someday…)

 

Next Steps:

Truth… this is the first class of the term and by the second we’re off and running, and it’s hard to get back to this. But, yeah, one-off’s are not all that helpful.

So, I’m currently pondering ways to fit a follow up in.  I’d love to collect a post- round of data later in the term to see if anyone is actually rying them out.

 

 

Free Resource: I fancied up my tally sheets a bit (ahem, data collection tools) and I’m making them available for free in my TPT Store

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Lesson Sketch: Proportions Project

Lesson Sketch:  Not a lesson plan, but a sketch, an idea, adaptable to your context and content

 

Theory: If you’re going to do math you need numbers. And they might as well be about something. And that something might as well be how learning happens.

DSC_1495

Practice: Tonight’s lesson on ratios and proportions.

  1. Conduct teeny (anonymous, paper) survey about big learning topics.

For my class,  three yes/no/maybe questions: learning preferences (aka, learning style*), do you know yours?; math anxiety, do you have it?; studying independently, do you do it?

(Here’s a version, if you’d like to borrow it) 

2. Three questions, become 3 student groups. Groups convert data to ratios, then ratios to proportions as they estimate the number of students in the school who do or don’t have math anxiety, study independently etc. Statistics become posters as they present their findings. (Or not, if like me, you run out of time for posters)

 

Expansion possibilities:

-Offer resources on learning preferences/styles, anxiety etc. when students complete math project.

-More statistics! Sample vs. population, survey methods etc.

 

Easily adapted to: Making bar/pie graphs, percents, simple statistics.

 

 

*Yes, I know the research that learning styles aren’t a thing. But for students who’ve always experienced school as a disempowering struggle, thinking about their preferences and the different ways one might learn is still a useful conversation.