5) What new questions do you have after reading this article/chapter? What steps will you take to pursue answers to these questions?
a) Will this idea of “writing to learn” be elaborated on at the Rhode Island Writing Project? The idea of differentiating between “process writing” and “writing to learn” is something that I have never consciously done in my learning or my teaching. Of course, it makes so much sense and seems to obvious now that I have read this chapter, but I always had this one particular idea about writing, just as I had previously had this one particular idea about literacy. The idea that writing is something that should be present in all subjects is again so obvious, and I have even done this in my own classroom, but I would love to receive a huge list of ideas for using this concept in my Spanish classroom. I have given my students writing assignments in the past, like short journal entries in English with Spanish words scattered throughout. I decided to do this with my newer students because it is a way to explore new vocabulary and use it in context, even when they do not have the grammar or skills to form sentences in Spanish. I also have my students write pen pal letters and scatter Spanish words throughout as a way to introduce new words to their friends on the west coast. I also have been able to introduce more Spanish-only writing assignments as the year has progressed because they are learning more skills to help them write completely in Spanish. Sometimes I give them sentence stems, and sometimes I let them attack writing completely on their own. I really love the idea of generative sentences, found poems, and the RAFT technique. This was definitely my favorite chapter, and I would love to add more writing techniques to my repertoire. After reading, I am quite looking forward to the conference on March 8. b) After the previous chapter, I realized that I need to improve my students’ note-taking skills in Spanish. Further, what are some other effective ways to teach writing in Spanish class? I would love some more scaffolding ideas to work on teaching my students to write sentences completely in Spanish. I think it would be a good goal to have my students writing entire paragraphs in Spanish by the end of the year, and I would really like to use the RAFT technique to incorporate writing into a cultural lesson. I think a good way to solve this problem would be to see what other districts’ goals are for writing in foreign language classes and to check the standards as well. I would like to take a professional day to shadow a foreign language teacher if I have time or even just email other teachers around the state in order to look at set curricula and compare them with mine. I want a more concrete idea of what other people are doing in their classrooms, especially with regard to scope and sequence. c) This might seem like a stupid question, but what does a teacher do with entry and exit slips? I have used slips as assessments and tools for re-teaching and/or regrouping, but what does a teacher do with a sheet that summarizes what was learned? I think I would like Professor Horwitz to disclose what she does with all of our exit slips at the end of class… that might give me some insight into how to properly use them… =)
AmandaFebruary 17, 2014 at 4:02 PM In response to Corinne's comments about exit slips, I have the following thoughts: When I first started using exit slips, I was actually very overwhelmed by them! Teaching five classes a day, with up to 28 students per class, would leave me with so many slips and no rhyme or reason to them. I had no clue how to use them to be a better teacher. I knew there was valuable information within the slips. I wanted the data, but I needed an organized way of capturing it. After reading a lot about exit slips and how to use them, I now select a purpose for my slips before assigning them. I then use the slips for that purpose only. I am able to extract data without feeling overwhelmed. Obviously, the first category I use exit slips for is to check student understanding of a topic. I often assign a question that will allow me to assess if my students truly mastered the content. I then divide the pile into students who need more help versus students who are ready to move on. Sometimes I use the exit slips as a way to help student-teacher connections. I may ask a question and then write a response back to my students. This dialogue helps me ensure I am having conversations with all my kids. Many times, I will develop exit slips that I write feedback on and give students a chance to revise, and then have them place them in their portfolios. The purpose of this slip is to show their ability to revise and grow as learners. In connection with this week's reading, exit slips can be a great opportunity for students to write to learn. It gives them a chance to make sense of the lesson and to develop questions. Readwritethink.org has some great ideas and templates for exit slips.
Like Corinne and Amanda, I have also struggled with how to effectively use exits tickets in the past. I have struggled with reviewing 100+ in a night and have often been frustrated with the quality of the responses. It is my opinion that some students are bored of the open-ended exit ticket that only has a loose framework (like writing down something they want to know more about) and that often some students will just write anything down so that they can leave the classroom.
Even as an adult, I struggle to complete an open-ended exit ticket. I prefer to have a question posed, to give a response, and then perhaps to have an extra line to ask a question or to provide additional feedback that does not directly pertain to the question that was posed.
While I was observing an eighth grade teacher at Gallagher Middle School in Smithfield, I noticed that she put a spin on the traditional exit ticket, by asking students to complete “Exit Tweets.” I noticed that simply by changing the language to align with something the students are interested in (social media, specifically Twitter) that the students were fairly enthusiastic about the completing the exit ticket. Moreover, the teacher posed a specific question that related to complex concepts of the lesson taught that day. I thought this practice was effective as the tickets could be reviewed as a whole in order to inform the teacher as to which students need further practice or instruction with the concepts.
Here is an example of an attractive “Exit Tweet” board in one teacher’s fourth grade classroom: http://texasteachingfanatic.com/a-new-spin-on-exit-tickets-in-the-classroom/
I think that the main benefit of the Exit Tweet board can be summarized as follows: “This whole system is fun and all, but there is more to it. This allows me to see their responses as a group, and pick out the ones who are not comprehending the lesson. Rather than taking home numerous tiny pieces of paper (and worrying about them getting lost), I can quickly take a look at the door to see who needs extra help. That way I can pull them in small groups during our intervention time the following day.” A timesaver for the teacher and something perceived as “fun” by the students - sounds like something I’d like to try in the future!
I like how Amanda stated that she actually responds to the exit ticket. I think this helps with the students’ “buy in” because they view the exercise as more important than they otherwise might since the teacher provides feedback. I think it would be interesting to write a response back to students Exit Tweets and allow the students to review the entire board as that can be a valuable tool to deepen one’s learning.
OK -- I just checked out that link that Marissa shared about the "Tweet" board and I am in love!!!!! I absolutely agree with Amanda that the exit slips can be very overwhelming. Even the 3-2-1 slips add up to a lot of reading on a daily basis with 100 students. Incorporating a social media aspect (which the students are obsessed with!) along with a sort-of "parking lot" formative assessment seems to me to be a perfect solution!
After seeing the finished product, I can see how a teacher could simply pull off the ones that are showing that a student is confused or struggling and even, potentially, pair them up with a student who clearly "gets it!" That might be a nice way to get students working together in a different way.
After reading Chapter 8, I began to look up examples of the writing prompts offered. I like the idea of admit slips, although I have never personally used either in any of my classes. Admit slips seem like a great way for kids who were absent to be brought up to speed and catch up on what they missed through a little summary. Admit slips also can help students who were present in class make sure that they had a clear understanding of what was taught in the previous class. I feel that admit slips should be direct and ask a single question rather than summarize an entire class lesson, as this will take up too much precious time. I like how Amanda said to prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed, she looks for a specific answer to her prompting. I do not see myself ever using exit slips simply because I feel that some students will feel rushed or will rush to put down anything on paper to get credit. Admit slips seem much more effective to me. While searching for admit prompts, I came across an interesting article in which admit slips, if used daily, will “begin to develop the strategic habit of establishing a purpose for reading .” This to me, is true for any subject. rt3region7.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/file/.../Admit%20Slips.../Admit%20Slips
I have found exit tickets to be very valuable for my teaching. I use them as a quick formative assessment strategy. I understand the concern with finding the time in class to complete them and for teacher to review them. One way I have found to make them more time efficient is to use technology. I love Marissa's link about the Exit Tweet, but I would like to see it one step further and instead of making the board what if students actually tweeted their exit thoughts? I haven't used twitter and I don't think my students are on twitter yet, but I have had students post on my web page their thoughts on the days activity. I also use an online Google Survey as an exit ticket. I create a Google survey in which students can answer multiple choice questions or short answer questions. Then the results can be put into a spreadsheet which are easy to filter. A new method I have been using in class this year is called a consensogram. I will put up the learning target for the day and at the end of class students will put a check mark under one of three columns - Got it, Almost, or Help. If I was in school this week I could post a picture of my own, but since I am not here is a sample from a blog http://gingersnapstreatsforteachers.blogspot.com/2011/08/for-assessment.html This gives me a quick overview of how the whole class is feeling, so that I can plan for the next day. Also, it allows me to have the conversation with the students about what they need to do if they are in the Help or Need Practice column.
I've also used popsicle sticks with the student names on them. On the way out the door students put their stick in a green, yellow, or red cup to show their level of understanding. This strategy helps make grouping for the next day much easier.
I will often have them do the same with a written exit ticket. After they finish they place their slip in a red, yellow, or green bin to show how confident they are in their responses. This helps me to understand how the students are feeling about their own learning and whether they are properly assessing themselves.
Post it notes are also very helpful. I post a problem or question and have the students post their answers on they way out the door.When the class leaves I can quickly assess their answer and make piles for grouping the next day. I also like to post an answer and have the students write the question. The level of difficulty of their questions often shows their level of understanding of the concept. I hope these ideas are helpful!
With plans to become a middle school math teacher, I enjoyed reading about the math journaling at the beginning of Chapter 8. Before Mr. Hayden would let students solve a math problem, they had to go through a process in which students are asked to write down their thoughts on the problem, and then write the steps to go about solving it. I love this! On page 148, we learn about writing to learn in a math class. Having students ask themselves questions is something I try in resource class. Teaching students how to ask their own questions makes the student responsible for his or her questions. He has to make sure that the questions created make sense. Like Mr. Hayden in the text, I feel that modeling is key to success in any classroom. i like that Hayden explicitly tells the class what he would like them to do before they can write down their answers. This allows even the most simple math problem to be answered in a complex and sophisticated way. By solving the problems in steps, students can demonstrate their understanding. I recently found a journal article about writing to learn in math. Bernadette Russek writes in her article, “Statisticians write coherent reports; math educators express themselves in the discipline; and pure mathematicians communicate complex, yet precise, ideas.” By teaching students the importance of writing in math class, their learning experience will be much more fulfilling in my opinion. Also, when taught to write out steps and thoughts as a process, students will be better able to explain how to solve a problem, if any other students need clarification.
I read this section with interest too Biancha! It is interesting that you say that you have been trying to have your students ask their own questions. My younger daughter is in third grade and I have noticed that her math homework almost daily will have a section that includes a math word problem and after the she answers that problem she is supposed to create a similar problem. Once she creates the problem she is supposed to write out the steps to answer her own problem and then solve the problem. It definitely causes her to put more effort into it actually writing out the steps to solve it. She has to think the problem through. My older daughter is in sixth grade, and as part of her math curriculum I have noticed more writing being incorporated into both her daily work and homework. Initially she was annoyed when she would have a math problem for homework that involved writing down her actual thought process. Considering that she is only 12, she fails to understand the value in writing out step by step what she is doing. I will continue to enjoy listening to her complain about these math problems, knowing it is causing her to use different types of knowledge. Fisher and Frey say,"there is considerable evidence across disciplines that writing builds and reinforces content learning." It is very interesting to see writing being incorporated into math fairly easily.
I was very interested in Chapter 8 of Fisher and Frey because there has been a focus on increasing writing across content areas in my district. As a mathematics teacher, I have struggled with how to integrate writing. When I first started teaching, students were expected to do quite a bit of writing in mathematics. I was teaching at the fourth grade level and students completed problem solving tasks in which they would have to write step by step how they solved the problem. This process seems similar to the example at the beginning of this chapter. The difficulty I had with this type of writing was that it was very formulaic and students had to write every step in words. The amount of writing became too much and students quickly lost interest. It was a chore. The district moved away from this integration of writing in mathematics, mainly because it wasn't authentic to the content. The math content of the problem was being lost in all the words. The idea from Fisher and Frey that writing within content areas has the purpose of writing to learn versus learning to write makes sense to me. This perspective emphasizes how writing can help my students better understand the content. The purpose of writing in mathematics would not be to teach the students how to write, but rather how to use writing to gain a deeper understanding of their learning and the content. The problem solving tasks that I used to do focused on teaching students procedural writing, rather than using the writing to help them learn more about the content.
The Common Core Math Practice Standard 6 focuses on having students attend to precision when communicating about mathematics. Students are expected to use precise definitions and be accurate in their calculations. Mathematicians do not just communicate with words, but also use numbers, symbols, diagrams, and formulas. Students need to write their solutions to problems clearly and effectively. This alone can be a challenge for many students.
A program that we have been using in my Language Arts class and have begun to integrate into our other content areas is the Collins Writing program. The program consists of 5 types of writing and I have found success with the first two types in math. Type 1 writing is a brainstorm and I often use it as a pre/post assessment for each unit. For example, I asked students to tell me everything they knew about proportions at the beginning of our unit. At the end of the unit, I had them respond to the same prompt. The growth from the pre to the post was very clear. Type 2 writing shows that the writer knows something about a topic or has thought about a topic and can be used as a quick quiz. For example, I gave my students a math problem that was solved incorrectly and their assignment was to explain the error, then explain step by step how to solve it correctly. The difference from my earlier attempts to integrate writing is that I allowed my students to write in a variety of ways. Some used all words, some used a combinations of words and calculations. The point is not to use math class as a way to teach procedural writing, but instead to integrate writing into the day to day process of learning mathematics and to teach students a variety of ways to precisely communicate their ideas.
My team has been trying to use the Collins Writing program in all of our content areas, and so far it has been pretty successful. The students are familiar with the writing types and the consistency of seeing this process across all content areas makes expectations clear. Students know the expectations for each type of writing and how to apply them in each content area.
Here is a link to the Collins Writing: http://www.collinsed.com/cwp.htm
To all of you who use exit tickets, Do you use them every day in every class? How long do they take? I like the idea that Amanda said about placing them in different piles to determine which group of students need extra help. In math, I tend to look at every student as they solve problems so I think that I have a good grasp of who understands the material. I also take note of issues that come up during homework review. However, I am beginning to wonder if it would be better to give exit ticket problems for me to review later. For science, I would need to figure out how to pick just one quick question to show understanding. Thanks everyone for the links.
To Linda and all of the exit ticket comments... In my class and my school, part of our lesson plans each day for every teacher are supposed to include some sort of Exit Ticket. I love a lot of the different techniques that Abby talked about in her post, and wish that my students left the room so that it could be a true "exit" slip. The exit slips that I use most often in my math class are less open ended and usually involve answering math questions in different forms. As many of you spoke to the difficult and time consuming task of grading the exit tickets, we have found that asking partners to grade exit tickets is an efficient way to just see if the problems are right or wrong. Later, we can go through and add comments, looking at the patterns of mistakes that they may be making and going beyond just right or wrong. As well, we ask students to make a comment on the back - a numerical value that says where they are and then a writing piece to explain it, or a short summary of the most important points of the lesson. This lets us know which students struggle on their own versus with a partner. These exit slips are also a big part of the students grades, a daily check in to see how they are doing instead of just large assignments. With standards based grading we can add multiple standards onto one exit ticket and keep track of their progress on each kind of question. We use a power law to have more recent assignments count more. Our exit slips are always graded out of 5 points, but have different numbers of questions. We don't always count all of the questions towards their grades, but make sure to give feedback.
I really enjoyed this chapter on writing across all of the contents. Typically, the math department is left out of ELA led PD's on reading, writing, and literacy in the classroom, although as Abby pointed out, explaining their thinking is something that students need to be able to do with the Common Core. As often as possible, we ask the students to write out explanations for their work, or write out their thinking before they attempt a problem. The issue that we have been running into is that some of our more advanced students do not see the point in writing out their thinking, and want to just answer the question. In response to that, I really like the RAFT ideas that the text talked about. I had seen them before, but am newly interested in them because of the push to have the scholars use more of the content language. Another important thing about writing is that it helps English Language Learners. As the book states, "writing helps ELLs understand and develop their metacognitive skills". It is well known that students struggle with word problems, and that is compounded when students are struggling to learn the English language. The importance of vocabulary instruction has already been discussed in this book. Writing about the problem also reduces the reliance on key words, and makes students understand the problem, like this site explores http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/13281/.
I am starting a new unit this week after our Trimester Exams, and I can't wait to incorporate more writing into my classes as daily additions, and larger projects to help my students develop a deeper understanding of the concepts.
5) What new questions do you have after reading this article/chapter? What steps will you take to pursue answers to these questions?
ReplyDeletea) Will this idea of “writing to learn” be elaborated on at the Rhode Island Writing Project? The idea of differentiating between “process writing” and “writing to learn” is something that I have never consciously done in my learning or my teaching. Of course, it makes so much sense and seems to obvious now that I have read this chapter, but I always had this one particular idea about writing, just as I had previously had this one particular idea about literacy. The idea that writing is something that should be present in all subjects is again so obvious, and I have even done this in my own classroom, but I would love to receive a huge list of ideas for using this concept in my Spanish classroom. I have given my students writing assignments in the past, like short journal entries in English with Spanish words scattered throughout. I decided to do this with my newer students because it is a way to explore new vocabulary and use it in context, even when they do not have the grammar or skills to form sentences in Spanish. I also have my students write pen pal letters and scatter Spanish words throughout as a way to introduce new words to their friends on the west coast. I also have been able to introduce more Spanish-only writing assignments as the year has progressed because they are learning more skills to help them write completely in Spanish. Sometimes I give them sentence stems, and sometimes I let them attack writing completely on their own. I really love the idea of generative sentences, found poems, and the RAFT technique. This was definitely my favorite chapter, and I would love to add more writing techniques to my repertoire. After reading, I am quite looking forward to the conference on March 8.
b) After the previous chapter, I realized that I need to improve my students’ note-taking skills in Spanish. Further, what are some other effective ways to teach writing in Spanish class? I would love some more scaffolding ideas to work on teaching my students to write sentences completely in Spanish. I think it would be a good goal to have my students writing entire paragraphs in Spanish by the end of the year, and I would really like to use the RAFT technique to incorporate writing into a cultural lesson. I think a good way to solve this problem would be to see what other districts’ goals are for writing in foreign language classes and to check the standards as well. I would like to take a professional day to shadow a foreign language teacher if I have time or even just email other teachers around the state in order to look at set curricula and compare them with mine. I want a more concrete idea of what other people are doing in their classrooms, especially with regard to scope and sequence.
c) This might seem like a stupid question, but what does a teacher do with entry and exit slips? I have used slips as assessments and tools for re-teaching and/or regrouping, but what does a teacher do with a sheet that summarizes what was learned? I think I would like Professor Horwitz to disclose what she does with all of our exit slips at the end of class… that might give me some insight into how to properly use them… =)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAmandaFebruary 17, 2014 at 4:02 PM
ReplyDeleteIn response to Corinne's comments about exit slips, I have the following thoughts:
When I first started using exit slips, I was actually very overwhelmed by them! Teaching five classes a day, with up to 28 students per class, would leave me with so many slips and no rhyme or reason to them. I had no clue how to use them to be a better teacher. I knew there was valuable information within the slips. I wanted the data, but I needed an organized way of capturing it. After reading a lot about exit slips and how to use them, I now select a purpose for my slips before assigning them. I then use the slips for that purpose only. I am able to extract data without feeling overwhelmed.
Obviously, the first category I use exit slips for is to check student understanding of a topic. I often assign a question that will allow me to assess if my students truly mastered the content. I then divide the pile into students who need more help versus students who are ready to move on.
Sometimes I use the exit slips as a way to help student-teacher connections. I may ask a question and then write a response back to my students. This dialogue helps me ensure I am having conversations with all my kids.
Many times, I will develop exit slips that I write feedback on and give students a chance to revise, and then have them place them in their portfolios. The purpose of this slip is to show their ability to revise and grow as learners.
In connection with this week's reading, exit slips can be a great opportunity for students to write to learn. It gives them a chance to make sense of the lesson and to develop questions.
Readwritethink.org has some great ideas and templates for exit slips.
Like Corinne and Amanda, I have also struggled with how to effectively use exits tickets in the past. I have struggled with reviewing 100+ in a night and have often been frustrated with the quality of the responses. It is my opinion that some students are bored of the open-ended exit ticket that only has a loose framework (like writing down something they want to know more about) and that often some students will just write anything down so that they can leave the classroom.
DeleteEven as an adult, I struggle to complete an open-ended exit ticket. I prefer to have a question posed, to give a response, and then perhaps to have an extra line to ask a question or to provide additional feedback that does not directly pertain to the question that was posed.
While I was observing an eighth grade teacher at Gallagher Middle School in Smithfield, I noticed that she put a spin on the traditional exit ticket, by asking students to complete “Exit Tweets.” I noticed that simply by changing the language to align with something the students are interested in (social media, specifically Twitter) that the students were fairly enthusiastic about the completing the exit ticket. Moreover, the teacher posed a specific question that related to complex concepts of the lesson taught that day. I thought this practice was effective as the tickets could be reviewed as a whole in order to inform the teacher as to which students need further practice or instruction with the concepts.
Here is an example of an attractive “Exit Tweet” board in one teacher’s fourth grade classroom: http://texasteachingfanatic.com/a-new-spin-on-exit-tickets-in-the-classroom/
I think that the main benefit of the Exit Tweet board can be summarized as follows: “This whole system is fun and all, but there is more to it. This allows me to see their responses as a group, and pick out the ones who are not comprehending the lesson. Rather than taking home numerous tiny pieces of paper (and worrying about them getting lost), I can quickly take a look at the door to see who needs extra help. That way I can pull them in small groups during our intervention time the following day.” A timesaver for the teacher and something perceived as “fun” by the students - sounds like something I’d like to try in the future!
I like how Amanda stated that she actually responds to the exit ticket. I think this helps with the students’ “buy in” because they view the exercise as more important than they otherwise might since the teacher provides feedback. I think it would be interesting to write a response back to students Exit Tweets and allow the students to review the entire board as that can be a valuable tool to deepen one’s learning.
OK -- I just checked out that link that Marissa shared about the "Tweet" board and I am in love!!!!! I absolutely agree with Amanda that the exit slips can be very overwhelming. Even the 3-2-1 slips add up to a lot of reading on a daily basis with 100 students. Incorporating a social media aspect (which the students are obsessed with!) along with a sort-of "parking lot" formative assessment seems to me to be a perfect solution!
DeleteAfter seeing the finished product, I can see how a teacher could simply pull off the ones that are showing that a student is confused or struggling and even, potentially, pair them up with a student who clearly "gets it!" That might be a nice way to get students working together in a different way.
After reading Chapter 8, I began to look up examples of the writing prompts offered. I like the idea of admit slips, although I have never personally used either in any of my classes. Admit slips seem like a great way for kids who were absent to be brought up to speed and catch up on what they missed through a little summary. Admit slips also can help students who were present in class make sure that they had a clear understanding of what was taught in the previous class. I feel that admit slips should be direct and ask a single question rather than summarize an entire class lesson, as this will take up too much precious time. I like how Amanda said to prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed, she looks for a specific answer to her prompting.
DeleteI do not see myself ever using exit slips simply because I feel that some students will feel rushed or will rush to put down anything on paper to get credit. Admit slips seem much more effective to me. While searching for admit prompts, I came across an interesting article in which admit slips, if used daily, will “begin to develop the strategic habit of establishing a purpose for reading .” This to me, is true for any subject.
rt3region7.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/file/.../Admit%20Slips.../Admit%20Slips
I have found exit tickets to be very valuable for my teaching. I use them as a quick formative assessment strategy. I understand the concern with finding the time in class to complete them and for teacher to review them. One way I have found to make them more time efficient is to use technology. I love Marissa's link about the Exit Tweet, but I would like to see it one step further and instead of making the board what if students actually tweeted their exit thoughts? I haven't used twitter and I don't think my students are on twitter yet, but I have had students post on my web page their thoughts on the days activity. I also use an online Google Survey as an exit ticket. I create a Google survey in which students can answer multiple choice questions or short answer questions. Then the results can be put into a spreadsheet which are easy to filter.
DeleteA new method I have been using in class this year is called a consensogram. I will put up the learning target for the day and at the end of class students will put a check mark under one of three columns - Got it, Almost, or Help. If I was in school this week I could post a picture of my own, but since I am not here is a sample from a blog http://gingersnapstreatsforteachers.blogspot.com/2011/08/for-assessment.html
This gives me a quick overview of how the whole class is feeling, so that I can plan for the next day. Also, it allows me to have the conversation with the students about what they need to do if they are in the Help or Need Practice column.
I've also used popsicle sticks with the student names on them. On the way out the door students put their stick in a green, yellow, or red cup to show their level of understanding. This strategy helps make grouping for the next day much easier.
I will often have them do the same with a written exit ticket. After they finish they place their slip in a red, yellow, or green bin to show how confident they are in their responses. This helps me to understand how the students are feeling about their own learning and whether they are properly assessing themselves.
Post it notes are also very helpful. I post a problem or question and have the students post their answers on they way out the door.When the class leaves I can quickly assess their answer and make piles for grouping the next day. I also like to post an answer and have the students write the question. The level of difficulty of their questions often shows their level of understanding of the concept.
I hope these ideas are helpful!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWith plans to become a middle school math teacher, I enjoyed reading about the math journaling at the beginning of Chapter 8. Before Mr. Hayden would let students solve a math problem, they had to go through a process in which students are asked to write down their thoughts on the problem, and then write the steps to go about solving it. I love this! On page 148, we learn about writing to learn in a math class. Having students ask themselves questions is something I try in resource class. Teaching students how to ask their own questions makes the student responsible for his or her questions. He has to make sure that the questions created make sense. Like Mr. Hayden in the text, I feel that modeling is key to success in any classroom. i like that Hayden explicitly tells the class what he would like them to do before they can write down their answers. This allows even the most simple math problem to be answered in a complex and sophisticated way. By solving the problems in steps, students can demonstrate their understanding.
ReplyDeleteI recently found a journal article about writing to learn in math. Bernadette Russek writes in her article, “Statisticians write coherent reports; math educators express themselves in the discipline; and pure mathematicians communicate complex, yet precise, ideas.” By teaching students the importance of writing in math class, their learning experience will be much more fulfilling in my opinion. Also, when taught to write out steps and thoughts as a process, students will be better able to explain how to solve a problem, if any other students need clarification.
http://wac.colostate.edu/journal/vol9/russek.pdf
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DeleteI read this section with interest too Biancha! It is interesting that you say that you have been trying to have your students ask their own questions. My younger daughter is in third grade and I have noticed that her math homework almost daily will have a section that includes a math word problem and after the she answers that problem she is supposed to create a similar problem. Once she creates the problem she is supposed to write out the steps to answer her own problem and then solve the problem. It definitely causes her to put more effort into it actually writing out the steps to solve it. She has to think the problem through. My older daughter is in sixth grade, and as part of her math curriculum I have noticed more writing being incorporated into both her daily work and homework. Initially she was annoyed when she would have a math problem for homework that involved writing down her actual thought process. Considering that she is only 12, she fails to understand the value in writing out step by step what she is doing. I will continue to enjoy listening to her complain about these math problems, knowing it is causing her to use different types of knowledge. Fisher and Frey say,"there is considerable evidence across disciplines that writing builds and reinforces content learning." It is very interesting to see writing being incorporated into math fairly easily.
DeleteI was very interested in Chapter 8 of Fisher and Frey because there has been a focus on increasing writing across content areas in my district. As a mathematics teacher, I have struggled with how to integrate writing. When I first started teaching, students were expected to do quite a bit of writing in mathematics. I was teaching at the fourth grade level and students completed problem solving tasks in which they would have to write step by step how they solved the problem. This process seems similar to the example at the beginning of this chapter. The difficulty I had with this type of writing was that it was very formulaic and students had to write every step in words. The amount of writing became too much and students quickly lost interest. It was a chore. The district moved away from this integration of writing in mathematics, mainly because it wasn't authentic to the content. The math content of the problem was being lost in all the words. The idea from Fisher and Frey that writing within content areas has the purpose of writing to learn versus learning to write makes sense to me. This perspective emphasizes how writing can help my students better understand the content. The purpose of writing in mathematics would not be to teach the students how to write, but rather how to use writing to gain a deeper understanding of their learning and the content. The problem solving tasks that I used to do focused on teaching students procedural writing, rather than using the writing to help them learn more about the content.
ReplyDeleteThe Common Core Math Practice Standard 6 focuses on having students attend to precision when communicating about mathematics. Students are expected to use precise definitions and be accurate in their calculations. Mathematicians do not just communicate with words, but also use numbers, symbols, diagrams, and formulas. Students need to write their solutions to problems clearly and effectively. This alone can be a challenge for many students.
A program that we have been using in my Language Arts class and have begun to integrate into our other content areas is the Collins Writing program. The program consists of 5 types of writing and I have found success with the first two types in math. Type 1 writing is a brainstorm and I often use it as a pre/post assessment for each unit. For example, I asked students to tell me everything they knew about proportions at the beginning of our unit. At the end of the unit, I had them respond to the same prompt. The growth from the pre to the post was very clear. Type 2 writing shows that the writer knows something about a topic or has thought about a topic and can be used as a quick quiz. For example, I gave my students a math problem that was solved incorrectly and their assignment was to explain the error, then explain step by step how to solve it correctly. The difference from my earlier attempts to integrate writing is that I allowed my students to write in a variety of ways. Some used all words, some used a combinations of words and calculations. The point is not to use math class as a way to teach procedural writing, but instead to integrate writing into the day to day process of learning mathematics and to teach students a variety of ways to precisely communicate their ideas.
My team has been trying to use the Collins Writing program in all of our content areas, and so far it has been pretty successful. The students are familiar with the writing types and the consistency of seeing this process across all content areas makes expectations clear. Students know the expectations for each type of writing and how to apply them in each content area.
Here is a link to the Collins Writing: http://www.collinsed.com/cwp.htm
To all of you who use exit tickets,
ReplyDeleteDo you use them every day in every class? How long do they take? I like the idea that Amanda said about placing them in different piles to determine which group of students need extra help. In math, I tend to look at every student as they solve problems so I think that I have a good grasp of who understands the material. I also take note of issues that come up during homework review. However, I am beginning to wonder if it would be better to give exit ticket problems for me to review later. For science, I would need to figure out how to pick just one quick question to show understanding. Thanks everyone for the links.
To Linda and all of the exit ticket comments...
ReplyDeleteIn my class and my school, part of our lesson plans each day for every teacher are supposed to include some sort of Exit Ticket. I love a lot of the different techniques that Abby talked about in her post, and wish that my students left the room so that it could be a true "exit" slip. The exit slips that I use most often in my math class are less open ended and usually involve answering math questions in different forms. As many of you spoke to the difficult and time consuming task of grading the exit tickets, we have found that asking partners to grade exit tickets is an efficient way to just see if the problems are right or wrong. Later, we can go through and add comments, looking at the patterns of mistakes that they may be making and going beyond just right or wrong. As well, we ask students to make a comment on the back - a numerical value that says where they are and then a writing piece to explain it, or a short summary of the most important points of the lesson. This lets us know which students struggle on their own versus with a partner. These exit slips are also a big part of the students grades, a daily check in to see how they are doing instead of just large assignments. With standards based grading we can add multiple standards onto one exit ticket and keep track of their progress on each kind of question. We use a power law to have more recent assignments count more. Our exit slips are always graded out of 5 points, but have different numbers of questions. We don't always count all of the questions towards their grades, but make sure to give feedback.
I really enjoyed this chapter on writing across all of the contents. Typically, the math department is left out of ELA led PD's on reading, writing, and literacy in the classroom, although as Abby pointed out, explaining their thinking is something that students need to be able to do with the Common Core. As often as possible, we ask the students to write out explanations for their work, or write out their thinking before they attempt a problem. The issue that we have been running into is that some of our more advanced students do not see the point in writing out their thinking, and want to just answer the question. In response to that, I really like the RAFT ideas that the text talked about. I had seen them before, but am newly interested in them because of the push to have the scholars use more of the content language.
ReplyDeleteAnother important thing about writing is that it helps English Language Learners. As the book states, "writing helps ELLs understand and develop their metacognitive skills". It is well known that students struggle with word problems, and that is compounded when students are struggling to learn the English language. The importance of vocabulary instruction has already been discussed in this book. Writing about the problem also reduces the reliance on key words, and makes students understand the problem, like this site explores http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/13281/.
I am starting a new unit this week after our Trimester Exams, and I can't wait to incorporate more writing into my classes as daily additions, and larger projects to help my students develop a deeper understanding of the concepts.