Teaching The Whole Child

With only five weeks remaining in the 2011-2012 school year, I have begun reflecting on many aspects of the past nine months with my students. The other day I was thinking about the kids who have made large academic improvements and the factors that might best explain these gains.

Since September, a couple children stand out in terms of the magnitude of their academic progress. Both come from supportive families who value education, yet both kids started the year working below grade level in at least one subject area. Now they perform at grade level in all areas and often act as important class leaders.

Teaching Tip of the Week

Introduction

Two weeks ago I shared that my colleagues and I have spent the past few years learning about the Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics. A huge emphasis of this philosophy is the need for students to understand math concepts on a deep level and use strategies that make sense to them. Encouraging students to use a wide variety of strategies to solve problems is a practice that stands in stark contrast to the traditional way that most of us were taught. When I was a student, I learned a series of algorithms that I was expected to follow, step-by-step, whenever I needed to add, subtract, multiply, or divide large numbers.

Last night I walked into a Chipotle restaurant to order a chicken burrito with lettuce, onions, and cheese. I wasn’t hungry enough to eat my customary two burritos (I work out a lot), but a single burrito just wasn’t going to get the job done. So, I ordered a double portion of chicken and was told it would be about $2.00 extra. No problem, I responded. After the final member of the assembly team completed and wrapped the burrito, he wrote a “C” (for “chicken”) on the tin foil so the cashier would know what I had ordered.

A couple days ago my students, working in pairs, were using zomes to create three-dimensional representations of buildings and facilities that they would add to our city if they were given an opportunity to do so. The kids chose such ideas as a homeless shelter, animal care center, technology development laboratory, recycling center, and football stadium. (After all, we are in Los Angeles, a city that has been without an NFL team for a long time.) The project represented the culmination of our Geometry Challenge unit, and we will be displaying the structures at our upcoming Open House.

Teaching Tip of the Week

Introduction

Last week I shared that my colleagues and I have spent the past few years learning about the Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics. A huge emphasis of this philosophy is the need for students to understand math concepts on a deep level and use strategies that make sense to them. Encouraging students to use a wide variety of strategies to solve problems is a practice that stands in stark contrast to the traditional way that most of us were taught. When I was a student, I learned a series of algorithms that I was expected to follow, step-by-step, whenever I needed to add, subtract, multiply, or divide large numbers.

Teaching Tip of the Week

A few years ago my school began embracing the Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics. A huge emphasis of this philosophy is the need for students to understand math concepts on a deep level and use strategies that make sense to them. Encouraging students to use a wide variety of strategies to solve problems is a practice that stands in stark contrast to the traditional way that most of us were taught. When I was a student, I learned a series of algorithms that I was expected to follow, step-by-step, whenever I needed to add, subtract, multiply, or divide large numbers.

Read more: Awesome Algorithm Alternatives (Part 1: The “Break Apart” Method of Multiplication) (Teaching Tip #67)

Next week my third graders begin two weeks of state testing. We have been doing a bit of review over the past couple weeks to prepare for the three days of math and three days of language testing that we have here in California. As important as it is to focus on the academic skills that comprise the test, I believe it is equally as important to address the mental and emotional aspects of test-taking with my students.

Teaching Tip of the Week

In this Teaching Tip I share the results of the three-week “Putting Happiness First” initiative I concluded with my students this past Friday. The idea was inspired by a TED Talk by Shawn Achor, CEO of Good Think Inc., entitled “The Happy Secret to Better Work.” A central point of this 12-minute presentation is that in our society people tend to believe that we should work hard in order to be happy. Achor suggests that this way of thinking could be backwards. He argues that happiness makes us more productive, creative, and successful. In short, happiness should come first. At the end of his talk, Achor shares some ways for people to focus on the positive aspects of their lives and become happier.

Two summers ago at the annual Elementary Physical Education Workshop held on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, presenter Pat Vickroy shared a wonderful journal prompt. Last week, I asked my students to respond to the prompt as part of their weekly homework packet. The prompt reads as follows: “If you could give yourself one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?”

Read more: Pausing Power

Teaching Tip of the Week

In this Teaching Tip I continue sharing the results of a new initiative I began two weeks ago. The idea was inspired by a TED Talk by Shawn Achor, CEO of Good Think Inc., entitled “The Happy Secret to Better Work.” A central point of this 12-minute presentation is that in our society people tend to believe that we should work hard in order to be happy. Achor suggests that this way of thinking could be backwards. He argues that happiness makes us more productive, creative, and successful. In short, happiness should come first. At the end of his talk, Achor shares some ways for people to focus on the positive aspects of their lives and become happier.