My school is an accountability school (with a grant) and are presently
implementing "standards-based classroom instruction". Our focus
is literacy, so if any of you out there have any ideas as to how to incorporate
literature into math I sure would like to hear from you.
Melba Smithwick
Corpus Christi, TX
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In response to Melba's question about Math and Literacy, I have a few ideas
that we are using at the Community Service Academy in New York CIty. We
use a math program called the Connected Math Program. It was rated the top
Middle School math program in a recent study. It incorporates a great deal
of reading, writing (for reflection especially) and therefore, literacy.
There are also several picture books that can be read aloud to initiate
math lessons. They include The King's Chess Board, How Much Is A Million,
One Hundred Ants, A Grain of Rice. There are many others that we have at
school.
Naomi Smith
NYC
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Our school, Martin Middle School in Corpus Christi, has also had great success
with the Connected Math Program. Though I am a science teacher, I see more
real life math and more emphasis on critical thinking skills in CMP than
I've ever seen in a math program.
Nancy Long
Texas
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Nancy, I'm interested in hearing more about Connected Math. I receive the
Audio Journals from NASSP and was introduced to the new "math wars"
being created by Connected Math and other new curriculums. Although these
curriculums have been endorsed by the USDoE, it seems that many math scholars
are denouncing them because they don't teach the "basics" well.
I am a proponent of problem-solving and application of the basics. How does
it all fit?
Michelle Pedigo
Kentucky
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Connected Math - During the National Convocation on Mathematics in the Middle
Grades, there was some positive discussions on that program. The report
from that event was recently released by the National Research Council.
Interesting findings.
This report is now available on the Web (or you can order a paper copy):
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9764.html
Jeff Sherrill
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Welcome, Melba!
With regard to your question about how to incorporate literacy into math
- our math teachers worked with that same challenge last year. They decided
to have students produce written explanations for their math solutions,
especially word problem solutions. They had them explain mathematical principals
in writing. The students also kept math journals in which they wrote what
they had learned in math that day. The math teachers who tried this felt
it led students to a deeper understanding of math because they had to process
the math at a deeper level. You might want to try some of those ideas.
Anne Jolly
Alabama
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I have just begun using Connected Math as a part of my mathematics curriculum.
My students really seem to enjoy the activities and are gaining an understanding
of conncepts that previously seemed too difficult. Putting it a student's
words, "Gee, that is the first time that I understood why I did that."
I am only using Connected Math as a supplement to my currculum this year,
but I may use it as my main part of my curriculum next year. I will keep
you informed as the year progresses. The unit that I have just began is
Variables and Patterns.
Sue Chanda
Louisville
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My school is involved in a small "math war" over (the effectiveness
of "Connected Math"). Several teachers just love the program and
have gotten the entire school to buy into it. However, now that we are 8
weeks into the school year, a few teachers do not see the value and want
to go back to what they were doing. In the meantime our test scores from
last year came back and we went up 6 points.
So one side is arguing, why change when what we were doing was working.
The argument back is that with Connected Math the racial gap in our test
scores will close. I was a math teacher but have never really looked at
the Connected Math program.
Does this math program really find away of meeting the needs of all students?
If so, how does the program accomplish this?
Robbyn LaFollette
Louisville
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Connected Math has a website you can visit. It does a great job of teaching
problem solving, real math and basics. In order to do their work, students
need to figure out what they need to do (not just one way ever in math or
life). They utilize "basics" all the time. Sometimes these are
memorized and sometimes they can utilize tools (calculators, etc. The basics
vs problem solving is bogus, just like the whole language vs. phonics debate.
Naomi Smith, NYC
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I agree with you Naomi, but how do we help others to see that it is bogus
and does not have to be one or the other?
Michelle Pedigo
Kentucky
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During a recent conversation on the listserv, several people asked for more
resources on the Connected Math program. Here are a few, on both sides.
PRO:
Connected Math homepage - Michigan State U.
http://www.mth.msu.edu/cmp/
Connected Math Project - Univ. of Missouri
http://showmecenter.missouri.edu/showme/cmp.shtml
CON:
Mathematically Correct
http://mathematicallycorrect.com/
An anti-CM website in Texas
http://www.pisd.org/cmp/index.htm
A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW:
Improving Mathematics in Middle School:
Lessons from TIMSS and Related Research
http://www.ed.gov/inits/Math/silver.htm
John Norton
Mathematically Challenged List Host
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Deborah Bambino wrote:
>> I would also like to hear more about peoples' experiences with
this program. In our Cluster, lots of the elementary schools have begun
to use Everyday Math. Despite lots of groaning and growing pains on the
teacher end, our kids are making progress. We are looking at Connected Math
for our Middle Schools because we've been told it's the next stage after
the Everyday program.>>
We use Everyday Math..we have been for about six years now at the elementary
level. I also want to say that we went into it all kicking & screaming
but I don't think you could convince any of u to change now. Our scores
on the math tests have dramatically improved.
We take the New Standards test in fourth grade. We also do VT portfolio
problem solving. Everyday Learning
has a new middle school math program that is standards based and is supposed
to be the next step for the kids who have had EM in K-8. Have you looked
into these? We have two kids who will begin this program in December. I
am not sure whether our kids will begin in the 7th or the 8th grade book.
I do know that the company claims if you do this program you will have already
covered Algebra 1
Kathy Renfrew
Vermont
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Go
to this link for more information about how one district is using Connected
Math. Pittsburgh was one of the pilot cities for Connected Math and also
now has full implementation of the elementary program Everyday Math. Middle
school math teachers are saying that the students coming in now who
started with Everyday Math in kindergarten have very strong skills and are
doing very well with Connected Math.
As a parent and a former poor math student, I find it to be an exciting
program--I know it would have worked for me because it provides context
and has some flexibility for students' interests. One sixth grade task,
for example, is to survey other students about anything the student chooses
and then come up with a statistical portrait of the "typical sixth
grader." (A common question in my daughter's class was, "What
kind of sneakers do you like best?")
The math specialist in Pittsburgh, Diane Briars, did a study a couple of
years ago of Everyday Math and found that when it was implemented as intended
students did far better on the fourth grade New Standards exam (63% meeting
proficiency levels) than students in traditional math classrooms did (15%
meeting proficiency levels)--with no real differences between high-poverty
and low-poverty schools. I don't have comparable information about Connected
Math, but apparently teachers feel the 2 programs are compatible.
Faith Schantz
Pittsburgh
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Finally I can spend a couple of minutes to introduce myself. As a math facilitator
in the School District of Philadelphia, I visit the twelve schools in my
cluster in order to improve instruction in the mathematics classrooms. Included
in these twelve schools are three middles schools, 6th through 8th grade.
Also there is one school that is k-8. I am very interested in any information
concerning the math programs that are being used in the country. We are
thinking about instituting either Connected Math or Mathscape in the middle
schools. I was wondering if any school had experience with both of these
programs.
This is exciting for me to be part of a listserv. I've never done this before
and I'm finding it very interesting.
Viv Loewenstern
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Concerning the Connected Math Program, and other investigation based math
programs, I think it is a struggle that will go on for a while. I just know
that tears come to my eyes when I hear my students explaining their "strategies"
for solving problems. They understand that math is not a set of algorythms,
but a place for looking for patterns, making decisions, etc.
Naomi Smith NYC
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I've enjoyed the math discussions, even though I'm a science teacher. I
just wondered if any of you looked at the recommendations of the Glenn Commission
(the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st
Century) with regard to mathematics.
The Commission's recommendations are briefly summarized at http://www.ed.gov/teacherstalk
and I'd be interested in your candid opinions of them. (Go
directly to the discussion here.)
Anne Jolly
Alabama
Read the entire Glenn Commission report, "Before It's Too Late,"
here:
http://www.ed.gov/inits/Math/glenn/toc.html
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