Across classrooms, it is increasingly common to see students skim instead of read, search instead of think, and move quickly through text without following how ideas connect. This is not simply a motivation issue. It’s a cognitive one. Veteran educator Holly Durham has a cure.
After learning virtually for some weeks, many of Michelle Russell’s math students got in the habit of writing down little or no evidence of how they reached their conclusions. Which got her thinking. “What does it really mean when you tell students to show their work?”
To better understand what readers are thinking, Gravity Goldberg and Renée Houser urge teachers to reflect on current conferring questions, collaborate with colleagues on deeper questions that align with goals, and allow their teacher curiosity to help guide the conference.
Strategies That Work is an easy-to-read book full of valuable strategies and research for all K-8 teachers, writes teacher Kathee Lamberies. In this 3rd edition, Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis share leading-edge ideas on comprehension, engagement, assessment and more.
Math students retain more and gain confidence when they understand why a process works. But some are more interested than others in learning about the Why. Michelle Russell considers how she can best include the Why as students learn the How of problem solving.
Calculators in Class / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 02/26/2017 · Last modified 12/10/2019
Math teacher Michelle Russell is rethinking her open-use policy toward calculators in her classroom. Is ready access hindering students’ grasp of the fundamentals? She’s decided to be more intentional about timing and helping her students recognize reasonable answers.
In “Q Tasks,” Carol Koechlin & Sandi Zwaan argue that the key to learning, understanding & thinking critically is the Question. The book’s 50 or so lessons help students generate & use questions for learning & evaluating information, says Laura Von Staden.
Book Reviews / Narrative for Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 02/19/2015 · Last modified 11/14/2019
Thomas Newkirk makes a convincing argument in Minds Made for Stories that narrative is the framework for all good learning experiences, says teacher-reviewer Jenni Miller. This insight about storytelling can be used by teachers to help students learn and retain more in any subject.
