Math+Workshopt+with+EJMS

Math Workshopt with East Jessamine Middle School
I'm working on a full-day training with EJMS and am doing it transparently, so I can continue to understand the process better, share the modality, get feedback and just because I think it's a good way for me to do it. [Brainstorming of the day. The main part of the day is already planned, but normally I do the workshop in three hours. We've got an opportunity to do six hours with East because I need to see in my head how and where we should/could/might go next with this training.]

Ideas to include...
 * **Teachers bring examples of what they are dong in classrooms to share, generate discussions**- I like this do you have any way of making this happen (i.e. send out an email with this expectation, ask them to let you know what they have already or go around and ask them what they will be bringing sometime later this week and let me know a little bit about what you've collected. I would just like to know so I can make sure I reference it. If noone is implementing at this point or we have some really great examples I'd like to know that too.


 * **Teachers plan in teams for upcoming units of study-** Critical piece: I'll let you handle how this goes because I don't know how these teachers plan or what your expectations are. We need to determine what you and Mr. Botts expect them to accomplish as a result of this workshop.

Specifics to address:
 * **Word wall (variety of uses in math - can you bring pictures of what other teachers are doing elsewhere?-** [I don't have any pictures, I'm not the best at remembering to take my daughters camera, and the two times I did take it, I forgot to get it out. I'm working on that but for me it's one of those routine issues. I'm out of my routine and just don't remember]
 * I'll do a very similar presentation to what we discussed with the two younger teachers. Is that OK?
 * Do you know what topics they are discussing/teaching in class right now or better yet what topics they'll be teaching as part of their next units? I love to make it happen on the spot, but considering that we are doing six hours instead of three, I want to make sure I've thought it through more.
 * We'll do an example of a word wall and walk-thru some activities and think about classroom routines.
 * Admit /exit slips (related to use with word walls) See above as some of the routines/activities that we'll do.
 * **Did we discuss getting the math teachers number lines? If so, do you think it might be possible to know more about that by then? I'll make one and bring it with me so I can reference it (I've been wanting to do that for a long time and this will be a good reason to make it happen.)**
 * **Journaling in math - how can we write more in math class? How do we work with accelerated learners and/or at risk learners when journaling?-** Can we elaborate more on this. I"m a huge proponent of 'journaling', let me clarify-
 * daily logging.
 * logs should include writing prompts.
 * logs should be cognitive (about the math) and affective (about student learning/feelings about class/math).
 * more closely related to admit slips than a journal.
 * OK to include problems as long as there is another purpose:
 * thinking about the process of solving
 * thinking about different ways of estimating
 * thinking about how I approached the problem
 * thinking about creating a problem that has similar features as this problem and using that as a discussion to see if students understand what 'features' are.
 * etc.
 * I need to know what you and or Mr. Botts feels about how important this is because it's a subject that many math teachers run from. Is it a battle that you want to fight OR do you want to introduce the subject for further detailed follow-up OR is it just going to sit because six hours will go quickly
 * **Reading literature other than textbooks** - I love this idea, here's where we could take it. Reading other literature in math can mean lots of things:
 * I point you to a reference that I did about a book, __Reading and Writing to Learn Mathematics: A Guide and A Resource Book,__
 * about writing in math by Martinez and Martinez. It is a great chart about different places math appears in the newspaper.
 * Additionally, we could explore the current USA Today Online ([|polls in politics] as an example). Most math is going to be about interpreting charts/graphs/percents and understanding those (all stuff I love by the way).
 * There are some great picture books/poems that we could discuss but these are not my strongest asset. I could bring Shel Silverstien's One Inch Tall as a brainstorming option, but again time is an issue and I think this is a separate issue to delve deeply into.


 * **How can we get away from worksheets?** This may be the most important issue that you've raised to date! I will make sure that I am intentionally not promoting this. However, one of the examples that I would like to use, is an adaptation of a worksheet into an academic dialogue/higher level thinking activity. Students work together in groups of 4 to solve 10-15 procedurally-based problems (worksheet problems), after half the class they have access to the solutions, 3/4 of the way through they begin to determine individually which 3 problems were hardest for them to solve and what about those problems made them difficult (metacognitive process as well as looking for characteristics in a problem), as a group they must determine 3 problems that they deem hardest and why (note that only three problems per group of 4 trying to work on group dynamics and focusing on rationale), finally students share the problems and the reasons. The students self-evaluate, the teacher gets a nice formative check on what problems students are struggling with, and the students have checked/self-checked with a purpose.

Ideas he was concerned about:
 * **Split the morning work into two pieces focusing on reading/writing in the morning and writing/speaking and listening in the afternoon.** When does he want to have them plan?


 * **Use the program of studies to begin thinking about what teachers want to accomplish during a unit of study and how we can weave literacy into the unit... (I talked with him about how we have used this with the coaches training for science and how Catherine used the program of studies with the ARTs teacher module... James is okay with this being included as long as we limit it to 30 - 45 minutes... He is really interested in us focusing on the "nuts and bolts" of math instruction...)** I won't spend any time here other than a preface to planning and an example of how we would use it to start our thinking as you outlined above. I'll run this by Catherine too.

Timeline/Outline 8:30 Arrive Get Settled- Opening activity quick write about what I want out of today, and/or my thoughts on the reading 8:45-9:00 Debrief Starter and Reading Capture thinking on chart paper 9:00-10:30 Word Wall/Admit Exit Slips/Share examples/Number Sense as an intentional goal 10:10-10:20 Break 10:20-10:40 Comparison of area problem- Solve, pair, resolve Think individually about writing activities to use to capture student thinking Discuss the cognitive processes used in solving this problem, pairing and finding at least one other method of solving. 10:40-11:30 In teams plan for integration of ideas into next unit of study 11:30-12:30 for lunch? or somewhere about there. What are we doing for lunch? 12:30-12:40 Quick Write- Give them a chart/graph to read and ask them to write about the different things they were 'reading' 12:40-1:40 Reading/Writing/Speaking & Listening 1:40-1:50 Break 1:50-2:30 Back to planning with the intent of creating experiences for students that create opportunities for students to interact with the math. Not sure how to do this with your teachers. It gets into a lot- district curriculum, administrative expectations, work of your math coach (are we espousing a similar message, has she already started this type of planning), blah blah blah 2:30-3:00 Think about the process as a group determine next steps, align expectations. What are your and Mr. Bott's expecations about the outcomes of this day? What do you expect to happen as a result of this workshop that we will be holding these teachers accountable for? I would like to throw out sharing of the ideas brainstormed throughout this day electronically through the wiki as we are doing here. It is a test for me to see if I can facilitate more sharing this way.
 * Walk-thru together the main ideas of a particular unit
 * On a chart set a plan for strategies to begin thinking about integrating intentionally (intentionality is a key focus)
 * Need some help here, not sure what process is best for your school