The SFDS upper school math teachers have been working with Nancy Lobell, an educational consultant with an extensive background in teaching middle school math and in mentoring and coaching math teachers. Nancy also works for the Stanford Teacher Education Program at Stanford University as a clinical associate in mathematics, and our teachers at SFDS are excited to be working with her.
Since January, Nancy has been visiting math classrooms, attending planning meetings with teachers, and facilitating departmental discussions about the pedagogical and curricular decisions that math teachers need to make. Head of School Dr. David Jackson invited Nancy to work with the math teachers to help them realize their common goal of finding ways to meet the needs of students with a diversity of interests, math backgrounds, skill levels, mathematical dispositions, and learning needs. Nancy will be supporting the teachers as they experiment with new instructional strategies and curricula that will both both challenge and support all students.
The teachers have begun brainstorming ways to further differentiate the instruction of mathematics as well as to raise the conceptual level and the cognitive demands of their lessons. In one recent sixth-grade math classroom, Mr. Turner and Mr. Brill facilitated a two-day project in which students worked in groups of four to create a mini-lesson that would answer one of four essential questions pertaining to the division of decimals. For example, one group presented to their classmates their reasons why multiplying the divisor and dividend by the same number does not change the quotient. Another group answered the question, “Why do we use powers of ten to make the divisor a whole number?” One group presented their findings using a power point presentation complete with an interactive pop quiz.
In addition to differentiating lessons, assessments have been differentiated as well. Students recently enjoyed the opportunity to answer many test questions in their own words. Teachers entertained many different answers while considering accuracy, clarity and creativity. Here is a sample of one of the questions with subsequent analogical answers.
Explain why subtracting an integer is like adding its opposite?
e.g. #1 It is as if people were at a table discussing positive things and you bring up something negative. You are still adding to the discussion, but it is taking away from the positive topic.
e.g. #2 It’s like when you eat a piece of cheese. If you take a bite, you take away a bite from the cheese.
Mr. Turner and Mr. Brill were pleased with the student presentations and were impressed with the questions that students in the audience asked of the presenters. As the students improve their procedural fluency with their math skills, they also focus on the big ideas in mathematics that have connections to higher-level math courses that lie ahead.
