Wisconsin Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning: What Do They Look Like in Mathematics Classrooms?

Wisconsin Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning:
What Do They Look Like in Mathematics Classrooms?
Wisconsin’s Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning provide important guidance for Wisconsin classrooms. Each of
the guiding principles has implications for teaching and learning in mathematics classrooms. Wisconsin educators and
mathematics leaders have identified some of the characteristics that should be present in mathematics classrooms at all
levels.
1. Every student has the right to learn significant mathematics.
Mathematical proficiency is essential for every student in Wisconsin. Students need to be able to
formulate, represent, and solve problems; explain and justify solutions and solution paths; and see
mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile. In order to achieve this vision, all students must have
access to challenging, rigorous, and meaningful mathematics. Schools and classrooms need to be
organized to convey the message that all students can learn mathematics and should be expected to
achieve.
What does this look like in a mathematics classroom?
 All students are engaged in meaningful and challenging mathematics tailored to their needs.
 All students have the opportunity to develop both conceptual understanding and procedural
fluency.
 All students are given opportunities to see connections between mathematical concepts.
 All teachers intentionally orchestrate classroom discourse to scaffold student learning and build
understanding.
 All students collaborate on purposeful tasks.
 All students show evidence of developing proficiency in the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
2. Mathematics instruction must be rigorous and relevant.
Teachers focus on engaging students in using mathematical reasoning, making mathematical connections,
and modeling and representing mathematical ideas in a variety of ways. The mathematics curriculum
needs to integrate and sequence important mathematical ideas so that mathematics makes sense.
Teachers use rich tasks to engage students in the development of conceptual understanding and
procedural skills. An emphasis on connections within mathematics helps students see mathematics as a
coherent and integrated whole rather than as a set of isolated and disconnected skills and procedures.
Through mathematical applications, students recognize the usefulness of mathematics and appreciate the
need to study and understand mathematical skills and concepts.
What does this look like in a mathematics classroom?
 Curriculum is organized within and across grade levels and be integrated within and across strands.
 Students see how various mathematics topics are related, not only within mathematics, but to
other disciplines, the real world, and their daily lives.
 Students and teachers strategically use precision and the vocabulary of mathematics to
communicate orally and in writing in order to represent mathematical thinking, solution paths, and
solutions.2
 Representational models are created and defended to enhance depth of understanding and to
reinforce the connections to mathematics and to students’ lives.
 Lessons are structured to focus on specific learning goals and organized in a format to facilitate
student understanding and include a summary of the important mathematics.
 Teachers and students us

State Mandated - Personal Financial Literacy Standards

As I begin to ponder how we will work on the Personal Financial Literacy Standards that need to be embedded in our math, social studies, guidance, and career education, I see the many resources that are available to assist us in the instruction.  Click for DPI Personal Financial Literacy Standards  or CUNA: Financial Education to learn more.



'via Blog this'

Beyond "Getting the Answer": Calculators Help Learning Disabled Students Get the Concepts

By: Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) (2007)

Research has much to tell us about using calculators for instruction. In a review of studies that examined the use of calculators in K-12 classrooms, Ellington (2003) found that calculator use was associated with better operational and problem-solving skills. In addition, students who had access to calculators had better attitudes toward math. But when exactly should calculators be used and for what purpose? This Info Brief summarizes Thompson and Sproule's (2000) "Calculator Decision-Making Flow Chart" and uses the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to clarify how calculator usage helps students with learning disabilities understand math concepts.

Read more....click here for the article and flowchart.

Mathematical Practices By Standard - posters

Mathematical Practices By Standard - posters

Another great resource from the Jordan, Utah school district:  http://elemmath.jordandistrict.org/mathematical-practices-by-standard/

The packet-driven classroom

The packet-driven classroom

Jeff Bliss got our attention when he shared his frustration with his 

teacher, classmates, and the world about his learning environment.

The now viral video captures a room of passionless students, some 

with their heads down, , some staring into space, all silently sitting at 

their empty desks seemingly disconnected not only from each other, 

but also from their behind-a-desk-fortress teacher.

Read more here. Lisa Nielsen's blog is worth following. 

A penny for your thoughts...........

Working with Kindergarten and First Grade Teachers - What a Great Day!

Here are some quick resources related to the many topics we discussed today!  I sure had fun hearing about all of your work, your reflection today was inspiring and your care for your students rang strong.

Not all of you were able to see these, so I am sharing all of them with everyone!

Blogging with your students is really key.  Trying todaysmeet.com  might be your first step!  Way to go Teri for trying this.  It will be exciting to see what your student will write. Here are some more ideas too.

NCTM's virtual manipulatives library  was a quick share on the way out.  There are so many great ways to use these in math center work or with your instruction!

Don't forget the website with the cool ELA tool - the tool that helps you differentiate your ELA instruction easier (I won't say easily!)  I am looking for one for math right now.

Shirley talked about the Marzano graphic organizer templates for text structure.  Here they are.

Here is the video that I shared with Grade 1 on close reading with "The Hungry Catepillar".

What a day of sharing!  It sure made my day!

CCSS - Myths and Facts about the Common Core State Standards

Here are some updated resources on the CCSS.

Myths and Facts about the Common Core State Standards

WI Brief on the Common Core State Standards

DPI Common Core Communication Toolkit

CCSS: The Shifts in Instruction are Key to Understand

If you have not had time to study the "key shifts in the CCSS" this is important information.

Digging into these key shifts grade level by grade level. Check these out.  

If you prefer videos for learning and/or reviewing CCSS information check these out.

Understanding the Progressions in Math - Teacher Resources

Progressions for the Common Core in Mathematics: http://ime.math.arizona.edu/progressions/#

The authors of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics are releasing draft papers that provide in-depth discussion of the domain progressions across grades, highlight connections across domains, elaborate on the learning expectations for students, and provide instructional suggestions.

K–5 Progression on Number and Operations in Base Ten

K–5 Progression on Counting and Cardinality and Operationsand Algebraic Thinking     

Grade 6–8 Progression on Expressions and Equations

Grade 6–8 Progression on Ratios and ProportionalRelationships (draft)

K-5 Progressions on Categorical Data and Measurement Data(draft)

Grades 3-5 Progressions on Number and Operations—Fractions(draft) *

 * note: this document can be read with Preview on a Mac or with the latest version of Adobe Acrobat on a Mac or PC. It does not work with earlier versions of Acrobat. To download the latest version free, click here.