Still In Transit

 

Still traveling home. Back on Wednesday with ways to use QR codes,

Warm-up

 If one coconut produces 10 ounces of dried coconut, how many coconuts do you need to produce 25 pounds of dried coconut?

Warm-up

If you have 23 coconut trees on your property and each tree produces 34 coconuts, how many can you harvest in a year. 

Overcoming Summer Learning Loss

In a month or two, students will be returning to school and it is well known, at least to most teachers, that students lose some of what they've learned over the summer.  It has been observed that a student starts the new year at a lower achievement level than at the end of the previous year. This is often referred to as summer learning loss, summer setback, or summer slide and this is not a new phenomena. It was first noticed as far back as 1906.  

Research indicates that students lose up to a month's worth of learning during summer holidays but the scores declined more for math than reading, and students lost more in the upper grades of school. Furthermore, it appears the amount of loss in reading is more in the lower socioeconomic groups than say in the middle class but there is no difference for math.

One theory on why students in the lower socioeconomic groups suffer higher losses has to do with the resources available.  In school, everyone has access to books, the internet, and information but once summer arrives, many of those same students lose their access to books, etc and their parents are unable to provide the financial and Human Resources that students from higher income families have access to and thus they lose less information.

Historically, school leaders, educators, and policy makers have used traditional summer school programs to help reduce the amount of summer loss however it was concluded that it worked well for middle income students but not as well for lower income students but they aren't sure whether it's because the programs found used by the middle income students were of higher quality or if the interaction between school and home worked better together for this group versus the lower income students.

For reading programs used over the summer, the programs which benefitted students most are the programs whose instructional strategies are identified as best practices by a group such as the National Reading Panel which caused the most growth in reading. Furthermore, research also suggests that students  who have the most gain are the ones who attend consistently, and spend time on the academic tasks.  It was also found that when schools sent texts and messages home to parents, students did better.  The messages included information on resources available to students, activities to do with the children, and information on learning activities being done at school.

Although they may not have looked at math programs, it seems that the came criteria of instructional strategies being classified as best practices combined with consistent attendance, and students who spend time on academic tasks could easily be applied to summer math programs since summer learning loss occurs with both reading and math.

It is important for school districts to address summer learning loss, especially since students have had to struggle with interruptions in learning due to COVID. This is so that the gaps in learning are not as great, and students don't lose what they accomplished over the previous year.  When creating a program, use an evidence based program, include hands on based or recreational activities in addition to the academic content, make sure the program chosen includes enough time to work on each task and encourages consistent attendance, while hiring effective teachers.  

For most districts, summer school is probably done and over with but the information can be used for next summer.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.  Have a good weekend.

Using Flow Charts To Solve Problems In Math.

Over the years I've been teaching, I realized that some students are unable to follow written directions that are listed in the step by step manner. You know the ones where you write step 1, step 2, etc.  So I've thought about using flow charts but up until recently, I'd been unable to figure that out.  

I first ran into flow charts in when I took some computer classes in college. We used flow charts to figure out how to set the program up from start to finish.  It allowed us to identify when we needed to do this or that depending.  It was quite helpful. 

In math, flowcharts provide a visual framework for students so they can follow the steps in a process. Flowcharts are designed to provide guidance and information just by looking at the shape of the cell.  Ovals represent the start and finish of the process and contain associated information.  Rectangles are for processes or actions such as operations or calculations. Diamonds are reserved for yes or no questions such as "Is there a fraction?". The yes sends you one way, the no sends you another way.  All shapes are connected by arrows which guide the students directionally through the chart.

Each step in the chart represents a step in the problem or something one must look at to decide where to do next.  For instance, if you are adding fractions, you might start with checking to see if the fractions have the same denominators, if yes, then go on to the next step, if no, you would go the the part that helps them find and set common denominators.  Each step would guide students through the process of adding fractions.

When you start using flow charts in math, you will have to teach the students how to use them.  It is suggested you take a problem and write out all the steps on the board, next to a flow chart showing the same problem with all the decisions that are needed but not usually shown in the steps.  This is so students can see how the two relate and how the flow chart works.

Once you've shown them how to use the flow charts, give them some practice problems so they can try it but make sure the first problems show how you do it step by step using the flow chart or is set up so all they have to do is fill in the numbers just like you fill in words from the word bank. Once they understand how to read a flow chart, they can use one to solve the same types of problems so they see how the chart can be used for groups of problems rather than having a flow chart for every single problem.

After they learn to use a flow chart, it is time to teach students how to create their own flow charts to use with any problem. To do this, they need to read through the problem, determine the specific steps needed to solve it, and determine any places that will require a decision. Once they have all this, they can create the flowchart to use for that type of problem.

Although we might think of using flow charts in middle or high school grades, I think they could easily be used in elementary grades to help those students who might need a different way of presenting the math.  The flow charts wouldn't be as complex for the earlier grades but the flow charts would gain in complexity as they got older.  

This is a nice way for students to learn to solve math problems with a nice clear algorithm to follow.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day. 

Ways To Do Retrieval Practice Correctly.

It is said that students need to practice the material and practice it correctly.  In the same vein, it is as important for students to carry out their retrieval practice correctly so today, I'm sharing seven ways you can integrate retrieval practice into your daily routine.  In addition, one can use these techniques for vocabulary, solving regular problems or word problems, or even prepare for the once a year high stakes practice.  

For students to learn the material so they retain it, they have have to get exposure to it.  I once hear they should be exposed to the material over time but that might be a bit before, a lot during, and some after so they do not forget it. Retrieval practice meets the this criteria especially if it is done over time.

So lets look at some ways we can incorporate different ways of retrieval practice into the daily routine.  If you only have one activity for this, students will get bored so its nice to mix things up.  So one of the easiest ways is to choose a low stakes quiz or test.  A quiz lets the students know what they know and don't know so they can help build their weak areas.  I often end up with students who freeze when they take practice quizzes, so I will sometimes give a low stakes quiz disguised as something else.  I'll create a bunch of problems and place them around the room with answers but not for that problem.  They have to search for the answer and if they find the answer, they do the problem associated with it.  If they can't find the answer, they ask for help. Sometimes, I throw a few problems in during warm-up, check the answers, and repeat the same quiz the next day so they can try again on problems they missed.  Other times, I'll give them a regular "quiz" and let them check their answers against the answers I have posted around.  I give credit for completing the quiz and making corrections.

The next retrieval activity is the brain dump.  In the brain dump, students are given a few minutes to write down everything they can think of in regard to a topic, a process, or a specific question.  This tests their knowledge because it helps generate knowledge while creating better long term retention.  The activity can take five minutes and can be done at any time during the lesson.  In fact, this makes a great activity for journaling in math. A brain dump can be done either individually or it could be done collaboratively between students.

Another possible activity is by having students use flashcards and the key word in this is to use.  In addition to having students make their own flashcards, they should pull them out and go through the information on a regular basis. They should verbalize as much information as they can remember before turning the cards over.

A technique that might be new to you is hexagonal thinking.  Hexagonal thinking combines retrieval with elaboration.  This technique uses hexagonal cards, papers, or google slides to explore how ideas or concepts are connected. Specifically, students might label hexagonal cards with words and arrange the cards next to each other that are related.  They would then attach arrows indicating the connecting spots and then students explain the connection in writing.  In math, students might be asked to look at the process of solving problems with algebraic fractions and show the connections to the rules used for solving problems with regular fractions.  I hope to cover this one in more detail later in the month.

Create concept maps on a regular basis since concept maps are a visual way for students to connect and articulate what they know about a certain concept or topic. The main topic is in the center box or circle and then connected to other topics via a line.  The connecting line might have a clarifying word on it such as type or operation, or whatever. Concept maps allow students to make rich meaningful connections.  

Of course, one can use the jigsaw method which helps students retrieve and process the information before teaching it to their peers. Begin by dividing students into small groups of four to six people.  Assign each student a small piece of the topic and give them time to look it up and research it so when they come back together, each person will teach the others their portion.  At the end of the activity, ask the group some tough questions or have the groups quiz each other.

Finally is the Think, Pair, Share Activity.  Ask students to individually list as many things as they can about a particular concept, topic, or type of problem. Once they've finished this, have them pair up and share their answers with each other. 

It is important to provide opportunities for students to practice retrieval so they move the information from short-term to long term memory.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.  

Warmup

 

If there are 3.25 cups of blueberries to a pound and you need 6 cups of blueberries for a pie, how many pounds of blueberries do you need to make 6 pies for school?