Math Motivation

Pin It I was searching around today looking at different models of schools and trying to find new ways to motivate students when I came across Dan Meyer.  He explains that students' brains are rewired when they watch television shows in which a problem is shown and solved within 30 minutes or less.  We all are becoming impatient with resolution.   This is why my math class just wants to give me the answer and not tell me why or how they reasoned it out.  So, what should a teacher do? Dan explains that we should build problems that foster math reasoning and patient problem solving. Use photos and videos and gradually add the numbers for computation.  Let the students find the information that they need to solve the problems.  Watch him on Good Morning America with a great math question! Perfect for your holiday returns. You will need to scroll down a bit to find the Good Morning America video.

select to watch the Good Morning America video

Pin It A look back at our classroom elf on the shelf and all the fun he had!

He found a boat that the students built in our lego bin and had some fun!

He thought that Mocha's dog treats were cookies!

We made snowflakes for Polar Express Day and he caught a tiny one on his tongue!

He was getting "fit" after the cookies with marshmallow bar bells!

He played dreidel!

He fished with a little pole made from a paper clip.

Kids Are Heros

Pin It This website is going to help my students start to think about the good they can do in the world!
http://www.kidsareheroes.org/index.html

Elf is doing Yoga

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At our school the children practice Yoga poses, so Jimmy, our elf, decided to try it too!

Elf on the Shelf Daily Journal

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Select elf to download  Elf on Shelf Journal

Pin It The Elf on The Shelf Is Alive in Our Room

Our elf reports to Ben (our principal).  We named him Jimmy and he is keeping a close eye on the good deeds that we do.

We journal about what he does each day!

Students Tap Their Heads If They Agree

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I love this idea! 

You watch Monica Burns, a fourth year teacher, interact with her class as she conducts a lesson.  The students hold up their hands if they want to speak and while others are talking, they pat themselves on the head as a signal they concur with what has been said.  There is no yelling.  No frantic waving of a gaggle of hands.  No students blurting out.  No put-downs of other student’s responses.

Even with an ADHD student or two, Monica teaches class calmly.  She conducts class sitting patiently in her chair with only a flip chart to use, while there is calm and happy, yet engaged, learning in her class. Monica teaches a procedure where the student’s tap their own head when theyagree with an answer provided byanother student.

She teaches this signal in the start of the year when they begin having whole class discussions at their seats or on the rug.  These are the reasons she finds this signal effective:

• Gets less outgoing students involved in a discussion.
• Keeps the whole class active even when they are not providing an answer themselves.
• Unites students around a common purpose.
• Supports accountable talk prompts such as, "I agree with __(name)__ because . . . "
• Adds to a discussion by identifying students who do not support another student's answer.  ("I noticed that you do not agree with __(name)__.")
• Combats a student's frustration from not being called on; an alternative to slamming one's hand on a desk or sighing heavily.  ("Show me that you had the same
  answer . . . ")
• Stops students from calling out, "I knew that!" or "I had that answer!"
• Identifies who is not paying attention; holding all students accountable for participation.

From Teacher.Net

I Love Image Chef

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