Chadwick 6th Grade Math Night
Sample Lesson and Debrief
What did you think?
How was it different from how you learned math?
How was the communication within your group?
What was hard about it?
Anatomy of a CPM Lesson
Parent Concerns from Survey, Spring 2009
Communication
Meeting individual needs
Being prepared for the future
Chadwick Mission Statement:
"Chadwick, a K-12 school founded in 1935, is dedicated to academic excellence and to the development of self-confident individuals of exemplary character. Students are prepared through experience and self-discovery to accept the responsibilities inherent in personal freedom and to contribute postivitely to contemporary society. The Chadwick Community is commited to living in accordance with its core values of respect, responsibility, honesty, fairness and compassion."
Math Department Mission:
The Chadwick Mathematics program will develop students who:
effectively solve problems across a wide variety of situations using multiple mathematical strategies, techniques, and tools;
create numeric, algebraic, graphical, and verbal representations of mathematical concepts;
analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others;
use the language of mathematics to precisely express ideas and conclusions.
How did we get here?
This will be my piece - still working on it.
College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM) Goals:
The primary goal of teaching mathematics should be long-term knowledge.
Initial learning of a concept is best supported by discussions within cooperative learning groups guided by a knowledgeable teacher.
Integration of knowledge is best supported by engagement of the learner with a wide array of problems around a core idea.
Long-term retention and transfer of knowledge is best supported by spaced practice or spiraling.
Research on Problem-Based Learning says...
Students retain more knowledge when they are taught using problem-based learning than when they are simply told what to do.
There are two very different views about what constitutes "understanding."
"Instrumental understanding" is when a student can carry out known procedures or solve standard problems according to a memorized method.
"Relational understanding" refers to the ability of the individual to see the relations among the different parts of knowledge.
Different kinds of knowledge are important at different times.
What are the most effective ways to help students achieve real understanding?
Every successful program needs a mix of methods.
All kids can benefit from problem-based learning.
Research on Cooperative Learning says:
Much of the learning takes place between students as the grapple with ideas and try to explain to each other or listen to explanations.
Students in heterogeneous cooperative learning classes have significantly higher achievement that their peers in enrichment programs without cooperative learning.
Strengths of spaced learning:
it helps students learn better;
it helps students remember longer; and
it helps students transfer their knowledge more effectively.
Other benefits of spaced learning:
Low frustration levels
Independence with practice
Revisiting and further developing concepts over time
Constant formative assessment
Developing persistence and applying past knowledge
Resources to help your child:
www.CPM.org
www.hotmath.com
Thinking about preparing our students for the future, how do we help them become pioneers?
By giving them basic tools and a dynamic, flexible, and portable understanding of mathematical concepts that they can adapt to an ever-changing world.
Thank you for coming!