Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Math Work Every Day?, Conference Reports, Second Plane of Development)

Transcription

1 11/18/10 Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Math Work Every Day?, Conference Reports, Second Plane of Development) Hi M. I have a question about an that I received from a parent. This is the gist of it. The parent is concerned that her daughter is not doing math every day. "Ideally," she wants her daughter to do math every day. Her daughter is a very bright child. She uses her time well doing other types of work. I have no concerns about her at all. It is true that she actually hasn't chosen to do math in a while, I would have probably directed her to some math eventually, but I am confident she will do fine with math and everything else! The child is a 6 year old (I teach lower el). I am typing my thoughts on this. It is nearly December. How do you feel this child is doing in the area of math? Can she add and subtract? Is she making progress with memorizing math facts? Racks and tubes? Here are just a few more of my thoughts - - Based on what I understand of how Montessori works (this is only my second year with my own classroom; I completed training in 2009). Children don't necessarily have to do math every day or on some kind of schedule.

2 This is absolutely true. They do not need to do math on a day- by- day basis. However, it is a required part of the curriculum with regard to public standards. So if a child is not doing math for an extended period of time, I would direct the child to some of this work. Part of our responsibility, while taking the long view, is to be certain that our children leave our classes prepared to be successful in their next schools. Okay, to answer your last question: she is still learning her + facts and I have showed her how to do static and dynamic addition with golden bead material. I have also introduced her to the checkerboard (place value work) and of course we have done the wooden hierarchical material. And how does this compare to her peers? She understands the concepts - I see no problem with her learning math - - when she decides to do it. Do I need to push her more to do math, even if she is choosing to do other things? M(C) You might. It is hard to answer definitively. But there are some general guidelines. Is there a reason that she is using golden beads in elementary for addition instead of the bead frame? In my training, it was suggested to use GBM for addition and subtraction in elementary. We didn't even receive training in elementary for addition and subtraction with the bead frame, though we did get an overview of it in the foundation course. In general, she has really impressed me with her ability to make connections in her language work. She also is very good at explaining concepts to other children. Other children are stronger than she is in

3 math, but again, I don't see that as a problem. I think she may just be on a different timetable. I think that the use of the Golden Bean Material is a bit of a misunderstanding because you have not had the primary training. The golden beads are suggested in the elementary only if a child needs remedial work because she does not grasp the concept of addition, subtraction, etc... You should be teaching addition and subtraction with the bead frame. I think that in the past, children were coming into elementary with more memorized and with addition already established. But I have not found that to be the case reliably and you are better served to work with the bead frame than you are with the golden beads, unless the concept is not in place. But I am not answering your question. So I will go on to that next. I would be mindful not to let a child get too far away from math work. That is definitely not to say that you should make any schedule or insist that it be done every day. If I have a child who is consistently not choosing any particular subject, I will simply wait until I see the child is idling time and then call her over. At that point I would simply say, "What work would you like to choose? Bead frame or checkerboard?" You need to feel comfortable doing some directing. The child does not always make the right choices and our job is to guide and oversee. And then to step in when appropriate. Thanks for the clarification about the GBM vs. the bead frame! Good to know! The elementary children, as a rule, don't want to fuss with all of those cards anymore. It is a work for the younger mind. If your addition and subtraction

4 lessons are not clear from your overview training, borrow the lessons from a primary teacher. I really appreciate your insights on this. How long is too long between math works? Let me ask this first, "Is this child strongly engaged in work for the majority of the day? With very good focus? Not just with work in front of her. I would say 85 percent yes... how's that for an answer! In her case then, I would be stepping in a couple of times a week if she is not choosing it on her own. Either by giving new lessons or repeating a lesson or encouraging another child to invite her to do math or simply giving her some problems to work on. Don't just have one way to address the problem. You don't have to choose from either letting her go as long as she wants without math or telling her to take it out. There are a variety of things you can do to encourage more math work. But my final Jeopardy answer is that I would not let too much time get by. It is reasonable to expect that children finish their first year in the elementary adding and subtracting large numbers abstractly. They should be well invested in fractions, square root, checkerboard, racks and tubes. There are so many initial lessons to give in early on. That is really helpful advice. I have to say I tend towards really "following the child," not imposing, etc., but am realizing that I may have to be more directive, something that is not my strong suit... Funny, I was just writing: Don't be afraid to give direction. The children do not always make the right choices. Experiment some. Direct her to some math

5 work and see what happens. She may just enjoy the work and there is no problem. You may find that it is more difficult for her than you realized and that she may then be avoiding it. Or you may find that she is quite stubborn and will not take direction (a different problem altogether). But she should be engaged in math fairly regularly. I am not trying to be difficult by avoiding a particular number, but that is just not realistic. You have to look at the child. You have to observe. So, was this helpful, M? Did I give a clear and practical enough answer? Yes, VERY HELPFUL!! As you may remember, I attended your workshops last summer on classroom management and literature/writing. I have to say I am still really struggling with "trying to do it all". I have 30 children - - and I feel like I am trying to meet all their individual needs. I give lessons in small groups, but inevitably it seems like they all need more individualized follow- up. I do remember. Don't you have blond hair? More or less, with some gray mixed in! Probably more in the last year. I do remember you, though. Listen, you may you feel that way because you think are not doing a good job or because you are a new teacher. But a good teacher has a certain amount of that feeling throughout his, her career. Wow! I was afraid of that! It is hard always feeling like I am not on top of things. I am not meaning to dominate this session with my questions! If there are others out there in the wings

6 with questions, please let me know! Nephews wrote me that he is just reading for now. Do you want to go on to something else? Or I can answer pre- submitted questions. In addition, one thing that can really help is to be sure to sit at the children's work tables in between lessons. Just pull up a chair and see what kids are working on. You may give some help because you notice kids are doing something incorrectly or you may realize some are ready for bit more. Just another thought and then I'd love to read along with the pre- submitted questions. For a future MTIPS workshop topic, how about what types of math, language, etc. should be covered in first year, second year, etc...? As you referenced above with 1st year math... If you want to call me one day after Thanksgiving I would go over the albums with you and we can look at what the initial lessons are. Thank you so much! And thank you again for the advice. I appreciate it very much. I will try calling you after Thanksgiving. Many thanks! I am happy to help if I think I have something to offer. One other suggestion: whenever you give a new lesson, tell the children that you are planning to meet with them again in a couple of days to see what they have learned. This sets the expectation that they should be taking work out that you have given a lesson on. Then you need to mark that lesson on your calendar for that day later in the week so you remember to gather them again. You will learn so much about the work ethic of the children, which ones

7 get things the first time, which ones need re- presentations. Yes, I remember that suggestion from last summer. I'll re- commit to it! It really does make a difference. You will feel much more grounded yourself. Otherwise it can feel like you are teaching and teaching and teaching but not really getting anywhere. Would you like to ask anything else for tonight? j(q) j(c) No, I'd be happy to read along with the pre- submitted question now. Thank you!! Ok. We still have time for one question. So I will post the question and then work on the answer. Wendy. Our conference reports show lessons as presented, practicing, near mastered, or mastered. We hesitate to use mastery for many lessons. Dynamic addition can be mastered but other concepts are less quantifiable. Parents sometimes question why so little is mastered. What are your experiences? We do not give parents a checklist of this nature. But we have it for our own records and we feel the same reluctance. We ultimately decided that the mastered is not really something we comfortable with. Many of our lessons do not have mastery as an option. Botany work, for instance. For these you can consider the options of presentation, working on, extensive study. I would think about changing the checklists. I know it is a big job, but the parents have so little to make judgments with. And it is understandable that they are asking this question about mastery. Wendy, I co- teach in a lower el classroom of 45. I

8 r(c) remain frustrated because students must do math and language each morning. Lesson follow up becomes secondary. Much remains unexplored because of the "daily routine". The children rarely enter flow. Any suggestions to help me convince others? Well, J, that is a tough nut. But coming to some consensus is probably the only route, however treacherous the road may be. Perhaps you could suggest this freedom first for your most able and responsible children. Even if you get your partner to agree, if you have the entire class do it, there will be enough children fooling around that your partner will remain unconvinced. But if you just pick the children you feel will be successful, then you have something to build on. Or maybe you could try taking only one of them off of the required list: math or language. I think that you are looking for some smaller step to help your partner build some trust and inch along. This safety net is not uncommon. Teachers get nervous about the required curriculum and they resort to this required work to re- assure themselves that they are keeping up. But it is not necessary. The children all need different levels of guidance. It is not Montessori to teach as if one size fits all. Hope this is helpful. Most of the children in my class are either 6+ or 7+ year olds. The parents of these children are quite concerned by the changes in their behavior from their primary days- argumentative, rude, messy... Where to draw the line and what to tell the parents? Please help. R, I think that this change is a natural one. The

9 children in the elementary, as we know from our experience and Montessori s writings, go through a substantial and qualitative change. However, I would say that respectful behavior has fallen far by the wayside. Permissive parenting is rampant and there is little consensus about what constitutes appropriate behavior. Families are going to have different expectations that they are comfortable with. But you as the teacher are the one to observe how the children are taking these expectations into the wider social community. If the child s behavior is not acceptable, then this is something you should discuss with the parents and encourage them to hold the children to a higher standard. Things that are acceptable in one s home are not always acceptable in public. This is a point you can make with the parents. You don t have to debate whether they are parenting well or not. You simply need to let them know that their child is not behaving in a way that is respectful or responsible or whatever the problem is. An explanation of why the children tend to change during this period is not the same as a reason to accept inappropriate behavior. We are out of time for tonight. Good timing. My son has just called from the Farm School. I hope to see you in the chat room after the holidays. This is the final chat until we resume in January. And I was serious when I said that I would be happy to talk to you about the initial lessons after Thanksgiving. I really appreciate that, Wendy. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!