Week of February 13

Thursday Thoughts February 13

People never cease to amaze me. Actually, when I say people I'm just referring to myself.  I wonder if you can relate. Just as recent as last Friday, I was sharing with someone how tired I was and that I needed a break.  Low and behold, Mother Nature gave me a break....an extended break.  But instead of enjoying the past three days and relaxing, I have been feverishly working.  My excuse is that I want to get caught up or that I want to get ahead.  Now I am starting to wonder if I even know how to relax.  I could take lessons from my husband, who has the concept mastered or my son who has abandoned all thought of school and any work related to it.  Yet somehow I feel a bit of guilt if I am sitting around for any length of time being "unproductive".  Hopefully this all sounds foreign to you and you have had a good time off this week.  I am sure that you have gone outside and made snow men with your kids or won the snowball fight in the cul de sac.  I am sure that you can rattle off the latest medal count for the Olympics or recall the plot of that juicy novel that you just finished reading.  However, if you can only list the number of papers that you have graded, or the lesson plans that you have tweaked for the third time, please put down your "work" and go relax.  Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and a snow free day.  Get out and live tomorrow.  Be "unproductive."  In fact, make it an unproductive weekend!!  Who knows, you just may realize that relaxation now makes you more productive when the time comes.....which is Tuesday!  Have a great weekend!

 

Staff Spotlight:

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Katie Skelly.  Katie truly leads by example.

 She (like all of the kindergarten assistants) is often pulled to cover a class in just about any part of the building.  Katie always responds with a smile and does a wonderful job in spite of the quick notice or tough placement.  She is an asset to her Kindergarten classroom and she volunteers to take additional shifts in the cafeteria if we are short staffed.  Katie I am thankful that you are a part of the Medlock Family and we appreciate all that you do.

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

What’s All This Talk about Rigor?

By NCTM President Linda M. Gojak
NCTM Summing Up, February 5, 2013

Recently, I had a conversation with a group of math coaches who are working with elementary teachers on implementation of the Common Core Standards for Mathematics. The discussion turned to a description of rigor in the classroom. The coaches commented that many of their teachers were confused by exactly what was meant by teaching and learning with rigor. The coaches weren’t sure how to respond.
Rigor in the Common Core State Standards The word “rigor” is widely used in policy discussions, but it’s rarely understood or defined, and often it merely passes as code for “better.” It is interesting that the term “rigor” does not appear in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, although it is certainly implied. “Rigor” appears multiple times in the U.S. Department of Education’s paper, “A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,” as well as its recent document, “ESEA Flexibility”—both of which include a call for rigorous academic content standards.
Rigor in InstructionThe coaches and I began our work of exploring the notion of rigor with an online search of the word “rigor.” The thesaurus led us to a list of synonyms, including “affliction,” “inflexibility,” “difficulty,” “severity,” “rigidity,” “suffering,” and “traditionalism”—none of which describe characteristics of rigorous mathematics instruction. No wonder the teachers were confused! However, two additional words included in the list—“thoroughness”and “tenacity”—provided avenues for some serious thought about what “rigor”implies. We generated the following chart, which led to an interesting discussion with the classroom teachers. There are certainly other characteristics that can be added to the list.

Learning experiences that involve rigor …	Experiences that do not involve rigor …
challenge students	are more “difficult,” with no purpose (for example, adding 7ths and 15ths without a real context)
require effort and tenacity by students	require minimal effort
focus on quality (rich tasks)	focus on quantity (more pages to do)
include entry points and extensions for all students	are offered only to gifted students
are not always tidy, and can have multiple paths to possible solutions	are scripted, with a neat path to a solution
provide connections among mathematical ideas	do not connect to other mathematical ideas
contain rich mathematics that is relevant to students	contain routine procedures with little relevance
develop strategic and flexible thinking	follow a rote procedure
encourage reasoning and sense making	require memorization of rules and procedures without understanding
expect students to be actively involved in their own learning	often involve teachers doing the work while students watch

Rigor Involves Everyone Rigor involves all partners in teaching and learning. Teachers must consider rigor in planning lessons, tasks, and assignments. Rigorous lessons build on and extend prior knowledge. They encourage productive struggling. Although the objective of a lesson should be clear in the teacher’s mind, the lesson should not focus on one correct path to a solution or even one correct answer. A rigorous lesson embraces the messiness of a good mathematics task and the deep learning that it has the potential to achieve.
Students who are successful in a rigorous learning environment take responsibility for their learning. They learn to reflect on their thinking. They persist in solving a problem when the path to solution is not immediately obvious. They recognize when they are not on the correct path and need to switch directions during the solution process. Students must learn to ask productive questions rather than expecting to be shown how to proceed. (And, teachers must answer those questions with just enough information to move students forward while preserving the challenge of the task!
Rigorous teaching and learning require rigorous formative assessment throughout a unit so the teacher knows what the student has learned and can plan additional activities, or adjust them, to address student needs. Students also have a role in formative assessment—they must approach tasks with tenacity and ask clarifying questions when they are unsure how to proceed. All assessments must include opportunities for students to demonstrate the processes and practices in their approach to doing mathematics. Good formative assessment can be incorporated into daily instruction and prepare students for the summative assessments that take place at certain points throughout the unit of study.
Moving toward RigorHow can we support classroom teachers and pre-service teachers (pre-K–16) in working toward greater rigor in mathematics instruction? Professional development experiences that model rigor through the use of rich tasks, rich discourse, and good questions allow teachers to experience rigorous instruction. When selecting tasks, teachers must be sure that mathematical ideas are explicit and the connections are clear. The days of a few word problems at the end of multiple skill exercises in the textbook are over! Concepts must be introduced and explored in contexts that are interesting and motivating for students. Tasks must provide entry points for all students, offer them well-defined opportunities to make connections to other mathematics, and include both opportunities and expectations for them to develop deeper understanding. The focus and coherence of the Common Core State Standards lead the way to rigorous instruction. It is time for us to begin the journey.


Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)

Check out the following website:

www.yummymath.com- A site with real world math problems for grades 3-5

www.mathwire.com- Awesome math activities for your classroom categorized by standards. Would be a good resource to use during grade level planning.

http://www.101qs.com/- A very cool site that gives students an intriguing picture or quick video and then asks them to write "What's the first question that comes to your mind."  You HAVE to check it out!!

News & Notes:

The PTA Staff Appreciation Luncheon will be held on Wednesday 2/19. 
The breakfast will be on Thursday 2/20.
We are working on the rescheduled date for Digital Learning Day.
3rd, 4th & 5th grade Data Talks will take place on Tuesday 2/18 during common planning times.
Core Team Meeting will take place in Room 408 on Tuesday 2/18 at 2:45
I know there are more events/meetings that must be rescheduled.  I will forward that info next week.