The Preface
I start this book with much anticipation! I have heard just brief snippets about it and as I am one that loves to learn new things, I am excited to see where this book will take my teaching!
My Why
Why do I teach the way I do? Simply said, I want students to find the joy that mathematical discovery and learning has to offer. All the patterns, the relationships, the a-ha moments, the connections, the wonder. All. Of. It. I approach my teaching from the lens of the student. Why is this important? Why do I have to know this? Why is this way more efficient than that way? Why doesn't this work? Why does this work? Everything about my lesson planning is focused on the why. But that's not what this section is talking about, although I will say that it does apply quite nicely. This question is about why I do what I do. As my mathematical knowledge and instruction has morphed and changed over the years, overall I have seen growth. It is my desire, in one year's time with a group of students, to instill this way of thinking, this passion, this curiosity, this way of questioning what they are learning, into my students. It's really not just about the math. It's about becoming a better person. I just help them do it through the lens of numbers and calculations.
The Why Do I Do This Rather Than That
Oh my word. This is the constant dialogue that is running through my mind for almost every single lesson. Even lessons that have stood the test of time, good problems that I know will increase learning in my classroom, I still run through all the options of why this problem is a good fit for this particular group of students or if I should change it up. Most often, the why-do-I-do-this-rather-than-that conversation has to do with a particular instructional strategy for that problem. After teaching 28 years, my toolbox of instructional strategies continues to grow. This is probably hands-down the best thing of being an experienced teacher. Being able to tap into these strategies, knowing how they work and what the main outcome will be if applied in the learning process. Most often, these conversations in my mind happen after each day of teaching as I prepare for the next day. With lesson plans written weekly, I have a framework of what I'll be doing, but it's the day to day conversations I have with myself of why one particular strategy would be better than another, that makes teaching meaningful to me. Sometimes, these conversations happen on the fly in the middle of the lesson. Even that most thought out lesson can sometimes take a nose-dive and a new instructional strategy needs to be brought to light, prompting the immediate question of "why should I choose a new strategy?" What's not working? Why is it not working? What needs adjusting? Can the same strategy be used with some tweaking?
I have heard the statistic that teachers make thousands of decisions a day. It's the answers to these questions that will have the most impact on student learning...not the simple ones of "no, this isn't a good time to use the restroom." LOL!
The 10 Mindframes
I know that each mindframe will be reviewed in much more depth, but as I read through the list, I was able to check off each one. Now, I'm interested to learn more about each one to see if I am viewing it in the same light. At this time, #7 grabbed my attention. I believe I engage waaaaaay more in monologue than dialogue about Learning Focus while at school. I miss the days of math conversations at ESSDACK or with my math groups from other districts. Two of us still meet up to have these conversations about once a year, not nearly enough. Collaboration with the other two math teachers in our building is beneficial, but I think it could be improved to have a common focus. Maybe this book, will spark those conversations that I've been missing from the past. Also, here lately I've had several student teachers. These conversations are always fun as they mostly focus on the "why".
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