Teach The Way They Learn

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How to Strategically Use Tech with Children

29/5/2021

Technology is part of our everyday lives. It's ubiquitous - and we may be getting too much of it. Agree or disagree, there is data that supports this notion. Excessive use of technology can have many drawbacks, particularly for young people who don't know how to moderate their time spent online.

Technology can certainly be a wonderful thing, opening doors and providing unique opportunities to explore the world. What we need is moderation. Tricky - I know. Let’s talk about how to enable our children to strategically use technology so it is only a benefit, and not a detractor.

Building Your Child’s Reading Skills at Target

22/5/2021

Contactless shopping is not for me. Why?

Because Target is my happy place.

I can easily spend an hour there browsing, let alone strategically shopping. I can wander through Health & Beauty, then leisurely make my way to the candle aisle, perusing a few books and periodicals along the way.

Kids Love Target

I encounter many children in my travels through Target. Children of all ages shop with their parents, from infancy through teen years. The children I’m focusing on here are those hanging out in the cart - specifically, ages two through five.

Why am I writing about these kids? Because ninety percent of the time I see them shopping with their parents, they are catatonically holding a device.

The Five Whys - A Simple Way to Solve Problems

15/5/2021

Have you ever been interviewed by a major publication? Or maybe you’ve been queried by a ten year old doing a school project. Regardless, there is an art and science to asking questions.

The way a question is asked can determine many things besides the quality and quantity of information given. Not only can it open or close a conversation, but it can also help to build or tear down a relationship.

The goal of asking questions is obviously getting answers. To this end, the questioner can decide how far to probe. If surface information is what is sought, it can be garnered pretty easily.

Sometimes, though, we need more than surface information. We already know that beginning a question with ‘why’ is a step up from starting with ‘who’ or ‘what’. The answer will likely be deeper, more nuanced, and more thoughtful. Going a step further to employ ‘The Five Whys’ (aka 5Y) strategy, though, will get at the core of the issue.

How to Connect Questioning to Metacognition

24/4/2021

Metacognition is the act of monitoring one’s cognition, also known as thinking about thinking.

It is a high-level skill that is a game-changer for learners.

We’ve talked about the power of asking good questions, but how do questions connect to metacognition?

Metacognition and Questions

Metacognition requires students to be active learners. It requires them not only to monitor their comprehension, but also to regulate it. Learners must ask themselves, ‘do I understand this?’ and if the answer is no, they must put into place a strategy that will aid in comprehension.

Using these comprehension strategies can be very beneficial, but the big win for the learner is that he is actually engaged in metacognition. The number of passive readers in the average classroom cannot be overstated. When the teacher questions a student after reading a paragraph, page or chapter, that deer-in-the-headlights look is by no means unusual.

Six Strategies for Strengthening Student Questioning Skills

10/4/2021

Even though we adults know that children are infinitely curious, research shows that the number of questions children ask during lessons slowly decreases throughout their time in K-12 school.

Why is this? And what can be done about it?

The ‘why’ is probably a combination of several reasons, including a general lack of time on the part of the teacher to entertain such questions.

A reduction in student questions in school is also likely a result or the institution of public education, as well.

Nevertheless, questioning skills are essential in higher-level thinking, problem solving, strategy, innovation and leadership.

So getting comfortable in the process of asking questions is very important. That’s why it’s a good idea to begin early. Here are some strategies for strengthening the questioning skills in your students.

Open vs. Closed Questions - What You Need to Know

27/3/2021

By now we know the importance of asking good questions.

We know the relationship between asking questions and learning .

As we begin to look closer and learn more about asking questions, let’s talk about different types of questions.

Closed Questions

Closed questions have only one correct answer. These questions are fact-based, true or false, or yes-or-no questions. Closed questions can be very helpful in some situations, like when you need to get to the bottom of something and you want ‘just the facts, ma’am’.

These questions might be used on quizzes and tests - they’re quick and easy for the teacher to correct. Unfortunately, they show only surface knowledge rather than deep understanding.

Eureka Math Chats

20/3/2021

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One of the BEST components of Eureka Math is that the students really understand the concepts they are learning. They internalize them.

Eureka math is designed to allow students ample opportunities to explain their thinking and share how they solved the problem. Students are asked to use their own words to explain, as if they are teaching someone else, which is amazing!

I know a lot of people think a quiet classroom is a productive one, but I say let’s flip the script on traditional quiet classroom environments with this one.

Let students share their thinking with each other!

One of the most important ways to solidify a thought process is verbally teach someone else. Children naturally want to discuss what they are doing and how they are doing it. Sometimes when it comes to talking out math concepts though, it can be tricky. We as teachers, want to provide students with the path they need to excel in this process.

Friends of Ten! Place Value Hacks for Eureka Math

13/3/2021

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The Eureka math curriculum really helped me to understand math in a logical way. It places such a strong emphasis on place value and base ten, because well, that is the most logical way our number system works!

Students are taught early on how make a ten. We may say cute phrases like look for “Friends of Ten!” but this helps kids get these facts burned into their memory bank. They seek out quick finds like double 5, 6 and 4, 9 and 1, 8 and 2, and 3 and 7.

Visually these facts are given life using the ten-frame cards. These cards are set up in two rows of five squares. The number of circles placed in the squares is one number and the remaining open spaced squares is the other number. Those two numbers together are a ten!

Read! Draw! Write! Solving Story Problems with Eureka Math

6/3/2021

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What makes math important?

It is not about just solving equations and turning in a piece of paper to say it is done.

Math is about life! Problems to be solved are everywhere. We can find them when we shop, when we play, when we build, and when we cook.

Learning to solve real life math problems makes each lesson that much more concrete and relatable. Making math about what happens to us in our lives also makes it fun!

Eureka math draws students into math using real life. When students are taught to solve story problems, everything is brought together.

The acronym taught in Eureka Math is RDW which stands for read, draw, write!

Students are taught to read the story for comprehension, draw a picture to solve, write an equation to solve, and write a statement with the final answer.

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