5 Powerful Formative Assessment Strategies for Mathematics Classes!

For teachers to successfully deliver new common core based lessons in mathematics to their students, they will need to incorporate a variety of formative assessments to monitor student success in mastering the content or meeting the objective of the lesson.  Asking for a show of hands as to determine if enough of the content has been grasped so the teacher can move on is not efficient.  Formative assessments must go deeper, be more varied, and allow all students-especially English language learners-to fully demonstrate their grasp of lesson content.

In the article " formative assessments in math classes at all levels", the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) offers 5 creative approaches to conducting formative assessments in math classes. 

1.  Be sure students understand the learning goals by clarifying in student friendly language.  Be sure students know the criteria for success.  This provides them with a purpose for learning.
2.  Create a classroom environments filled with effective classroom discussions, questions, activities, and tasks which demonstrate student learning.
3.  Provide feedback that identifies what students are doing well so that they will know what to repeat.  "Good job!" means little if anything since the student doesn't know what he did well/
4.  Have students learn to take charge of their own learning.
5.  Have students support each other within the class as they grapple with ever increasing math problems.  In effect, students should be resources for each other.

The article expand on this of course.  In fact, these suggestions would work in any discipline.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS


   (pdf of article)

Can Math Be Fun? You Bet:)

Common Core has radically transformed the math class, at all levels, from basic computations to calculus.  The textbook no longer drives classroom instruction.  All levels of math instruction must have a direct tie-in to the real world.  Further, with thoroughly all inclusive classroom activities, all students will have multiple opportunities through multiple venues to master the material.  Standardized tests will no longer drive instruction--no more "one inch deep and one mile-wide" approaches to instruction.  How refreshing:)

My board PINTEREST FOR MATH offers a variety of new ways to view math as teachers.  Pinterest is an account that can be used for academic issues as well as cooking.  Take a look at creative ways to teach all levels of mathematics.  Delight your students in the process.  Develop a love of mathematics in all your students!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Follow me on TWITTER @ell_teacherpros and Pinterest as dmcyberteacher.

Teaching Students How to Build a Solid Financial Foundation!

With common core math lessons, teachers will need to build into lessons real world applications.  One area in this domain that will finally get the attention it deserves is financial literacy.  All too often, students possess a very limited knowledge of life beyond high school especially in areas of money related issues such as rent, mortgage, college expenses, car payments, credit cards, budgets, etc.  Even young children can benefit from learning to budget their allowances.  The goal should be that in every school and at every grade financial IQs are sharpened.  Khan Academy and the Bank of America have risen to the challenge in addressing this critical need in young people.

To use this free resource, students will need to set up accounts.  In fact, teachers may wish to share the site with parents.  Many adults are using the site to see how much they remember from high school and college.  Bill Gates even spends time there:)  The videos are well done and do not contain any distracting items.  Further, if teachers like flipping their classroom, they can assign the "lecture" to do at home and the "homework" to be done in school.  Students who struggle with the lecture (students take mini-checks along the way which the teacher can monitor from home) can come to school the next day knowing that the teacher can help.   While for those who encountered no problems can proceed on to more challenging assignments.

Try it out.  Your students will thank you for it:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Follow us also on FACEBOOK (ELL TEACHER PROS) and TWITTER @ell_teacherpros.

New COMMON CORE MATH Standards Will Prepare Students to Compete Globally:)

Common Core offers a radically new approach to the way math is taught in the United States at every grade level.  Teachers will be allowed to spend more time in delivering instruction so that all students will have sufficient time to both process lesson content and be able to demonstrate their knowledge through real world assessments. 

This tie-in to higher education and business will prepare students to compete on a global scale which is absolutely necessary if the US economy is to be able to stay economically competitive.  Currently, American students are being outperformed by most countries in the industrialized world.  There is an urgency here to reverse the downward trend.  What complicates the picture here even more is that the number of ELLs in the country continues to rise while training for mainstream teachers, who may not have dealt with them in the past, is limited due to funding. 

Common Core offers some hope in reversing this negative trend.  A "less is more" approach will be the focus here.  Students will have time to process new information before moving on.  Further, math concepts will be tied to what they know and what they will need to know to become productive working adults in the future.

COMMON CORE MATH STANDARDS

The first assessments will be ready in 2014.  I hope they yield the results educators and parents hope for.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

P.S.  I will be on my way to Long Beach, California to attend the annual C.A.B.E conference (California Association of Bilingual Education ) on Wednesday.  I will be leading a half-day institute on Friday on "Enhancing Teacher Tool Kits for the Common Core." If you are attending, please drop by.  If not, I will be posting all materials and notes later on in February for all to see (on website).  Cheryl and I may even upload some video:)

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