The Without-A-Doubt / Monthly Top 3 List.
Math moves that lead to student mastery
TOP 3 classroom moves we gotta get right in our schools to increase math achievement. This monthly post is provided to provoke a little conversation. And, remember, the thoughts presented here are offered up as indisputable facts, not just opinions…😁 So here we go…Our without-a doubt, talk-to-the-hand most critical math moves that lead to mastery.
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1. Discussion / Math Vocab
Student discussion is a key learning lever, and robust small group and whole group discussion must be part of everyday math routines. The key steps in advancing learning include: 1. Academic vocabulary and 2. Pacing. Students comprehend math concepts better when they are not confused and frustrated by math terminology. Asking and then requiring students to use math terms when discussing with their peers promotes higher cognition and metacognition. Timing is also key. If teachers don’t monitor pacing closely, academic discussion can go on far too long. Discussion is a top-notch strategy, but it comes with diminishing returns. Students can sometimes discuss and debate math problems endlessly and, when that happens, instructional time is wasted. As with any great strategy, structure and purpose are everything.
2. Parallel Assessment
Formative assessment is much more effective in learning math than summative testing. Math is a subject that students learn incrementally, so building in short formatives is key. The trick is making sure students take the assessments seriously (so we can measure their skills accurately) and that assessment leads to reflection and correction. This is where parallel assessment comes in. Students take short or long-form quizzes and (assuming they don’t get all the answers correct) are given repeated attempts to take the test over until they reach mastery. This requires the teacher or math team to create a few forms of the same assessment that includes similar questions. Students can be motivated to re-test by offering them better grades, extra credit, or other “rewards.” Most teachers who use this technique successfully require students to attend some form of tutoring before they can re-test. In this way, there are no freebies.
3. Error Analysis / Re-Teaching
Students rarely get things right the first time so giving them time and space to analyze and correct their mistakes is a key to learning. Too often, math instruction is heavy on instruction and assessment, without much in between. Teach and test. Teach and test. In the most successful math classrooms, ample time is given for students to discuss in pairs or small groups their “incorrect” responses and where they may have gone wrong. Teachers can also use this time to model how to solve the most challenging questions by focusing the class on the most selected wrong answer(s). “Why did most of you pick answer choice B? Let’s unpack this together.” A key mindset shift is utilized here in challenging students to re-think their steps and correct them before their incorrect assumptions lead to ongoing and irreversible miscalculations.