Helping Students Soar

I only finished my 4th of twelve classes for my master's inward curriculum as well as instruction amongst an emphasis inward math education.  That agency I'm officially 25% done amongst grad school!  And, yes, I am counting.  :)

My concluding degree was focused on teaching occupation solving, as well as I receive got to tell it was the most interesting as well as useful degree I receive got taken as well as then far.  Today, I desire to post service ane of the homework assignments I did for this class.  Our assignment was to brand a poster describing a heuristic occupation solving model that our students could use.  We could either brand our ain or role the ane our schoolhouse currently uses.  My schoolhouse has non adopted a occupation solving model, as well as I wasn't feeling super creative.  So, I decided to do to a greater extent than or less pinterest searching for ideas.  I came across the SOAR model from an simple teacher's classroom.

The model was works life on problem solving strategy posters I receive got hanging on the wall inward my classroom.  


Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 stands for ACT.  Students should ACT past times using their strategy (or strategies!) to solve the problem. 


I wanted to remind students that it's okay at this pace to acknowledge that the occupation solving strategy they chose didn't move every bit they expected as well as direct a unlike strategy.  I recall that a lot of times, students experience similar they receive got to alternative ane strategy as well as stick amongst it.  But, they don't know what strategy to pick, as well as then they halt upwards non picking whatsoever strategy as well as giving up.  A lot of this has to do amongst growth mindset vs. fixed mindset.  



I desire my students to present all of their work.  This is something I'm going to last a much bigger stickler nigh adjacent year.  I saw a post service before this twelvemonth inward the MTBOS where individual pose "CONVINCE ME" inward large letters on the wall of their classroom.  I'm going to brand this my motto adjacent year.  I don't desire students to present all of their move because it's tradition.  I desire students to acquire used to doing all that they tin to convince me of their agreement of a concept.  A right reply amongst steps shown is much to a greater extent than convincing than only an answer.  This is likewise the philosophy behind my A/B/Not Yet grading scale.  If I'm non convinced that students empathise a concept, they are going to acquire a NOT YET until they receive got convinced me.  

"No Naked Numbers" refers to ever including proper units when working a math problem.  This is something I yet demand to do a amend labor of.   



Lastly, students demand to REFLECT on their answer.  To do this, I gave students 4 questions to enquire themselves.

1.  Did you lot cheque your move as well as present all of your thinking?
2.  Does your reply brand sense?
3.  Did you lot write a consummate judgement summarizing your answer?
4.  Did you lot role appropriate math vocab?

I've never had my students enquire themselves these questions before.  I acquire frustrated when students don't cheque to brand certain their answers brand sense.  But, I've never taught them to do this.  I justice I've ever assumed that they should receive got picked upwards this strategy somewhere along the way.  But, it looks similar if I desire it to move on inward my classroom, I'm going to receive got to explicitly instruct students to do this.  That's ane of the things I'm learning the to a greater extent than I teach.  It's the things I complain nigh that I demand to brand strides to alter inward my classroom.

I likewise desire to start having students summarize their answers to each labor amongst a consummate sentence.  This should forcefulness them to acquire dorsum as well as human face at what the occupation was bespeak exactly.  Hopefully, if a pupil has accidentally solved the occupation for the incorrect thing, they volition realize it at this phase inward the problem.  A instructor tin hope, right?  :)

Here's the entire poster I made without my grinning self inward front end of it.


My grad schoolhouse assignment didn't halt amongst only making a poster, though.  I likewise had to demonstrate what it would human face similar to role this heuristic occupation solving model on a problem.

I chose a occupation from a sample ACT test: What is the maximum pose out of distinct diagonals that tin last drawn inward a regular hexagon?





For the SHOW step, I listed the knowns as well as unknowns for the problem.  And, I chose to highlight telephone commutation words inward the problem.  



For the ORGANIZE step, I chose which occupation solving strategy I would use.  I decided to depict a pic of a hexagon as well as depict inward the diagonals past times hand.  



For the ACT step, I did only that.  I drew a hexagon.  Then, I started drawing inward the diagonals.  I used CWP (Color With a Purpose) to demonstrate my thinking.  

Then, I summarized my findings amongst a consummate sentence:  There are ix distinct diagonals inward a regular hexagon.  



For the REFLECT step, I asked myself the questions from the poster.

So, why am I excited nigh this?

It is my promise that this model volition assistance my students because it volition forcefulness them to ho-hum downward as well as focus on the occupation solving process. So often, my students complain that they cannot do a problem, as well as they turn down to fifty-fifty start solving the problem. However, it should give my students a construction that volition assistance them start the problem. Even if students do non know how to solve the problem, they should yet last able to SHOW what they know from the problem. Every pupil should last able to circle or underline telephone commutation words as well as brand a listing of knowns as well as unknowns. The ORGANIZE pace volition receive got them recall through what unlike occupation solving strategies they receive got available to them. This should assistance my students acquire to a greater extent than familiar amongst practicing the occupation solving strategies. Even if students do non halt upwards implementing the occupation solving strategy, they are yet getting do considering which strategy would last best to use.

The ACT phase is where my students commonly start amongst a problem. They desire to throttle right into solving the occupation without genuinely thinking nigh what the occupation is bespeak or what road they are going to receive got towards an answer. I likewise similar that the ACT phase reminds students to present all of their work/thinking as well as role appropriate units. The REFLECT phase of occupation solving is what should last the existent game changer inward my classroom. Once students acquire an answer, they desire to rush right on to the adjacent question. They oftentimes don’t receive got the fourth dimension to encounter if their reply fifty-fifty makes sense. For example, if nosotros are solving for the pose out of watermelons inward Susie’s car, the reply shouldn’t last 0.0001 or 100000000. I likewise similar that this asks students to write their reply inward a complete, cohesive sentence. This forces students to acquire dorsum to the occupation as well as encounter if they genuinely solved for what the occupation was looking for inward the outset place.

I believe next this procedure volition brand my students into amend occupation solvers because it volition hateful that they are to a greater extent than engaged throughout the occupation solving process. When they claim they don’t know what to do, I tin enquire them what phase they are on inward SOAR.  I haven't genuinely used this amongst my students yet, but I recall that I'm going to brand to a greater extent than or less variety of graphic organizer that I volition receive got my students fill upwards out every bit they move through the SOAR process.

I'm likewise thinking that I should brand a SOAR foldable for students to expire on inward their notebooks as well as reference throughout the year.  So many ideas.  I can't hold off until adjacent schoolhouse twelvemonth to endeavour this out!

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