Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Share and Compare

I'd like to recommend my latest summer read to any math teachers out there.  I first spotted it on my newest favorite math blog, The Elementary Math Maniac.  (She does some wonderfully amazing things in math.  You should check out her blog.)  The book looked like something I needed to read, and I was right.  I suppose one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much is because it validated some math shifts I've made in the past few years, specifically with problem solving.  


In a nutshell, kids solve problems in their own ways, a handful of them are asked to display their strategies for all to see, then each of them explains their work to the rest of the class.  Click on the picture below of one child's work to see the post where I described the process in more detail.


The book explains this process and the reasons why it works so well.  The author also gave me several tips for how to improve what I'm already doing.  I'm excited to make some changes when the little problem solvers arrive in August.  

Here are a few foundational ideas from the book.  Believe me, it's full of plenty more!


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12 comments:

  1. Looks like a great book! Thanks for sharing...

    Sarah @ Hoots N Hollers

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  2. Hi Tammy!
    I am so glad you love this book as much as I do. Thanks for the shout out! I have been reading some great books this summer so stay tuned for more book reviews:)


    Tara
    The Math Maniac

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    1. Tara, you're very welcome for the shout out. I'll be looking forward to hearing about your newest reads.

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  3. I'll have to add this to my reading list. It sounds like a good one.
    Connie Anderson:)
    www.welcometofirstgraderoom5.blogspot.com

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    1. Connie, you definitely should add this one.

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  4. Don't you just love it when you read a book and it inspires your teaching?! This seems like a book just for you. :)
    Lori
    Conversations in Literacy

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    Replies
    1. Lori, it was a great buy for sure. It's perfect for me.

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  5. You make a great point! It's so easy to get wrapped up in kids solving a problem in a way that makes sense to me, sometimes I don't really listen to how they solve it to see how it makes sense to them. Thanks for sharing! I'm heading over to the Math maniac's blog right now!

    -Amanda @
    Teacher at the Wheel

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    1. Amanda, I'm glad you're going to visit her blog. It's a wonderful resource for teachers.

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  6. Hi Tammy! I want to work on how I approach problem solving this year. Thanks for sharing!

    Crystal
    Teaching Little Miracles

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