I shared this on Twitter this week, an article that details different ways to teach perseverance in math. I then received this as a follow up.
Never one to back away from a challenge I’ve talked to several different high school math teachers and complied THESE strategies for David.
- Set a questions goal. When you are struggling with students understanding a concept, allow each student to ask a certain amount of questions and see how many different ways peers or the lead learner can answer them. For students who DO understand the concept this will be an especially high level activity, allowing them to “teach” to different levels of weakness.
- Set up a section in their notebook or math journal for struggles. In a fast paced class, by the time a student has figured out they have a question, the class may have moved on. Use sticky notes to record the questions that come up, even if they don’t ask them. This allows the students to capture their thoughts and confusion somewhere, so that they can come back to them.
- Integrate Warm-Up Activities The use of quick warm-up activities in class can be beneficial for several reasons. One of the most common reasons students may need intervention is that they have not fully mastered prerequisites. You can use warm-up activities to review prerequisites and to gauge student mastery. Begin your lessons by having your students complete several problems that cover prerequisites. This technique will also give you time to circulate among your students and have quiet one-on-one conversations. These discussions can be used as valuable informal assessment opportunities.
- Differentiate instruction. This sounds very basic, but especially in an environment where social expectations are even higher than usual, students will benefit from a variety of instructional methods. Many students who need intervention struggle to learn concepts because they may not be able to grasp abstract concepts. “Some students may not understand a concept when illustrated symbolically, but may be able to understand it when it is illustrated concretely, either via models, manipulatives, or technology.
- Try the concept of ““remediation through acceleration.” The concept introduces students to higher-level thinking and higher-level problems. Within the context of those problems, the teacher offers remediation to students who need it. Great example of this here….
Anyone else have any older students suggestions?
HS thinkN,
Amber
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