Blast From The Past. (A peek into my past classrooms)
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Dear Parents, A note to let you know a little about Math. Children are motivated and eager for new challenges, and it is this enthusiasm that has, and will continue to lead to many successes and gains throughout the coming year. Because Math time is limited by our schedule (it is a very full, non-stop period), it is important that students advocate for themselves, requesting special help when they don’t understand something. I am usually willing to miss the first half of my lunch if the need arises, and I will be available in my classroom on Monday afternoons, between 3:00 and 3:25 for special help sessions. I can also meet most days after school if I don’t have previously scheduled meetings. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer during math period, I encourage you to let me know. It is an incredible boon to the class to have a second grown-up helping to field questions. It’s a great way to make a difference in these children’s lives. You don’t need to be an expert.... you will have the use of teacher’s guides (answer keys) and me! Parents often ask how they can best help their child at home. I encourage you to check homework twice ... the night your child is working on it, and once again after it has been corrected. Your child doesn’t need to correct every problem that they miss, but if you can spot trouble, and encourage them to re-work some of the problems, it will save them the grief of doing poorly on later homework and tests. I know that most of you help your children with their homework. Keep up the good work! This is the greatest gift that you can give to your child. A note about homework: My intention is to build foundation and provide practice so that skills become “reflexive.” It is difficult to know how quickly individuals will get their homework done… so I am asking for your help. If your child has “worked math” for more than 20 minutes, it is probably time to do some "triage". Tell them that it is time to start working every-other problem, or select a few problems that seem to pose the most difficulty, so that you can work on them together. Those who ‘do more’ generally ‘do better’ by year’s end… but I will leave some of that in your hands. Generally… those who struggle need more, not less practice. It’s a difficult dilemma. My goal is not to exhaust the children OR the parents (Been there, done that! Smiles) What to do if you decide an assignment needs to be shortened, or it’s a bad night for homework (relatives visit, or some other unusual circumstance)? Write a short note to me, don't feel guilty, and sign it. It can be as short as, “Couldn’t finish homework last night.” Or “Needed to shorten assignment.” DO make sure that you find time to help your child catch up to their peers. Best Wishes to you all as we dive into the 2010-11 school year! Caryl Brewbaker |
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD SUCCEED IN MATH
Daily homework:
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Math homework is assigned most nights because practice is essential. I encourage parents to check over their child's work before it is turned in, providing special one-on-one instruction when needed. Children should come to class the next day, ready to tackle the next step, and prepared to pass random Pop Quizzes that usually include a problem or two from recent homework assignments.
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Corrected and returned homework
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Ask your child for corrected homework and Pop Quizzes. Mistakes provide a clear idea of further work and practice needs.
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Be Involved!
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Your child needs your active support to make the fastest and most powerful gains. A parent’s help is a precious gift that pays off in dividends as your child masters the basics, enabling him/her to be more powerful in advanced mathematical reasoning. Some parents prefer to hire a tutor or high school student to help. Whichever you decide upon, the more access your child has to immediate help and feedback, the stronger s/he will perform in the future.
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Conbubblations:
Every Math period starts with a timed test in basic facts. I call it “Conbubblations,” a name I made up which means “Congratulations for the Bubbles.” A child receives a sticker (bubble) for each test passed. Each test's "ultimate" goal is 20 problems in 2 minutes, although a test is considered “temporarily passed” when done in 6 minutes. We start with addition and then progress through subtraction. Students work at their own pace. I expect second graders to master their facts “sooner rather than later.”
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If you want to know where your child is in Conbubblations, the chart is posted by the door. Students are encouraged to take tests home to practice. The chart is readable by “number” not name. You need to know your child’s number to read their chart. Color Key (for sticker): Blue = 2 min, Red = 3 min, Green = 4 min, Yellow = 5 or 6 minutes.
Pop Quizzes:
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There will be random Pop Quizzes over material learned. Pop quizzes include a problem or two from the previous night’s homework, and two or three review problems. Children are allowed to correct them, bringing their final grade up to an “E” if they have corrected their problem(s) and the parent has signed their paper. One opportunity only will be available for adjustment; so parental assistance is advised.
Section or Chapter Tests:
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At the end of a Chapter, or perhaps after learning a key problem-solving element, children will be given a formal test. It is hoped that children will “demonstrate accuracy” and that these tests will be passed at above 85%. These will be sent home so that, again, parents can see where their child may need some additional coaching.
Daily Math Schedule (approximate) THE DAILY MATH SCHEDULE (approximate)
FOR 2020-2011
- ~10 min. Arrival and organizational prep for Math. Conbubblations: 29 Basic Facts tests on Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction.
- ~12 min. Group corrections and/or corrected work is passed back (Homework, Quizzes and Tests).
- ~20 and 35 min. Classroom lecture & practice covering new & review problems.
- ~ 5min. Homework assignments are given, to be begun in class and finished at home. Teacher is available for one-to-one help. If children finish work early, they are encouraged to go to the file and pull Challenge Worksheets to work on both in class and at home.
- ~8 min. – Pop Quiz (if given)
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- MONDAYS – 3:00 – 3:25 (after school) Help session for any of my students. Best if students arrive with specific questions about concepts that they find difficult, so that the session is purposefully driven.
- ALL DAYS - First 20 minutes of Lunch period, I welcome children who come with questions.
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- Parent Help Available: I have lots of tricks in my bag. If you don’t know how to teach a concept, or are confused in how to help your child, drop me an email and I’ll try to set up a “drop-in session” for you after school or at lunch. If possible, let me know the specific page and problem(s) so that I can be better prepared when you arrive, although this is not always possible. Please understand that I don’t always have the answer, but can help strategize with you.
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Friendly Advice to Help You Work With Your Child WITH LOVE FROM ME TO YOU...
When your child doesn't understand a concept:
NEVER make your child feel "bad" for not knowing or understanding something. Take a deep breath and try to help them over that bump. Feeling "stupid" slows a child down ... it never speeds them up.
Compliments:
Research tells us that children who get too much praise are less likely to take risks, are highly sensitive to failure and are more likely to give up when faced with a challenge. Instead, compliment them on specifics: “You worked hard on that problem and succeeded.” “You just did five problems in a row with no mistakes... that kind of accuracy will get you far.” “You must be proud of yourself for getting your work done without my asking you. It makes me proud of you when you are so responsible.” (I’ve attached a recent publication that includes a Stanford study, supporting this philosophy. I have heard similar research statistics for years)
Maintaining Family Sanity:
Homework is important, but it must not get in the way of socialization, sleep, prior commitments, or your family's sanity. A simple note that the homework is unfinished will do, although work still needs to be finished in a timely manner. Keep the line of communication open if work assigned is often overwhelming and needs to be modified.
Helping your child concentrate and feel successful:
You generally do not need to sit down with your child, but you do need to provide your child with the space and quiet time to successfully complete the homework, and assist them when necessary.
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Praise- How To ABC News: Why Praise Can Be Bad for Kids
http://abcnews.co.com/GMA/AmericanFamily?story?id=2877896&p...
WHY PRAISE CAN BE BAD FOR KIDS
By ANN PLESHETTE MURPHY and JENNIFER ALLEN
Feb. 15, 2007 — "Wow, you got an A without even studying."
"Your drawing is wonderful — you're my little Picasso."
"Keep it up and you'll be the next Peyton Manning."
If you're like most parents, you offer praise to your children believing it is the key to their success — those flattering words can boost a child's self-esteem and performance. But according to a new study, praise may do more harm than good.
For the study, researchers divided 128 fifth-graders into groups and gave them a simple IQ test. One group was told it did really well and must be very smart. The other group was told it did really well and must have worked hard. One group was praised for intelligence, the other for effort.
Asked if they wanted to take a slightly harder test, the kids praised for their intelligence were reluctant. Of those praised for their effort, however, 90 percent were eager for a more challenging task. And on a final test the effort group performed significantly better than the group praised for its intelligence.
Many of the kids who had been labeled "smart" performed worst of all. The "hard workers" got the message that they could improve their scores by trying harder, but the "smart" kids believed they should do well without any effort.
Praise Can Bring Down Performance
"Contrary to popular belief, praising children's intelligence did not give them confidence and did not make them learn better," said Carol Dweck, a professor of developmental psychology at Stanford University and author of "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success."
Her surprising research, which she has repeated with hundreds of kids from all socioeconomic backgrounds, was published recently in the journal Child Development.
Dweck found that children's performance worsens if they always hear how smart they are. Kids who get too much praise are less likely to take risks, are highly sensitive to failure and are more likely to give up when faced with a challenge.
"Parents should take away the fact that they are not giving their children a gift when they tell them how brilliant and talented they are," Dweck says. "They are making them believe they are valued only for being intelligent, and it makes them not want to learn."
When parents, teachers and coaches label a child, they tell the child that he or she is the label and is judged for this label, not for his actual capabilities. The child becomes risk-averse and doesn't want to chance messing up and being labeled "dumb." In other words, a "smart" child often believes that expending effort is something only "dumb" kids have to do.
Be Specific About Praise and Don't Be Afraid to Withhold It
The key is to be specific about the praise you give.
"Parents should praise children for their effort, their concentration, their strategies," Dweck said.
For instance, next time your son gets an A on an exam for which you know he hardly studied, tell him you think he should try a tougher class next semester. When he scores the winning touchdown, instead of telling him he's the best player on the team, ask him how he trained to run so fast.
The flip side is that parents must be honest when their children do not perform as well as their peers. If your daughter finishes last at the track meet, and you know it is because she's younger and less experienced than other competitors, it is better to tell her that she did not deserve to win because she still needs improvement than to tell her you thought she was the best, no matter what the judges said.
But it's hard to refrain from telling children how smart or perfect they are.
"We believe that by telling them they're smart, they'll believe they're smart, and if they believe they're smart, they'll attack their schoolwork with confidence," said Po Bronson, a father of two who wrote the cover story in the current issue of New York Magazine, "How Not to Talk to Your Kids: The Inverse Power of Praise." Writing the article forced Bronson to re-evaluate his own parenting techniques after learning of Dweck's research.
"I was frightened of this idea that telling a child that they're smart makes them think that effort is only for dummies, and if you're smart you shouldn't have to rely on effort," Bronson said.
It has not been easy, but Bronson and his wife have changed their ways.
"I have found that I just need to be honest," Bronson said. "Being honest is going to serve us better in the long run."
Tips for Parents
Avoid labels. Praising for effort sends the message that your child has the power to improve and change, but labeling him "smart" gives him little control over changing how he is perceived. Be mindful of labeling yourself ("I can't do my taxes — I'm terrible at math") and others ("Your gymnastics partner is such a klutz").
Teach kids from an early age that the brain is a muscle that can be strengthened with practice. This sends the message that kids can directly affect their intelligence, which may empower unmotivated teenagers.
Lose the guilt. Parents often praise their kids to make themselves feel good, or to protect their kids from failure. But it's critical for parents to help their kids to learn to cope with setbacks and to help them focus on ways to improve.
