Teaching Students to Communicate Mathematically by Sammons Laney;

Author:Sammons, Laney; [Sammons, Laney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development
Published: 2018-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Minilessons

Minilessons are highly focused and very brief. The teacher delivers them to either a small group or a whole class of students. Each lesson is designed to provide students with a writing skill or strategy that they can apply to enhance their mathematical writing. In no more than 10 minutes, teachers deliver a teaching point and give students a bit of practice in trying what was taught or a chance to talk about what was just demonstrated, so that they will be able to apply it independently in their own writing. Calkins (2005) suggests a specific architecture, or structure, for effective minilessons, which has been adapted to facilitate mathematical writing:

Making a connection. Begin a minilesson by connecting it to what students have learned in earlier lessons, to recent mathematical experiences, or to the kinds of mathematical writing they have been doing. Avoid making a connection by eliciting information from students. When you are the one describing the connection, it is not only more efficient, but it also enables you to inform students specifically of the connection that you have in mind when planning the lesson, rather than hoping that a student will mention it.

Teaching. Share a strategy, tool, or idea about mathematical writing that students can use to enhance their work. Explicitly tell students what you will teach them, rather than telling them what they will be doing. In planning appropriate teaching points, choose those that will develop students' writing by addressing their current learning needs. When delivering the teaching point, both explain it and demonstrate it. Let learners know when and how they can apply what you are showing them.

Actively engaging learners. Give students an opportunity to try out what you have just taught them in a very brief guided practice session. This not only prepares students for using what they have just learned when working independently, but also serves as a formative assessment to let you know how well students understand your teaching point. Since students will have more time to apply what they have learned as they write, plan active engagement activities that are concise and focused. Consider asking students to "turn and talk" to a partner to tell about what they learned or how they will apply the demonstrated writing strategy. Alternately, have students use individual whiteboards to show what they have learned.

Linking to future work. Before concluding the minilesson, restate the teaching point and emphasize your expectation that students will use what they have just learned in the future as they write about math.

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