Boys and Girls

There has always been a debate about which gender is better in school. Who's better in gym class? Who's better in science? In math? In art? The list goes on an on...

However, I feel that our focus should not be about which gender is better in any subject, but rather how we can make ALL students successful in ALL subjects.

How can this be done? Lets take a look at this approach in a math classroom setting.

Mission Statement

To make sure that we to this effectively, we need to have an effective mission statement.

"To create a safe learning environment in which ALL students (regardless of their gender) are able to make mistakes, take risks, and become successful in mathematics."

*Notice that the mission statement says for ALL students. This is something we need to keep in mind as we build this

learning environment.*

How do we do this?

1. Knowing your students - Knowing the learning abilities and interests of the students allows you to design lessons and activities that appeal to their interests and learning abilities. This can be done by balancing topics an activities that are on average more appeal between boys and girls (ie, one lesson may talk about shopping; the next lesson on hockey). This would help keep them engaged and focused which would in turn help them to understand the lessons.

2. Real-life problems - As you create lessons that cater to the interests of students, make sure to create problems that are applicable to them. One way to do this is to make real-life problems for them to solve that relevant to them (ie. how many quarters do they need to buy 10 candies each worth $1).

3. Mixed groupings - Don't make groupings based only on gender; instead make groups that contain both genders and contain students with varying skill levels in math. By creating groups like this, students will be able to learn from one another which will help them gain a better understanding in math. 

4. Manipulatives - Students need to be active and be hands-on in their learning. Providing manipulatives for them to use as they learning will help them to make more connections which will help them gain a deeper understanding in math. Manipulatives are things like: geoboards, base 10 blocks, connecting cubes, money, and whiteboards.

5. It's OK to make mistakes - In most math classrooms, students give up when they make mistakes or get the wrong answer. As teachers, we need to teach students to persevere through their mistakes and show that mistakes are a part of the learning. Likewise, if students feel comfortable taking risks and making mistakes in math, they are more likely to have a deeper mathematical understanding because they will see that the process (how they got the answer) is more important than getting the answer.

If we as teachers implement these 5 things into our classroom, all students (regardless of their gender) will be successful!

Cross-Curricular Planning

What is Cross-Curricular Planning?
Cross-curricular planning involves integrating math into/with at least one other subject. Teachers integrate different subjects together in order to promote interest and engagement among their students. Additionally, if a student is strong in a given area, let them use their area of strength to help them improve their area of weakness. For example, if students are doing well and enjoy Social Studies and are struggling in math, a teacher can address this issue by integrating the math into a Social Studies lesson or task so that the math becomes blended with the Social Studies.

With that being said, some teacher do seem to have difficult to integrate subjects together even though they shouldn't. Look at the picture below of the crayons. Notice anything about this picture? Each crayon is overlapping or touching another crayon just like each subject touches or has areas that overlap each other. Knowing this should make teachers feel more at ease when they try to integrate several subjects together.

What does this look like?

Since there are several different subjects, there can multiple ways that a teacher can integrate subjects with one another. From Social Studies and Math to Art and Gym, most (if not all) subjects can be integrated together. If you are still are having troubles, check out the example links I posted below.

Links:

 The Ontario Math Curriculum: Grades 1-8 (page 27 for Cross-Curricular Planning)

Math Art Projects (look closely at the Zoo Habitat Design) - Science and Math

Going on a Shape Hunt - Math and Language

Mandalas, Polygons, and Symmetry - Math and Art

How Do I Effectively Plan a Lesson or Unit?

Once you have become familiar with the big ideas, then you can begin planning your unit plan and lessons.

Why is it so important to plan?
The importance behind planning out lessons and units is because it allows for us as teacher to know where we are headed with out class. Without planning ahead, we may actually teach lessons that may be disjointed and not applicable to students. As such, planning in advance allows us to have a vision for our teaching and allows us to make sure that each lesson (or unit) promotes greater understanding for all students.

Where do I begin?
First you need to determine which curriculum expectations you will be using for the unit. Once this is done, you will need to determine a goal of what you want the students to learn or be able to do at the end of the unit. It is this goal that drives your unit planning and is what each lesson should build towards. This type of unit planning is referred to as the backwards design model in which you start with the result (or goal) and work backwards to create each lesson.

Unit Planning
Once you have your goal planned you can than start determining an outline of what your unit would look like. Below I have provided some example unit plan templates which some may find helpful. Remember, each lesson should build towards the already chosen final goal. Also, don't worry if you need to change your unit plan in order to meet the needs of your students, that happens. Just make sure that you use the unit plan as a way to guide you through the unit.

Lesson Planning
When it comes to planning each individual lesson, teachers should structure their lesson using the 3 part lesson model. This model, breaks down the lesson into the following sections: "Getting started", "Working on it", and "Reflecting and Connecting".

The first section is more of an introduction of the topic while also reviewing from the previous lesson. Once the teacher feels confident in the students' abilities, they can then move on to the second section in which students will work on a task in groups to solve a given problem. The last section is then used to consolidate the learning and make sure that all students understand how to find the answer for the previous question. More detail on this model is provided in the links below.

If you are confused as to what you as the teacher should be doing during each section, here is a very simple explanation for each:

                                                      (taken from Tina's Teaching Treasures/)

Long Range Plans
Long Range Plans are essentially used by a teacher to plan out the units they will teach for the school year. Again this is used as a guideline for teachers to follow, but it may change depending on the needs of the students. Teachers use these long range plans to determine what order units or concepts should be taught so that students have the best chance to succeed and learn. An example of this would be a teacher planning so that students know how to measure objects with rules and how to create a graph before giving the task of measuring the growth of plants over a 1 month period.

Links:
A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics K-6:Volume 3 (page 43-46 for an explanation of a Three part lesson)
A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics: K-6:Volume 1 (page 59-60 for Long Range Plan Templates, page 61 for a Unit Plan template)

What's the Big Idea?

When designing a lesson or unit, teachers need to start with the BIG IDEAS.

                                          

Great question! The big idea (or ideas) are the key concepts that most (if not all) aspects of mathematics are built upon. They are present at every grade level, which is why teachers need to prepare lessons that include these key concepts Picture these big ideas as the foundation of mathematics; we use them as a means to build upon our prior knowledge and gain a deeper understanding.

How do I figure out what these big ideas are?
One way is to refer to the curriculum documents and see the concepts and ideas that are constant throughout every grade. Another way is to refer to the resources I have provided below which state the big ideas. However you do it, it is important that teachers plan lessons with these big ideas in mind.

How do I teaching with the big ideas in mind?
There are several books and online resources that would greatly help with this. One knowledgeable person on this topic would be Marian Smalls who has written several books on teaching the big ideas. Here is a link to one of her books which focuses on teaching the big ideas at the K-3 level.

Here are some useful links:

A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics: Grades K-3 (read pages viii and ix)

Number Sense and Numeration, Grades 4-6 (read pages 11-13)