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Alii from the Republic of Palau: Singapore Math Training in the South Pacific

July 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’ve been out of touch for a few weeks, here’s the scoop….

The Republic of Palau is now using Primary Mathematics, U.S. Edition! Earlier this year the Republic’s Ministry of Education (MOE) released a request seeking the services of a Singapore Math Trainer to work with teachers and MOE staff.  I submitted a bid and was honored to be awarded the contract.

The last 2 1/2 weeks found me in Koror, Palau, working with the teachers on the Singapore materials and elementary school content knowledge. One week was focused on Grades 4-6, which will begin using Primary Mathematics this fall. A second week was spent with teachers of Grades 1-3. They used the materials last year, so we spent time analyzing successes and addressing challenges they found.

It was enlightening and so much fun working with them for two weeks on content and the Singapore strategies. Sulang!

 

Melanie and I are playing Salute! – Squared. A third person is squaring our numbers and adding them together. They give us the sum and based on seeing the other card, we need to figure out what card we are each holding to out foreheads.

Currently, I am attending the International Conference on Mathematics Education (ICME-12) learning about current education research and sharing experiences with educators from around the world.

Included as part of the conference is the Mathematical Carnival with activities for students. How often do you see this in the U.S. –  Math Face Painting!

More on the ICME-12 to come…

 

 

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Fraction modeling tools from my NCTM session

June 7, 2012 by 3 Comments

Last month I presented with Lauri Susi of Conceptua Math at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2012 conference in  on Technology + Singapore Strategies = Number Sense

While planning the session, I noticed that there are many websites and apps available that are basically computation or fact practice. I think of them as “video flash cards”. Then there were websites designed to do what a teacher should be doing, teach. Sites like Khan Academy, Aleks, and other video tutorial sites. What I really needed were websites and apps that could support me, as a teacher, in the classroom.

If I’m teaching addition with regrouping and need a good interactive place value chart, where do I find one that I could use in a classroom, during a lesson?
Where could I find some good fraction representations?

This session is the result of digging for those apps and websites.

Because it was an interactive session, the powerpoint below is not too exciting, but it does have links to most of the online tools and apps that we demonstrated in the session.

Technology + Singapore Math = Number Sense

We got to spend some time investigating free fraction tools from Conceptua Math.

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Thoughts from NCTM session on Singapore Math + Technology

May 3, 2012 by 1 Comment

Last week I presented with Lauri Susi at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2012 Annual Conference in Philadelphia.  Here was our session description:

470 – Technology + Singapore Strategies = Number Sense
Lead Speaker: Cassandra Turner
Co-Speaker: Lauri Susi

Visual reasoning is a powerful tool for making sense of mathematics. Learn successful visual strategies and instructional methods from Singapore that allow students to develop a deeper understanding of number concepts using hands-on manipulatives and software. Walk away with strategies for guiding students’ learning that you can use tomorrow.

We displayed the above image of lions on the screen while discussing the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract progression of understanding. A teacher raised her hand and said something along the lines of:

I don’t like that picture. There are male lions and female lions, they aren’t the same. I can’t add them together and students get confused in upper grades when they think that these can be added.

Which is such a great comment. Why? Because this illustrates one of those interesting points that isn’t always in a student textbook and as the teacher you have to be aware of it : labels matter. Yet it isn’t so obvious at a kindergarten level.

2 male lions and 3 female lions make 5 lions altogether.

Well, they’re all lions and we’re looking at a part-whole understanding of addition. Here’s another image from the kindergarten book:

2 boys and 3 girls make 5 children.

2 daisies and 2 tulips make 4 flowers.

So how does this apply to later, more advanced concepts? Consider:

  • 2 ones and 3 ones make 5 ones.
  • 2 tens and 3 tens make 5 tens.
  • 2 tens and 3 ones make 23 ones.
  • 2 dimes and 3 pennies make 5 coins and they also make 23 cents.
  • 2/5 and 3/5 make 5/5
  • 2/5 and 3/4 make…hmmm, we need some common terminology here.

Thanks kindergarten and first grade teachers for laying this foundation!

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Quick thought from NCTM conference

May 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Tweet from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference regarding a discussion of number lines.

Archived twitter conversations from last week’s conference can be found by searching #NCTM12 or #NCTM2012.

 

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NCTM 2012 Conference Singapore Math Sessions

March 29, 2012 by 1 Comment

If you’re like me, you’re already excitedly paging through the NCTM Conference program book, choosing which workshops and sessions to attend.  With over 700 sessions this year, planning your days can be quite a challenge.  If you’re  looking to check out some Singapore Math sessions, there’s good news and bad.

Good news? There are 11 sessions on Singapore Math this year and they are much more diverse than in the past. (Though the number of choices is down from the 14 offered last year)

Bad news? Anything listed below in pink is an overlapping session.  Below are my thoughts on which session to choose, if you have a conflict.

The best news! I’m presenting a  session on Friday, April 27 at 11 AM with Lauri Susi entitled, “Technology + Singapore Strategies = Number Sense.” (More on this below)

FYI – Four of the eleven sessions are Exhibitor’s Workshops:

Exhibitor Workshops (60 minutes) are set theatre style for at least 115 people. Exhibitors showcase their products and services away from the Exhibit Hall.

Thursday, April 26: 8:30 AM-9:30 AM – No conflict

EW – Differentiating Singapore Math Lessons with Yeap Ban Har
Exhibitor Workshop: Marshall Cavendish International

 Understand how Singapore Math is designed to provide learners, especially struggling ones, with adequate scaffold. Suitable for educators teaching Grades 2-7.

Thursday, April 26: 9:30 AM-10:30 AM – No conflict (but you’ll need to hustle from the Convention Center to the Marriott)

79 – Let’s Mix Drinks: Ratio in Japanese and Singapore Textbooks
Lead Speaker: William Jackson

The Common Core State Standards have students learn about unit rate and equivalent ratios in grade 6. See how to bring to these ideas to life using Asian textbooks, bar models, and lesson study.

Thursday, April 26 12:30 PM – 01:30 PM

166 – Using Primary School Classroom Computer Gaming for Number Sense
Lead Speaker: Ashish Amresh
Co-Speaker: Tricia Salerno

Enhancing classroom math using video games develops number sense. Involving gaming keeps students’ engagement and motivation high. The speakers created the games from Singapore Math, because of its alignment to the Common Core State Standards. They will demonstrate social media that promote students’ success further motivation. Designed for teachers working with grades preK – 2.

Thursday, April 26 1:00 PM – 02:30 PM

207 – Model Drawing for Challenging Word Problems, the Singapore Way
Lead Speaker: Anni Elizabeth Stipek

Come on a tour of how to successfully solve challenging word problems using model drawing. This revolutionary tool will help students understand word problems by first drawing a picture and eventually move to the equation. Designed for teachers working with grades 6 – 8.

196 – Singapore Math Strategies You Can Count On!
Lead Speaker: Char Forsten

 Come see specific Singapore Math strategies that will deepen and improve students’ number sense and problem solving skills. Learn practical, technology-friendly strategies that align with and support the Common Core Standards. Designed for teachers working with grades 3 – 5.

The first session will spotlight Rocket Solvers, a number sense app based on Singapore Math.  Both Anni Stipek and Char Forsten work for Staff Development for Educators. All three are knowledgeable presenters, so you won’t make a mistake if you  head to the grade strand that you teach.

Recommendations:

-> Need preK – 2 Number Sense ideas? Head to the first session.
-> If you’re  looking for grades 6 – 8 content, head to Model Drawing.
-> Seeking grades 3 – 5 CCSS aligned material? Head to Char’s session
*Personally, I’ll be attending this one: Using Students’ Misunderstanding to Deepen Teachers’ Understanding

Friday, April 27 11:00 AM – 012:00 PM No conflict – Woohoo! -This is a session I’m presenting with Lauri Susi.

470 – Technology + Singapore Strategies = Number Sense
Lead Speaker: Cassandra Turner
Co-Speaker: Lauri Susi

Visual reasoning is a powerful tool for making sense of mathematics. Learn successful visual strategies and instructional methods from Singapore that allow students to develop a deeper understanding of number concepts using hands-on manipulatives and software. Walk away with strategies for guiding students’ learning that you can use tomorrow.

Friday, April 27 1:00 PM – 02:00 PM

EW – Math Buddies – The Singapore Online Math Program for CCSS
Exhibitor Workshop: Marshall Cavendish International

Math Buddies adopts the same pedagogical principles of our Singapore mathematics textbooks and combines multimedia technologies and instructional strategies to make teaching and learning Math easier. Gain insight into its various components and how these can help you transition to CCSS and an effective online teaching and learning environment.

Friday, April 27 1:00 PM – 02:30 PM

509 – Singapore Math: Building Blocks to Learning Volume
Lead Speaker: Katherine de la Garza

Learn how to bring hands-on Singapore Math to life in your classroom. Use blocks to build solids, share your strategies, and then watch classroom footage of students to understand how this concrete-pictorial-abstract approach can deepen students’ understanding of volume and encourage inquiry. Hands-on session designed for teachers working with grades 3 – 5.

The first session is an Exhibitor Workshop, meaning that you can find more information about their company on the exhibit floor.

Recommendation:
-> Interested in Singapore Math in an online environment, go to the first session.
-> Looking for “use it tomorrow” ideas? Head to the volume session.
-> Leave early to get to the next session with Dr. Yeap. This one will fill up fast!

Friday, April 27 2:30 PM – 03:30 PM – No conflict

EW – Intervention Strategies with Singapore Math with Yeap Ban Har
Exhibitor Workshop: Marshall Cavendish International

How does Singapore schools deal with middle school students who struggle with mathematics? This session includes a discussion on how curriculum design and teaching strategies can help such students recover enough to be able to cope with mathematics at the secondary level. Suitable for educators teaching Grades 5 – 8

Friday, April 27 4:00 PM – 05:00 PM – No conflict

EW – Singapore Math Is for Middle School Too!
Exhibitor Workshop: SingaporeMath.com

The international success of Singaporean students has led many elementary schools to use Singapore Math® textbooks. But Singapore’s students also perform at the top of the world in middle school. Come see how new Singaporean textbooks, aligned to the Common Core State Standards,can help students learn mathematics in powerful and meaningful ways.

Saturday, April 28: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM – No conflict

688 – Intriguing Lessons about Teaching and Assessing Math around the World
Lead Speaker: Steven J. Leinwand

It’s really not an accident that countries like Singapore and Hong Kong significantly outperform the United States. Take a look at some of the features, instructional approaches, and assessment items that can guide our own efforts to improve U.S mathematics teaching and learning.

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