vmt-award-2024_47--2-_purple

Figure 3: Monitoring Tool Example

a simple task, it can actually be more challenging than expected. The teacher needs to make sure they are prepared to ask questions that make connec tions to the strategies and mathematical goals of the lesson, so the discussion does not become a “ show and tell ” session (Smith & Stein, 2011). “ The five practices were designed to help teachers to use students ’ responses to advance the mathe matical understanding of the class as a whole by providing teachers with some control over what is likely to happen in the discussion as well as more time to make instructional decisions by shifting some of the decision making to the planning phase of the lesson ” (Smith and Stein, 2018, p. 9). Smith and Stein ’ s 5 Practices are a powerful tool when used with fidelity. As we consider the next half of the school year, we know our students have fallen victim to the COVID slide. We encourage you to “ Task ” it out with your students in order help them make sense of the mathematics for themselves, fill in their mathemat ics understanding and skill gaps that the COVID slide has created, and prepare them for the next ac ademic year. Conclusion

References

Empson, S. B., & Levi, L. (2011). Extending Chil dren's Mathematics: Fractions and Decimals. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Katt,S., Champagne, Z., & Yeh, C. (2018). News & views. Teaching Children Mathematics, 25

(2), 70 - 71. doi:10.5951/ teacchilmath.25.2.0070

Sawchuk, S., & Sparks, S. D. (2020). What Re search Says About COVID - 19 and Math Learning Loss. Education Week , 40 (15), 3 – 5. Smith, M. S., & Stein, M. K. (2011). 5 practices for orchestrating productive mathematics dis cussions . Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The Impact of Open - Ended Tasks. (2014). Teach ing Children Mathematics , 20 (5), 277 - 280. doi:10.5951/teacchilmath.20.5.0277 Warshauer, H.K. (2015). Productive struggle in middle school mathematics classroom. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education , 17 (4), 375 - 400.

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