Establishing a Mathematics Whole-School Agreement by Stephanie Fowler https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50 What can we do at Belmont to promote a Mathematics Whole School Agreement? en-us 2016-11-14 20:10:51 UTC 2025-12-06 14:24:48 UTC hello@padlet.com Be consistent with the language we use with students. Following teacher guides and lesson treatments with consistency and fidelity will promote student success. sfowler9 https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/137541996 2016-11-14 20:19:29 UTC https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/137541996 Having a district wide curriculum helps reduce variability. We also team plan. https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/137558360 2016-11-14 21:17:55 UTC https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/137558360 Is it possible, or even appropriate to have students on each end of the elementary spectrum using the same vocabulary? Would those words, phrases, or directions match NeSA or ITBS or district? What about the transition from 5th to 6th? Will the middle schools have the same agreement? If not, would this put our students at a disadvantage? Terms like evaluate or solve are seemingly used interchangeably. If we pick one do we hinder their ability broaden their understanding and allow them to become overly reliant on specific words or directions? I'm not smart enough to know these answers but they are questions I think are worth considering before implementing something school or district wide. https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/137766176 2016-11-15 15:36:31 UTC https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/137766176 lstepane https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/138559326 -common vocabulary might help build retention among grade to grade

-staying away from "tricks" as a building K-5
is important

-teaching the why behind the "tricks"  Important to make the connection to why that works

-building wide math night for families to learn the math concepts can help build a partnership with parents so that they can help their student use the strategy that is taught in school

-having a consistent district wide curriculum will help reduce variability among teachers and grade levels, but it will take teachers using the curriculum with fidelity]]> 2016-11-17 20:36:18 UTC https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/138559326 Teaching the lesson treatments with fidelity and using common language and vocabulary. https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/138892506 2016-11-19 19:04:58 UTC https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/138892506 I've got to say "math talk" in our building is amazing. When I first came here I was nervous about how I was going to get my students to discuss math in a meaningful way. When I began teaching math I was blown away by how they just did it. Often I create questions to encourage them to go deeper in their explanations and they I don't even need the questions. Having a curriculum in the upper grades that was written by the same person helps, but I attribute this mostly to the commitment to our Belmont teachers who make this an expectation in the math classroom. I would like to see a consistency with our usage of rules and language. Sometimes during a lesson kids will say, "Oh, this is like what Mr./Mrs. Last Year's Teacher taught us but he/she explained it this way." While the name for the concept was cute or the trick the child was using was effective to their needs in the previous year, it can cause issues when they try to transfer the last year idea or trick to more complex numbers or operations. https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/139923579 2016-11-25 16:42:20 UTC https://padlet.com/sfowler9/3m29gux35v50/wish/139923579