Tuesday, March 31, 2009
MOST DIFFICULT FIRST
The book discusses starting an assignment by have the students (not necessarily only the gifted students) the most difficult problems first. if they can prove that they understand the concept, then why have them do all of the work. While I agree with this strategy, do you agree with the suggestions of replacement activities such as 'do nothing'?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
just finished reading the chapter. I think I've heard something about doing the math this way. Way cool idea. I just worry about the kids getting off-task with nothing to do.
ReplyDeleteScott: What activities could you have planned if they have done the most difficult first?
ReplyDeleteThere is the conundrum . . . in theory we believe that if we just follow the best practices we have been taught in grad school and throughout our masters, we will miraculously be able to keep every single kid involved for the whole class period, succeed in teaching them the mandated material, and developed in them a life long love of learning.
ReplyDeleteI know there are times that no matter how hard you work at preparing lessons to meet every need, there will always be one, two, three . . . students who absolutely refuse to participate. Add to this the stress of an administrative philosophy that every child MUST be actively engaged from “bell to bell” and what do you do with that child who aced the five hardest problems (in less than 20 minutes) and now has free time. Middle school kids are social animals and they can promise you the moon, but if someone starts talking to them, they are going to interact.
I would like to see how an effective middle school teacher uses the “Five Hardest” rule, in a classroom setting. The only way I can see the free time after five, thing working is if the gifted students have other projects to focus their energy on. Then you run head on into the “different not more rule.” I still like the strategy, but I need something better than “free time” as an incentive. Any ideas?
Well in this case they have only done 5 problems where as the other students may have to do 30 - 40. Therefor, it would not be more, it would be different. However this work would have to be absolutely different than what they have mastered. You have pointed something out that we are actually going to be spending an entire chapter on this later in the book!
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with this suggestion. I am not a supporter of giving a ton of problems for a classwork/homework assignment; however, I do believe in practing the skills we learn. If a student can do the hard ones...great. He/she still could use the practice. During my math class, my students are expected to do math work. If I excuse them from an assignment and allow them to move on in the text or do an enrichment assignment that I then have to help them to understand, I am taking away from my other students who are most likely struggling with the current assignment. I think that if you begin to make those kinds of exceptions, you start to spread yourself too thin and you become unable to do your job efficiently. And I absolutely do not agree with allowing a student to "do nothing."
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Marisa, how do we teach two, three, four, five different lessons every day. I hate to say it cannot be done , , , but I have yet see it done, where every student is engaged in learning and the teacher isn't going crazy trying to keep up with a 1000 questions. Individualized instruction is good in theory and I believe it can work in under limited circumstances, but I have not mastered this great talent yet.
ReplyDeleteKristi: Do you think that one to one computing and other technologies would help with this?
ReplyDelete