Instagram story viewer> @melissa.l.dean> Posts

Melissa Dean | Creating Responsive Math Classrooms

@melissa.l.dean

1.9K

followers

2281

following

Helping middle and high school math teachers learn to make student understanding visible, without grading everything.

POSTS STORIES REELS

Here’s the real story.

Just adding more explicit instruction into your math classroom isn’t what your students need.

They need opportunities to think.
They need opportunities to make mistakes, reflect and correct.
They need to learn how to find problems, not just solve them.
AND they need clear, modeled instruction that makes thinking visible and that works with their working memory, not against it.

Do we need explicit instruction based on what we know about how the brain works? Yes.

Do we need classrooms that make math about more than being useful? Also Yes.

Because, at the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves: what are we here for?

What we need is a responsive math classroom. This is what I teach inside The Responsive Math Studio.

Comment STUDIO to get the link for my next FREE training (and I’ll throw in my FREE Start Up guide!) by @melissa.l.dean

A test reveals answers.
But the notebook tells the real story.

1. The notebook teaches me about what kind of learner a student is. How are they interacting with the lessons? Are they copying notes or are they recording something that reflects their ideas and thoughts?

2. The notebooks reveals the journey. Where did they start? Where are they now? How did they get there?

3. The notebook shows me more than a snapshot. It shows me thinking through time.

If you’re ready to see how you can start Notebooking as part of your responsive math classroom, comment GUIDE. I’ll send you the link to my next FREE training and a link to download my FREE start up guide! by @melissa.l.dean

You and your flair pens need a marking break.

You don’t need to mark those worksheets. You need to document the learning so that you can plan tomorrow’s lesson.

And it takes 30 seconds.

Want to find out how? Comment HOW to get the link to my next FREE training. And when you do, I’ll also send you my FREE printable guide From Gradebook to Notebook: 3 moves to create a responsive math classroom. by @melissa.l.dean

Your favourite ghost is also a parkour star ⭐️ by @melissa.l.dean

The test says: here’s a moment in time, one day, one class period.

The notebook says: here’s a growing body of evidence that reflects the journey.

Together, they form the foundation for developing assessment that reflects what a student actually knows.

The formality of the test doesn’t make it more valid than the notebook.

You don’t need more time for marking to have a better understanding of that your students know. You need better evidence you can do more with.

Comment EVIDENCE to get the link to my next FREE training (happening tonight!!) if you’re ready to do more with less. by @melissa.l.dean

Most things in your math class don’t need a mark.

But here are the 3 most important ones:

1. Exit or entrance tickets. These are the very definition of formative assessment.

2. In class worksheets. Also the very definition of formative assessment.

3. Assignments.

Want to know why and what you should do instead? (And that will save you time, make your teaching life more sustainable and your instruction more effective?)

Comment MARKS to get the link for my next FREE training. by @melissa.l.dean

The pile of tears sit on your desk.

You go through it, one question at a time.

Is this full marks? Is this a half mark?

You total each page. You total each test. You convert to a percentage.

It takes time. Hours, sometimes.

And your students look at it. Maybe argue about a point here and there. Complain about half marks. And then never think about it again.

Instead, you could assess each question, determine success on each outcome and also provide meaningful feedback that gives students something concrete to do.

All in half the time.

Want to know more? Comment TEST and watch your DMs for the link to my next FREE training, happening Oct 28th.

Even better? There are 8 spots in my Responsive Assessment Collective, starting Nov 13. DM Collective to grab the details! by @melissa.l.dean

You’ve given a worksheet, or exit ticket or even an assignment.

Instead of marking it, and then waiting for everyone to hand it in to give it back:

1. Survey the answers and notice patterns. What are the common errors? What are the common successes? Who needs more support and who is meeting expectations? Write it down.

2. Use those patterns to plan your instruction the next day. Think: mini-lessons, oral feedback and differentiated independent practice.

3. Have students self-assess using the answer key. Have them identify errors and make a plan to address misconceptions.

If you want to see how this comes to life in a real classroom taught by a real teacher, comment WEBINAR to get the link to my next FREE training. by @melissa.l.dean

Aside from take it with a grain of salt….

I leaned in with curiosity.

And realized the word “hate” was covering up feeling uncomfortable with the math.

Most math classes follow a repeatable pattern:
1. Teacher directed lesson
2. Student directed practice.
3. Algorithms, procedures and steps.

When we ask kids to engage with math in an unfamiliar way — mathematical thinking, discourse, proofs— it shows up with dislike.

And that is 100% okay. Because the kids who admit the discomfort and work through it grow the most.

If our students are going to grow, we need them to learn how to move through the struggle, and what to do when they are stuck.

What we don’t do is give up on what we know is effective because a kid finds it unfamiliar.

My math class is built on:
Responsive Instruction
Mathematical thinkng
Rich Assessment
Student ownership

It’s uncomfortable. It’s hard. But at the end, kids look back and see how much they have grown. by @melissa.l.dean

You see a right answer.

In traditional math assessment, that right answer means they understand the concept.

Or does it?

That right answer on a test or an assignment might be one of many situations:

1. Maybe the copied someone else’s answers.
2. Maybe they picked the right answer based on a misconception.
3. Maybe they have just memorized the steps.
4. Maybe they understand the concept.

How you decide which it is requires evidence of thinking.

Without it, we are giving kids a false sense of success.

If you are ready to really know which scenario your kids are showing you, comment WEBINAR to get my FREE training. by @melissa.l.dean

It’s quite unreasonable, I know!

(But if you want them to stop this insanity, then comment WEBINAR to get my next FREE training). by @melissa.l.dean

Do I have to show my work?

Is this for marks?

Will there be a retest?

Red flags. 🚩

How can I better show my evidence of learning?

Green flag.

This question shows that the kids are about learning, and not about compliance for a mark.

Does it happen overnight? No.
Can I happen in 6 weeks? Yes.

Want to see it happen for yourself? Comment WEBINAR to get the link to my next FREE training.

Or book a call to chat one on one to learn about the training inside the Responsive Assessment Collective for Math Teachers. https://calendly.com/deanofmath/assessment-interview/ by @melissa.l.dean