Math Specialist

   I had the opportunity to participate in a year-long study at Saginaw Valley State University in a Mathematics Specialist program sponsored by the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance.  During my year of studies, I had spent a lot of time learning how to look at student work.  We teachers learned to ask ourselves, "What does this student know and understand?"  This is good advice.  In order to guide instruction, it is important for teachers to understand their students' thinking.  Spending time conducting student interviews and looking at student work can be an effective way to better understand the thoughts of a middle schooler (or any student).
     Although answers can sometimes seem very random and unrelated, students often have some sort of reason for offering a particular solution.  Teachers can ask clarifying questions to help them understand the thought process of their students.  I saw this in action this year when I was teaching a sixth grade unit on percentages.  The question asked students to find 20% of $120.  I had several students complete this problem by dividing it by 20.  I pulled a small group of students together and asked why they had decided by 20.  They explained that since they can find 10% of $120 by dividing by 10, it only seems logical to find 20% by dividing by 20.  The small-group student interview not only allowed me the opportunity to understand their logic, but also the opportunity to intervene.  We used a tape diagram to draw out the situations.
     Moving forward into the new school year, I am going to focus on being student-centered.  I want to understand what my students have to say.