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  • Developing Perseverance

    Developing Perseverance

    Perseverance is defined as continued effort despite encountering difficulties. It is identified as the first mathematical practice in the Common Core of State Standards. We encourage and celebrate perseverance. What is missing is developing perseverance, and even defining it. Often, we conflate completion of work with perseverance. Sometimes students complete work but did not have…

  • Classroom Management – Point Sheets

    Classroom Management – Point Sheets

    Here are some point sheets or check lists I have used to help shape behavior. This is a follow up to the post on classroom management. Left: for groups Middle: for individuals Right: for students with autism who would benefit from visual schedules

  • Secondary Characteristics: A Performance Factor

    For students with a disability, performance does not align with ability. In my view, there are 3 different categories of performance factors: the disability, gaps in achievement, and secondary characteristics. (Percents are contrived to provide a visual representation.) To address these secondary characteristics, which manifest as a set of behaviors, I suggest a focus on…

  • Perseverance in Math

    A major challenge for students is not content but how to “do math” which includes perseverance. The photo above shows a table that can be used to monitor progress on perseverance. It addresses two situations involving perseverance (see below). The focus of perseverance in math is making an informed attempt when a path or next step is unclear…

  • Prompt Dependence

    Great blog post on prompt dependence

  • Authentic Learning and CCSS

        SBAC and PARC problems used to test CCSS are challenging and often draw upon context unfamiliar to students. This means students must navigate the content, problem solving and deciphering context. Below is an SBAC problem dealing with photo albums…PHOTO ALBUMS. Do kids today understand this? In the subsequent pictures you will see the…

  • Scaffolding Multi-step Math Problems

    This is the figure from Mrs. Olsen’s Sidewalk Problem from the CT CAPT test 2010 (released to public). The problem has four major steps: divide the figure into common shapes, use Pythagorean Theorem to find height of the resulting triangles, find area of these shapes and compute total cost for  pouring the asphalt for the…

  • Shaping Behavior

    Shaping is a term in special ed which basically means to train a student to incrementally follow through on a sequence of substeps to accomplish a task. B.F. Skinner coined a different name for this which he called operant conditioning. The top photo below shows “Skinner’s box.” The pigeon was placed in the box and…

  • Shaping Critical Thinking and Self-help Skills

    Below is an example of a puzzle I use to train students to make an effort and to think about problems. I have found that many students not only have a learned helplessness when it comes to math but they have been trained to follow steps mindlessly. Following a task analysis approach the first step…

  • Addressing Homework Completion Problems

    Addressing Homework Completion Problems Nice article Dr. Gary Brannigan (@GaryBrannigan) with 9 suggestions for helping a student with homework completion problems. #3 is especially pertinent to math: Initially assign homework with which the struggling learner is unlikely to have difficulty. Mark the homework for punctual submission and content. Gradually increase difficulty but never beyond the…