1. Junior Math Study Group
March 6th 2014
WELCOME!!!
AMP – Welcome and Prayer

2. You told us….
How do you think you might use the information and handout for today on Growth Mindsets in Math in your classroom practice? (handout on Getting Rid of Negative Attitudes in Math)
Use the strategies from the handout such as wait time, deliberately making mistakes, calling on multiple students
Use the information on brain research and how the brain learns to teach to students
Use positive thinking and attitudes in math class
Use of strategies to enable and encourage students
AMP - Some of these relate directly to the learning environment we set up for students in math class, so we can see from your feedback that the learning environment is something that you think is important to pay attention to in math class

3. And…
What impact did our discussion about ‘Thinking’ have on you? Will this discussion help you when observing and assessing mathematics with your students? If so, can you describe how you think it might help?
Observation is key
Talking about math is important to develop communication of thinking
Persistence, tenacity and asking good questions are strategies to make thinking visible.
AMP – We spent a bit of time after we did our annotation, discussing Thinking. Some of these bullets relate as well to the learning environment, specifically the oral conversations that we have with students or with the whole class during math.

4. And…
How did planning the diagnostic assessment for your class on Fractions, support your learning? How do you see this diagnostic being useful for you in planning for guided math groups?
The use of the continuum and big ideas in planning the diagnostic is very informative.
It was time saving to develop together and will point to my next steps
It will help in forming groups of students
AMP -

5. Finally…
Is there anything that we might include at our next session that would further support your learning/classroom practice?
Want to do more annotation
More on growth mindsets
More about guided math groups
Need a copy of Leaps and Bounds
AMP - We will address the two bolded bullets today.
Growth mindsets for teachers and students and guided math groups are both dependent on a learning environment that will support them.

6. Goals for today…
Discussion about your use of strategies and how they relate to a responsive social environment for learning math
Analysis of Diagnostic for Fractions
Guided Math….what is the rest of the class doing
Using resources to develop a Lesson for a Guided Math group
AMP

7. Strategies to Increase Positive Attitudes
Discussion
Share the strategy that you used
Share the observations that you made
AMP – We appreciate your risk taking to try out one of the strategies from our handout from last time. We know it takes a bit of courage to try something new, not knowing how students might respond so we thank you for that and we want to encourage you to share the strategy and your observations – the good and the bad, knowing that we are not about getting anything right, but about inquiring and taking risks to see what happens….
Share with your elbow partner and then your partner will tell us about your experience and you can tell about theirs.

8. Design a responsive mathematics learning environment.
“Effective teachers…know that a wrong answer might indicate unexpected thinking rather than a lack of understanding; equally, a correct answer may be arrived at via faulty thinking.”
Paying Attention to Mathematics Education p. 8
Using pg. 8 Check off how you met one or more of the bullets by using the strategy that you tried out.
AMP – As a way to summarize our conversation, we want to have a look at pg 8 from Paying Attention to Mathematics Education. Have teachers check off on the handout any bullets that you may have touched on when you were trying out your strategy for example……
Then in whole group share their findings and record on a large sheet to see where most of them are landing.
Summarize the big picture – many of these strategies point to the importance of designing a responsive social learning environment

9. Growth Mindset = ++ ve Social Environment
To change mindsets we have to design a responsive learning environment which includes the SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT MJ

10. The Learning Environment is a “Third Teacher”
MJ Using the Monograph – The Third Teacher – ask people to choose a section from pages 3 – 5 to read. Some will need to double up.
They could make some jot notes on the monograph as they will speak to their section in a few minutes as we go through it.

11. The Social Environment
Empower Student Learning Through Collaboration MJ

12. The Social Environment
Give Weight to Student Voice Through Dialogue MJ

13. The Social Environment
Focus on Student Solutions and Interpretations
How do you know that?
Tell us more about that
Explain your ideas so everyone
can learn MJ

14. The Social Environment
Encourage Real World Problem Solving MJ

15. Analysis of Diagnostic for Fractions
Summarize the results from your diagnostic
AMP - Template to be used to analyze and collate the results of the diagnostic.
Teachers complete individually.
Discussion to follow to identify where each teacher needs to go in the content area of fractions.

16. BREAK TIME

17. Guided Math – what is the rest of the class doing
THE WISDOM IN THE ROOM
MJ - Sharing between participants in pairs about what they do now with the rest of the class for small group learning.
Then share in whole group. Make chart.

18. Guided Math Groups
Plan a guided math lesson(s) to meet the needs identified in the diagnostic… Resources APLENTY!!!
MJ and AMP

19. Next Steps
Complete the guided lesson for the small group between now and mid-April
Call on us for support if needed
Bring a couple of samples of student work to show the effect of the guided instruction on one or more students.