Math in Focus: Zooming in on Daily Practice, Part One

With the school year in full swing, our students are settling into the new routines and procedures of Singapore Math.  Every day during the math lesson students are actively engaged--trying out problems on mini whiteboards and building with base-10 blocks or Unifix cubes while the teacher explains the day’s lesson, explaining their answers (and mistakes!) using models and pictures to help them deepen their understanding, and working independently at their own level to practice the new skill they acquired during the day’s lesson.

Fourth graders are using place value chips to help them learn multi-digit multiplication.

Math in Focus is based upon the pedagogy of Singapore Math, which emphasizes a three-step approach to learning new concepts.  This approach takes students from concrete (working with manipulatives) to pictorial (working with visual models) to abstract (working with numbers and symbols) to help students develop a strong foundation in mathematical understanding.  Typical American programs tend to skip the pictorial component, which can compromise a student’s depth of understanding. Our teachers have been likening the importance of the pictorial step to that of the visualizing strategy in reading comprehension; if readers can understand a story better and experience it more deeply by creating mental images (a “mind movie” as we call it), then won’t mathematicians better understand a problem if they can create a mental image (visual model)?  Without this critical step in learning, our learners may miss important details that lead to greater understanding of concepts.

Below you can see more pictures illustrating the concrete step in Singapore Math’s pedagogy.  Stay tuned for part two of this blog post, where the pictorial and abstract steps will be highlighted.

 A fourth grader gets ready to trade in chips as she multiplies a 3-digit number by 4.

A fourth grader shows the class how the place value chips can show the same value as base-10 blocks.

Kindergartners build with Unifix cubes as they learn about more and less.

First graders figure out the answer in a game using Unifix cubes.

Home of the Bobcats: The Making of a Mascot

Last spring, ACDS went through a marketing and re-branding effort that made some changes to the external look of the school.  A new logo, sign, refreshed letterhead, and even new school uniforms made their debut which has given the school a fresh look.

As this process was underway, it became clear to me that there was a very important part of the school’s image that needed to be addressed - the Bobcat! A school’s mascot is a major part of its identity. Think of your college or high school - when you think of the image that resonates most with you and excites your school spirit, it is probably the image of your beloved mascot. 

Through the years at ACDS, the only graphic representation of our Bobcat that has been consistently used is a paw. Now, I happen to like our paw, but it is not very distinctive (see Clemson Tigers), and it doesn't really conjure a sense of toughness or fortitude (see fluffy kitten pawing at a ball of yarn). We needed another image that had some teeth (and fur) behind it. 

So like any industrious millennial I took to the internet to find a solution to our problem. What I found was a website that was the home of sketch artists who would create custom logos at a reasonable price. Brilliant. I contacted the artists that work at this magical place to commission a rendering of our Bobcat which would become our definitive mascot image for years to come.

Having put a lot of pressure on myself to get this right, I took great care in describing exactly what I wanted the Bobcat to look like. I used words like “strong”, “friendly but not too friendly”,  “good with kids”, and “listens to hard rock but appreciates jazz.” The artist was no doubt inspired and confused, so what followed was a month-long collaboration and a few different attempts that eventually brought us to our winner.

1st Attempt - The chauffeur Bobcat that looks more like a lion and has been taking human growth hormone...

2nd Attempt - The Superhero Bobcat that is amused by something he just heard...

3rd Attempt - On the right track - but still spends a little too much time in the gym...

4th and Final Attempt - The ACDS Bobcat, in living color!

I was incredibly excited and also a little nervous to unveil our new Bobcat to our students, as the new mascot is truly for them. When school started and the kids saw him for the first time, I was relieved to see that he was received well. We then had a school-wide contest to name him, and that resulted in him being crowned “Russell Alexander Bobcat” at the end of September.

Look for Russell to make appearances on spirit wear, at athletic contests, and popping up countless other places at school. Russell's presence will state proudly, to any friend or rival, that when you are here at ACDS, you have entered the Home of the Bobcats.

Three Ways to Nurture Effective Parent-Teacher Communication

Effective communication between parents and teachers is essential to developing a full understanding of a student's character and ways of learning.  It's also a two-way street.  Here are three things teachers and parents should each keep in mind when engaging in this all-important endeavor:

For Teachers:

1. Strive to demonstrate to each parent the depth of your understanding of his or her child.  
2. Communicate with parents frequently and early about rising concerns.  Don't wait for crises, and don't be afraid to share good news.
3. Ask questions of parents that show your desire to understand their children through their eyes.

For Parents:

1. Trust that your child's teacher cares about your child and has his or her best interest at heart.
2. Reach out to your child's teacher with questions rather than demands.  Seek to learn about your child through the teacher's experience of him or her.
3. Actively listen to your child's teacher with an ear to understanding your child's strengths and challenges.

Each of these ideas only scratch the surface of the very complex dynamic that exists between parents and teachers.  It is a relationship filled with anxiety, hope, and enormous potential for affecting your child's growth and development.  Following these guidelines can help to set a productive context for dialog and increases the chance of a successful partnership. Educator, psychologist, and author, Michael Thompson, offers a compelling analysis of this relationship in his article entitled, The Fear Equation, which I highly recommend.  Here's a closing thought from his article:

Children flourish when the adults in their lives agree on them.  Children do not have strong identities of their own.  They see themselves through the eyes of the adults who love and teach them.  For that reason it is important that the adults in their lives see them in a unified way.  If parents and teachers are on the same page with respect to children, it is much easier for the children to feel whole and understood, and to succeed.  That is why it is essential that parents and teachers move beyond the fears that afflict their relationship and create a sturdy alliance between them.