This is the first in a series of you tubes created by Ann and Johnny Baker to describe the STAR Problem solving model that all classes K-6 are using to assist students in their problem solving. If you require a new poster to display in your room then please let me know so that we can get it organised!
Stay tuned for the next post: `Sort out' using the STAR problem solving model. My favourite no could be used in conjunction with a strategy lesson (perhaps to highlight common misconceptions with a particular strategy). Although the class featured shows Year 8, I have used this successfully with children as young as Year 2. Tech Tip: Use an ipad to take a photo of the selected work sample/s. Mirror your ipad to the smartboard using reflector. Your image will display on the smartboard. This is a great way to share student work across many KLA's.
If you have any questions or would like a demonstration please ask! If you try `My favourite no' please leave a comment and share your experiences. Today we ran the first session with the maths enrichment group `The Problem Solverz'. We decided to warm them up with a task from CSIRO maths called `The impossible hole'. (Thanks Julie for recommending this site. It is worth having a look at some of the other resources available too). This led to plenty of lively discussion - some wondered...... was it even possible? Of course it was! The children found a variety of ways to squeeze through a hole in the sheet of paper. We threw in a new rule - the largest person in the room must fit through the hole (of course that was me!). This meant a change in technique as the children had so far only found ways to get their own (rather small) frames through the holes. Again, the discussion flowed as the children experimented with different ways of cutting the paper to ensure the largest possible hole was made. Then ...... a breakthrough! A hole in an A4 piece of paper large enough to fit everyone! We moved on to some world cup fever (Thanks to Johnny Baker for the inspiration). The children had to construct their own soccer balls using sliding models. This was more challenging then it might first seem - requiring a level of dexterity as well as thought. The conversation again flowed as the children worked. "I was expecting this to be different. I'm actually having fun." "Is this even maths?" "When I think of maths, I usually think of things like 1+1". "Hey, look I made a hexagon.... I made a trapezium ..... I made a rhombus or is it a parralelogram? What is the difference anyway? There is more to maths than 1 + 1 ........
The strategy books are now available for borrowing from the HPS library. We also have a copy of the Mental computation books. These books help teachers to introduce, and make explicit, mental computation strategies to enable students to become proficient users of mental computation in everyday life. The following article was recently posted on the Natural Maths blog and further discusses mental computation and plots a developmental sequence as a guide for teachers. Worth reading!!
This week's TPL was a Problem solving session (run using adobe connect). We were lucky to have Johnny Baker from Natural Maths to answer any questions we had around problem solving using the STAR model. We came away from the afternoon with new ideas and enthusiasm ready to head back to our classes and work on problem solving!
Please leave any comments or feedback you would like to give on the session. This might offer some strategies that you can try in your classroom to improve participation and engagement during reflection time.
Leave a comment and share if you try any of these strategies - we would all love to hear more about how you go. Thanks Tracey for reminding us about this easy but effective web tool. Click here to create you own.
An important question to be asking ourselves in light of today's TPL session! The article below comes from an interesting blog - plenty of great posts to read.
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