Part 2: Helping Kids Learn Facts

Reflect:

Consider the following questions:
  • How do visuals and/or context help with fluency?
  • What might you do differently in regards to "strategy building" this year?
  • What caused you to pause and think during this video?

Respond:
After watching the videos, please post your response to one {or more} of the prompts above.

Interact:
Read your colleagues' reflections. Feel free to respond to someone by sharing a comment, insight, or interesting possibility.

Comments (18)

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Chelsea Cameron's avatar

Chelsea Cameron · 157 weeks ago

Something in the video that made me pause was when she said “fluency is not just fast”. As a teacher, I find myself narrowing in on how fast my kids can answer 7x8 or 6x9. When I was being taught my math facts it was all about how fast you can write down memorized facts. It’s so important for our kids to be able to have discussions based on these problems. Having them explain how they know will deepen their number sense.
I loved the page Christina showed on different visual ways students solved problems and them connecting those facts together. I love the subitizing cards! Truthfully, I had them for my 3rd-grade students but for some reason figured my 5th graders wouldn’t need them. I hate to admit that I just assumed they’d have their fact memorized… am I a traditionalist?! I’m kicking myself that I’ve waited so long to have them in 5th but I know several of my kiddos who will really benefit from these.
1 reply · active 155 weeks ago
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Callie (LWES)'s avatar

Callie (LWES) · 155 weeks ago

Check out the Math Flip slide decks if you haven't yet, Chelsea! My 4th graders are having a BLAST sharing their thinking with them! It has been fun to hear them share all the different groups they notice on each slide.
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Stacey Shireman's avatar

Stacey Shireman · 157 weeks ago

*How do visuals and/or context help with fluency?
Visuals connect the concrete meaning of numbers with more abstract representation of the same numbers. As I observed my son working on the Which Equation Matches the Dots, he was pointing out which ones he is very familiar with and told me that 5+5 is always the 2 groups of the same thing when looking at ten.

*What caused you to pause and think during this video?
I definitely paused when Tondevold says to focus more on discussions rather than worksheets and/or flashcards. I am onboard with having a 2 minute math discussion that creates multiple connections instead of a 2 minute timed test that reinforces one connection. I know that the paper-y stuff can feel important, but as a teacher, I have to take advantage of the power of a classroom discussion. I definitely connected with this concept.
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Carissa Loreth's avatar

Carissa Loreth · 156 weeks ago

Visuals and context help to build fluency by adding connection points to prior learning in order to better facilitate recall. Building off prior knowledge is more effective than teaching facts in isolation because memorization is not practical for all learners and also due to the sheer breadth of math facts students will need to be familiar with. The “Fluency Kit” offers some helpful visuals and ideas for building context.

In my class, we practice number strings and a variety of number routines. I also incorporate online manipulatives to build conceptual understanding with my students. To make the most impact, I consider the mathematical progressions of the skill I am teaching and begin at the step most students will find accessible and work from there.

I took the time to explore @buildmathminds and found easy-to-implement activities to build conceptual understanding for our upcoming fractions units. What caused me to pause and think, was the approach of asking students “how they know” versus probing for the correct answer, in an effort to really enhance the mathematical discussions taking place in my classroom. I also appreciated that number strings are far more effective than drills. With the strings we are able to ask students, and our own children, what they notice and build upon that learning (ex: 2x5 to 4x5). When students don’t see the connection we then explicitly support them in building the necessary understandings.
1 reply · active 156 weeks ago
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Renae Hanson's avatar - Go to profile

Renae Hanson 59p · 156 weeks ago

I agree with everything you wrote, Carissa! Love that you have already taken a peek at the Fluency Kit and your kids are so lucky that you are incorporating visuals and number strings into your regular routines. Yay YOU!
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Nani's avatar

Nani · 156 weeks ago

How do visuals and/or context help with fluency?
The visual in the video of "connection points" really resonated with me and goes along with the above question (6+7). Children need those different connections to see what works for them with their learning. Asking children how did they solve the problem and explaining it to others is a wonderful way to help with their learning.
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Pam's avatar

Pam · 156 weeks ago

What caused me to pause and think:
When Christina explained the importance of teaching flexibility in math via discussions and activities, rather than giving lots of worksheets. Our current Math curriculum has kids doing worksheets almost every day. I plan to think of ways to incorporate math discussions, and develop flexibility through engaging activities utilizing games and visuals.
1 reply · active 156 weeks ago
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Shawn Henderson's avatar

Shawn Henderson · 156 weeks ago

I agree, Pam. To take the time to teach flexibility in math is well worth the time if the connections can be made. I think a lot of kids would love this approach because so many kids struggle with memorization and so much emphasis is made on "being the fastest". Once this idea is implemented with efficacy, I am certain more students will want to be in math classes. Along with math anxiety, other behaviors pointing to learning frustrations can hopefully become less and less.
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Cindy (SLES)'s avatar

Cindy (SLES) · 156 weeks ago

Today, my first graders and I sat in a large circle with our math journals/pencils and one set of manipulatives in the middle. In my effort to build more connection points, we read the story problems but then listened to each other talk about how they were doing their mental math to figure it out or act it out. After kids shared, I tried to demonstrate with counters, base ten blocks, etc... to add another layer and to make sure we understood each others' thinking. We had some great math talk going on and learned a lot of new ways of thinking about story problems and numbers!
1 reply · active 156 weeks ago
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Renae Hanson's avatar - Go to profile

Renae Hanson 59p · 156 weeks ago

would have LOVED to hear this conversation. 😊
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Shawn Henderson's avatar

Shawn Henderson · 156 weeks ago

What caused me to pause and think was the section where she talked about teaching flexibility in math instead of pushing memorization. Making sense of math and finding connections is a brilliant change in how we teach math. I am excited about that part because I was a student who could not memorize well and had experienced low self esteem and low confidence in my ability to complete math assignments. I understand the frustration and if I was given more options for showing my learning I might have given it more of a chance. Encouraging creative and flexible thinking is a powerful strategy and one that can serve the student in many other areas of their learning.
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Sara Emerson's avatar

Sara Emerson · 155 weeks ago

What caused me to pause and think was when she talked about having discussions rather than worksheets. I have noticed our curriculum has students completing lots of worksheets as practice. There have been times this year I have felt like I am dragging my below grade level students along as we complete a page. I am so glad she mentioned the power of discussions. It makes me think of my struggling mathematicians and how I can support their learning through discussions and fewer problems versus 20 problems on a worksheet. I can see myself having small group practice on our whiteboards, with table discussions followed by a few select problems as independent work/a quick formative assessment.

Thinking about the importance of visuals we have started a daily math routine with number racks. I quickly flash a sequence of beads using the structures of 5 and 10, then students explain how many they saw and how they knew it. As they explain I write down the equations to match and we discuss the patterns they noticed. It has been amazing to see the growth since we began this routine a few weeks ago.
1 reply · active 155 weeks ago
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Renae Hanson's avatar - Go to profile

Renae Hanson 59p · 155 weeks ago

Our curriculum is a resource and YOU cause learning, Sara! 😊 I'm sure that you already know that...but I wanted to remind you that you are trusted to make good decisions based on the needs of your little mathematicians!
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Callie (LWES)'s avatar

Callie (LWES) · 155 weeks ago

Visuals in multiplication have been a game changer for my students. I've built the Math Flips in to part of our pre-lesson routines and have just loved to hear the students share their connection points. For them to be able to visually see patterns they easily recognize, like the doubles, and then use that picture to move on to a new fact has been a huge turning point. My students love this routine and are now frequently asking for "harder" cards - and I'm not sure that exists because the patterns are popping out to them so quickly now. Then, they use those to jump to a new, or unknown fact. Some of my more shy students are still hesitant to share their thinking out loud when we do these routines. I've been having my students do Multiplication by Heart almost every day and watching their progress. My more reluctant kiddos are still in there, making progress, which shows me these connection points are working.
2 replies · active 151 weeks ago
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Renae Hanson's avatar - Go to profile

Renae Hanson 59p · 155 weeks ago

I'm excited that you are making time for the math flips, Callie! You are so right...those visuals are key for helping kids see connections between the facts. Yay!
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Cacie P.'s avatar

Cacie P. · 151 weeks ago

I also really love the flipcharts as a way to build number sense routines into our daily practice! Hearing how some of the kiddos think through the charts is a huge eye opener for how they see math.
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Jessica Hanna's avatar

Jessica Hanna · 152 weeks ago

Helping kids learn facts is all about those number connections in their heads and lives. The more we create those connections the more they can build on those connections. The more we show 100 pennies =$1.00 = a whole ( in fractions) =1.00(in decimals) the better their understanding is of how everything is connected. Sometimes we forget to keep making these connections across the board in math lessons and the kids get stuck and can't make the connection on their own. The more we use pictures, use fun games the more they use that knowledge in different ways.
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Cacie P (RCES)'s avatar

Cacie P (RCES) · 151 weeks ago

The thing that made me pause and think in this video is the focus on flexibility of number sense instead of straight memorization of facts. I love what she said about sitting down with her kids and talking through the 'how' of how they solved the problems instead of purely focusing on the answer. The process of their thinking is the real goal when looking at math facts and fluency and so getting the kiddo to talk through their thinking is a great way of even having themselves realize it. The idea of number strings is something I will for sure take back to my classroom and use right away as a way for kids to see the connection between the facts and so they can build on their knowledge.

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