Problem Solving

I see many students in my room from year to year and day to day.  They are all bright in their own way.  Some students are gifted with communication and can explain ideas with depth and clarity.  Other students are gifted in athletics and are running marathons at the age of ten and competing nationally in soccer matches.  Furthermore, other students are the most caring and empathetic humans that I have ever met.  They are young but they can connect, lead by example, make friends easily and glide through social situations easily and freely.  And some students just view math and numbers differently than others.  You can call it giftedness or logic or an obsession with the order of things, but the connections are deep.

Most of my students are excellent at the "I do, we do, you do" model.  If I show a student how to approach a problem, they can copy it, solve it accurately and move on.  Their work in neat and correct usually and they tend to win competitions in math if they enter them, do well in school, are tutored on the side, and will be super successful in life.  

The tricky part is that in SAGE and PEP, we do not teach in this manner in order for students to learn to be true collaborators and problem solvers.  What does your student do when they encounter a problem they have not seen before?  Do they have the tools to solve it? Does your student ask peers for advice, draw models and pictures to understand it at a deeper level, try new ideas out, build tables, and seek solutions or do they stare at the board and problem and wait until the adult or teacher tells them what to do?

In my role, I am teaching students to be resilient and solve their problems.  In life, there is not always a person who knows how to solve the problem and students need to know the process of figuring out solutions for themselves.... both academically and socially.  I believe it is imperative for students to learn how to navigate friendship problems, sibling dilemmas, and academic needs independently, for it is in the productive struggle that they learn who they are, learn self confidence and learn to accomplish hard tasks.

I will help guide students in trying different techniques out when they do not know an answer, but I will not solve the problem for them and show them how to do it.  Sometimes this guidance looks like a growth mindset video.  Other times, it is a suggestion to go and talk to a neighbor.  Finally, it might look like a question, "What would a picture of this scenario look like?"  

Problems arise as children and we continue to face obstacles throughout our lives.  We are constantly finding new problems solving them, creating new problems, solving them, and so forth.  The cycle does not end as one solution inevitably causes a new problem.   I believe it is our duty as parents and educators to give students and children the tools to solve their own problems in order to produce and raise productive, kind, helpful members of society.  I will continue to gently nudge my kiddos towards this outlook, even when it is hard, again and again. 

The Gift I Want to Give

 If I could give one gift to my students, it would be this:

 I wish my students would become life long learners and find joy and curiosity in learning. 

 I would want them to to look at a bubble and wonder why it pops.  Examine a beetle and wonder how it flies. Find a book and get lost in the pages of Hogwarts or Narnia or the wild west.  Look at a pattern in behavior (or drawing or number sequence) and find the relationship behind the pattern and make a conjecture as to why it occurs.

I want my students to study how apps are built and how coding in a computer makes lights shoot up on the screen.  They should discover what creatures live in the depths of the ocean or write a play for all of us to watch and cry at or fall in love. 

If my students really and truly love to learn, then grades won't matter and achievement will become a result rather than a goal.  They will find the joy in the process, and grades would just be a biproduct.

 My students would get good grades and achievements, but not because they covet them or they want to please their mom/dad, but because they loved the content and love to think. 

  

Thinking about University and Anxiety

 "I need to get straight A's because I am going to go to Harvard."

"Well, I am also going to go to Harvard. My mom said it's the best school in the country."

"I'm so dumb. I made a mistake."

My elementary students filed into the room and they were already talking about college.  They were 10 years old but they were worrying about LSAT tests and grade and studying over the weekend. The truth of the matter is that to get into colleges like Harvard or Yale or Standard, my students will need more than straight A's and a very high SAT score.  Grades and test scores are not enough to get you into a top tier college in the U.S. In fact, a gifted program does not give you an advantage either. 

I worry about my student's mental health through the years.   What is going to happen if they do get a B on a test or in a class? Will they be okay?  Is Harvard worth it, if my students were depressed and exhausted children?

I have had several students who had anxiety in elementary school. I remember one in particular. She was bubbly, thoughtful, willing to share ideas, and seemed really happy to be at school, and then something changed. She hit a wall.  My student was switching from public elementary school to a private middle school in the fall.  When the acceptance letter arrived in the mail, panic set in.

My student broke down in tears when she entered the school building. She rocked back and forth and froze.  She would not set foot in her homeroom class.  She was paralyzed in fear.  The school worked with her family and a counselor and a psychologist.  She was afraid of failure, of the unknown, and terrified of a new place and new people.  It was debilitating. 

My student wouldn't come to class after she received that letter.  Week after week, month after month, she worked in the office in a small cubicle.  She ate her lunch there, refused to go to recess, and didn't want to talk to her classmates.  She didn't want to go to middle school and wasn't ready to lose the school she had known her whole life.   She said she was afraid of middle school. 

I wonder if the pressure was worth the result.  Is the top notch private school acceptance letter in your hand worth it, if you are miserable? What is the definition of a successful life? Is it money? Power? Status?  Happiness?  Purpose? Legacy?

Perfectionism

 Every year, one commonality I do notice between my students is that they have a very hard time making mistakes and taking risks.  We talk about how school and learning is a growth process and that it is okay to make mistakes, but it is always an uphill battle to truly internalize that learning.

There have been several books written on the topic of Growth Mindset.  For example, the most known is Mindset by Carol Dweck.  I have read that book and also Mathematical Mindset  by Jo Boahler as well. But the truth is, teaching that it is okay to make mistakes is really hard.  In reality, I don't like making mistakes and I try not to, but I understand that mistakes are made when a person is undertaking a new experience or taking a risk.  

As I get older, I see the benefit of various experiences and the learning that is associated with it.  I truly believe that not taking a risk is riskier than making a mistake.  Too much learning comes from trying something new and experimenting.  New ideas, new tasks, new insights and new friendships come with unknown experiences and growth is essential in human existence.  It makes us alive and interesting, so without new learning there cannot be growth and without growth, we get bored.  But, this all means that my students and I have to be okay with trying something risky and new and making a mistake to learn and grow.   

I have found that modeling that I make mistakes and pointing out these mistakes to my students helps with this process.  We watch videos from Youcubed about making mistake and read children's books about it.  We celebrate epic failures in math and discuss what we learned from them. 

All this is helpful, but it is also important to get this message from families and parents at home.  If parents are expecting their child to obtain 100% on all tests, this does not align with a growth mindset.  If a child brings home a B or C in class, how should a parent react if the child put in the effort but didn't manage to get an A? What would a conversation that promotes growth mindset look like?  How do you establish high expectations as a parent, but still let your child explore new things and fail?

As a mom and teacher, I am processing these questions... let me know if you have the solution. 

Who Are the Gifted Kids?

There is a stereotype that the gifted students who qualify for program will be quiet, studious, hard working and always focused.  Some of my students fit that description, but it is important to note that most do not.  My students are diverse and fit varied student profiles.  

Here are a few descriptions of some of my kids:

One my my students loves foxes.  She dresses like a fox, knows more about foxes than most biologists, can think of  creative and interesting stories about foxes, and can share this information with you in song while playing the ukulele if you wish.  She also is very caring and wants to save all the insects she comes across and notices interesting details in life. 

Another student loves climbing. He climbs almost every weekend.  He climbs walls, climbs desks, and is also in a climbing club and he places in climbing competitions.  He can do complex problem solving in his head and solves intricate problems three grade levels above his age and he does not go to outside tutoring. He does best when standing and thinking, and pacing and thinking, rather than sitting in one place.

I have another student who goes to outside tutoring/classes multiple times a week and completes extra homework from that tutoring as well.  She competes in multiple math competitions, studies very hard, travels with family, and has a parent who is a computer engineer. (We do live near Seattle with Microsoft, Amazon, etc. so many of my students have parents who know how to code.) She is very proud of the fact that she wins these competitions.  She prefers to work alone and one of her preferred ways to learn is to complete worksheets.

Finally, I have a student who loves soccer, collaboration, sharing ideas and teamwork.  He competes in soccer matches on the weekends and his family has lots of get togethers and parties throughout the month.  He loves to figure out a problem with others and explain his thinking in words. 

It is interesting because I get to know all of these unique people who have different strengths and challenges.  Yes, all are advanced in their learning, but some have studied the COGAT hard to get into my program and others see the world a little differently from the rest.   I have kids who love to collaborate and others who do not. I have kids who can focus and others who have ADHD which makes that tricky.  I have students who love math and others who hate going to their math classes every week, even though they are good at it.  I love my job and I am excited to continue to get to know my students and their learning needs as the year progresses.  

Why Pre-Tests are Imperative

 

My services have not started yet, and I have no little people sitting in my seats but work is being accomplished.  I have met with my homeroom teachers, where my students sit all day and we have come up with plans to meet my students needs when they are not with me. 

 My teachers are working on getting to know their kids, ice breakers, set routines and structures in place so learning can happen this year.  They are also getting to know their students as learners, so in the next couple of weeks they are administering the i-ready test and giving the End of Module tests to their kids.

These tests are critical at the beginning of the year because they allow teachers to identify if their students already know the concepts that will be taught in the module.  If the students already know the content and they are able to show their thinking in detail, then the kids can move on to more problem solving activities and harder ideas at their level.  It will signal to the teacher's that they need a challenge.  

It is important to note that my kids are very smart, some can learn at a much faster pace, or see the world differently, but there are also holes in their learning at times.  For example, many of my students are adept at applying an algorithm that they have memorized from their tutoring center, but few of them can explain why the algorithm works or what is happening with the numbers throughout the algorithm.  It is important to know the "why" behind the number system and not just be able to memorize concepts to get a deep learning of math. 

When the teachers I work with look at the assessments, they will be looking to see communication as well as application of math in everyday life.  They will identify mathematical strengths and also look for areas of growth.  These pretests will serve as maps to guide instruction and make insightful decisions about the future learning. 

First Days Of School

The kids are back and navigating school like pros. I watched as they confidentially (or sometimes a little timidly) walked through the halls looking for their new teacher and their classrooms.  There were lots of smiles, excitement and enthusiasm in the halls this morning, with a little bit of nervousness mixed in.  I saw lots of pastel colors today, some glitter, a Pokemon or two, and a bright blue cape as my students headed to their correct places.  Students were eager to start the day and get to know their new teachers.

As a pull out teacher, it is my job to help the kids find their spots and settle in.  The teachers have been notified that they have a gifted student in their class and my schedule is being set.  

Soon the teachers will be assessing all of their kiddos in math and reading and trying to figure out what they know and what they need to learn this year.  They will do this with the i-ready test in our district and probably give the end of module test as well.  We will plan, pre-assess, and determine what the students need to work on in the coming month.

This year, we are trying to pair tightly with the teachers and support the work that they are doing in their classroom. If a student is struggling with social-emotional work, I will do some lessons in SAGE/PEP on the topic and work on it in a small group. If students are needing more practice explaining their thinking, we will work on this concept in SAGE.  Additionally, when the schedule allows, SAGE will also take place in the general ed. classroom as a push-in service.  That means I will meet with students in their classroom sometimes, and support their needs in that setting. 

I am eager to be with my kids. I like scheduling and planning and curriculum, but the reason I became a teacher was because its enjoyable to be with students. I can't wait until I get to see them on September 9th and we get to start the year together.  

Happy start of the 2024-2025 school year!