Additional Workshop Topics

 

• What You Say Makes All The Difference!

  “What I meant to say is…”
  The way we talk about the math we see makes all the difference! In this lively, hands-on session, participants will be amazed at how meaning can be lost or brought to life just by the models we make and the words we choose. Transform non-sense rules into makes-sense language and build bridges between manipulatives and symbols by using ‘natural’ words to talk about what we see. Explore all of this through activities, games, manipulatives and much more…!
  
  When it makes sense… they WILL remember!

   

• Building Bridges (grades 1-3)
  

  “But when I take the manips away, they can’t transfer what they know…”.
  This workshop will focus on easing the transition from concrete to abstract by building bridges between manipulative materials and procedures (algorithms) for addition and subtraction. Through accurate, natural language and a few tips, participants will develop a logical, makes-sense approach for teaching basic computation. This is a lively, hands-on ‘working’ session.

   

• Building Bridges (grades 3-4)
  

  “But when I take the manips away, they can’t transfer what they know…”.
  This workshop will focus on easing the transition from concrete to abstract by building bridges between base ten materials and procedures (algorithms) for multiplication and division. Through accurate, natural language and a few tips, participants will develop a logical, makes-sense approach for teaching basic computation. This is a lively, hands-on ‘working’ session.

   

• Algebra… a Primary Objective

  "Algebra at the primary level... what could they be thinking?!" The good news is that you are already doing it! This lively session is full of activities and tips to help you do it even better! It is designed to raise awareness of the critical role algebra plays at this level and how it fits into the bigger picture.

   

• It’s All In Your Mind!

  We all think in pictures; none of us is exempt. Pictures that we store in our minds represent ideas that help us to understand the world in which we live. In fact, the more we have, the better our understanding. So why should it be any different for math? (Hint… it shouldn’t.)
  
  Build up your ‘mind picture’ album! Get a bigger bang out of those manipulatives! In this jam-packed, lively session, we will explore how to access richer understanding of the big ideas by building great models of those ideas, and using make-sense words to talk about what we see. Activities, games, manipulatives and much more…!
  
  The challenge will be to find even one mathematical idea that cannot be turned into a picture!

   

• And the Difference Is…?

  Think subtraction; think ‘take away’, right? Not so fast… in real life, subtraction often isn’t really about take away! For kids to recognize subtraction situations that don’t sound like ‘take away’ at all, they need exposure. Through hands-on activities and lively debate, participants will discover other ways subtraction shows up in everyday contexts, and experiment with models which best represent each meaning. This session is guaranteed to leave you with a better sense of how to tame the subtraction beast.

   

• Your Front Must Have a Back (addition & subtraction: a partnership)

  To have a top there must be a bottom; an inside must have an outside. And so it is with addition and subtraction… you can’t have one without the other. This session will focus on the natural relationship between these two operations and why they are inseparable. Empower your students’ thinking, reasoning and ‘remembering’ by helping them understand each as a consequence of the other. Through concrete materials, everyday contexts and make-sense words, participants will explore which comes first… the chicken… or the egg. (Or does it really matter?)

   

• You Can Count On It (properties of addition and subtraction)

  Imagine that, instead of drilling your students on 100 different basic facts, you could focus on fewer than 25 of them and a few big ideas that allow them easy access to the rest. Imagine that your students could use intuitive understanding to consider numbers and mentally compute with ease. Imagine that, with student understanding of each big idea, several of your curriculum requirements could be addressed at the same time. All of that and more is completely realistic when students are empowered with a few key understandings! This lively session will focus on hands-on exploration, practical classroom ideas and natural language.

   

• You Can Count On It (properties of multiplication and division)

  Imagine that, instead of drilling your students on 100 different basic facts, you could focus on fewer than 20 of them and a few big ideas that allow them easy access to the rest. Imagine that your students could use intuitive understanding to consider numbers and mentally compute with ease. Imagine that, with student understanding of each big idea, several of your curriculum requirements could be addressed at the same time. All of that and more is completely realistic when students are empowered with a few key understandings! This lively session will focus on hands-on exploration, practical classroom ideas and natural language.

   

• Take It Personally! (an experiential approach)

  Could you learn to skate by being told (or shown) how to do it? What about driving a car or learning to draw? You might learn some things about these topics but, chances are, you will need to strap on some skates, get behind the wheel of a car or put pencil to paper to get any real understanding and confidence in your ability. In other words, we all need direct personal ‘contact’ with ideas to really own them. So, what does that have to do with math? Absolutely everything! Join us for this lively, hands-on session as we explore ways to help our students take it personally!

   

• But What If…? (generating great questions that let the light in)

   

• Think Smart, Not Hard; Just Use What You Already Know! (relationships: bringing big ideas together to build bigger ideas)

   

• Are You Sure You Don’t Know? (teaching kids to talk themselves through new situations using natural language that is meaningful to them)

   

• This (3) Is Not Three: Symbols As a Last Step (using symbols as a way to record what we are thinking: a make-sense, alternative approach)

   

• Never Just Accept: Falling In Love With The Word WHY (saying no to NON-sense explanations: going after meaning every time)

   

• I Did It My Way! (celebrating student-generated algorithms as ways to record their computational thinking)

   

• No Mental Math Is An Island (student-generated thinking strategies, evolving out of meaningful experiences with number, build relationships between ideas)

   

• We Always Have Time To Teach It Twice (but not enough to teach it right)
  (place value sense as a NON-ISSUE with more ‘up-front’ time constructing meaning)

   

• More Than Just a Game (building conceptually rich games that do more than keep them busy)

   

• But How Do You Know That They Know? (assessing ideas, not just answers)

   

• Okay, So I Have the Scores… What Now? (Using assessment to shape teaching and learning)

   

• X Facts: How Many Are There, Really? (reducing rote memorization through student-generated reasoning and stripping off redundancies; this workshop should be presented in conjunction with You Can Count On It: properties of multiplication and division)

   

• + Facts: How Many Are There, Really? (reducing rote memorization through student-generated reasoning and stripping off redundancies; this workshop is an extension of You Can Count On It: properties of addition and subtraction)

   

• What’s In A Number? : The early years (developing flexible thinking about numbers through natural language, relationships, multiple representation, make-sense reasoning and delaying of symbols)

   

• Up For The Count (exploring counting principles and strategies for a meaningful count)

   

• Building Mathematical Communities (practical strategies for fostering math confidence and a spirit of inquiry )

   

• ‘Math-itudes’ First! AKA: Why Would They Want To? (motivated math learning: setting the hook – an investigative approach)

   

• Parents: The Missing Piece (exploring the why and how of parent involvement)

   

• It’s Elementary!: Algebra K-6 (discovering the impact of pattern across concepts, strands and in real life: past, present and future)

   

• Number Cents (using money to develop flexible, intuitive ideas about numbers and relationships)

   

• A Nose For Numbers: K-6 (fun, engaging investigations to foster strong number sense)

   

• Can’t Get There From Here: stepping backwards to go forward (bridging the ‘missing idea’ gap: practical strategies)

   

• More Than Just Pizza! (exploring different meanings of fractions and mixed numbers: investigating a variety of models to determine which best represents the context at hand and using make-sense words that match)

   

• Is Half Always Fair? (comparing simple fractions for size using benchmarks and other commonly used strategies; the focus here is on student-generated reasoning through natural language)

   

• Do You Speak Fractions? (informal addition and subtraction of fractions as a consequence of make-sense language)

   

• Which ‘-ator’ Was That? (investigating numerator / denominator ideas through rich contexts, a variety of models and natural language (delaying formal numerator / denominator language)

   

• Primarily Space (rich investigations to develop early spatial sense)

   

• NOW I See It! (motivating investigations and games for teaching the eye to see and the mind to predict: transformations, 2D and 3D figures and shapes, patterns, angles)

   

• What’s Math Got To Do With Art? Absolutely Everything! (this session is designed for everyone who thought they couldn’t draw; participants will amaze themselves with their own ability to record what they actually see)

   

© 2007 Think-Links Press