Literacy Strategies for Improving Mathematics Instruction

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Literacy Strategies for Improving Mathematics
Instruction

• Kennedy, Hancewicz, Heurer, Metsisto Tuttle

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The Good Old Days?

• School Days, School Days
• Dear old Golden Rule days.
• Reading and Riting and Rithemtic
• Taught to the tune of a Hickry Stick.
• Understanding, Pupil-centred learning,
  Concept-building Communicating understanding to
  others.

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Commonality of Languages

• Special foreign language, part of Literacy
• 4000 languages nouns verbs
• Content and process skills that are domain
  specific but tend lumped under content.
• Nouns are Numbers, Measurements, Shapes Spaces,
  Functions, Patterns, Data Arrangements.

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4 Predominant Actions or Verbs in
Problem-solving Reasoning

• Modelling Formulating creating representations
  and relationships to the original problem
• Transforming Manipulating changing how problem
  is expressed to equivalent forms
• Inferring applying derived solutions to the
  original problem situation and interpreting and
  generalising the results in that light
• Communicating reporting what has been learned.

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Foreign Language

• Mathematics is truly a foreign language
• Learned in school not spoken at home
• Not our first language
• We still use mathematical language more than our
  other languages
• Memorising vocabulary, words and verb
  conjugations out of any immediate context.

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Mathematical Memories

• Memorising number facts requires no inferences or
  ability to discriminate between quantities or
  justify solutions and the lack of fluency quickly
  becomes apparent.
• Double-decoding i.e. normal parlance to maths
  usage, written mathematics words or symbols
  connected to a concept that may or may not be
  present.

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Reading

• In the Mathematics Classroom

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Moving from Training to Education

• Follow rather than interpret text and reason
• More concepts per sentence and paragraph
• Short compact style information laden
• Decoding Numeric Non-Numeric symbols

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Not like the English sentence

• No Left to Right tracking
• Graphics must be understood
• Maths key idea at the end of the paragraph as a
  statement or question

• Read re-read to visualise the problems
  context
• Apply strategies, solve problem or statement.
• Texts are written above the level of the reader.

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Same word different language

• Maths language has different meaning in everyday
  language, Similar means alike
• Similar that ratios of the corresponding sides of
  two shapes are equivalent and the corresponding
  angles are equal.

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Small Words, Big Differences Little Landmines

• Pronouns, prepositions conjunctions a big
  difference in understanding
• Percentage of something is different from the
  percent off something or the area of a triangle.
• Enunciate significant words more precisely helps
  understanding.
• Read out loud paraphrasing words talk through
  using context clues to figure out word meanings

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Strategic Reading

• Questions for the teacher
• What is the major concept?
• How can I connect this concept to their lives?
• Any key concepts or specialised vocabulary?
• How can I use pictures charts etc to predict?
• What supplementary materials do I need?

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Other Reading Strategies

• Vocabulary lists, dictionary meanings does not
  help to develop conceptual meaning.
• Guided Reading to previous learning, small
  coherent segments predict using the title
• Ask process questions to show what you want
  pupils to ask themselves in future

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Writing

• Writing in the Mathematics Classroom

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Writing in the Mathematics Classroom

• 30 students cannot talk at the same time in
  class but they can write, engages them in their
  learning
• The process of writing about a problem will often
  lead to a solution
• Pupils can write about a problem then share
  their strategies with the class or group.

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Gardner

• Linguistic Logical-mathematical
• Linguistic is rated more highly in society
• More acceptable to fail at mathematics
• Maths though is rooted in the material world

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Teachers Role in Writing

• Problem must be appropriate for the pupils to
  write, must know how to use blocks, diagrams,
  pictures, or grids before they can write about
  them
• Problems must be discussed strategies explored
  by the whole class requires confidence without
  fear of being ridiculed

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• AFL Evidence - tracks thinking, guides next step
  requires open-ended questions
• Graphics, symbols, technical vocabulary, special
  definitions, little words confusing
• Pictorial language all leads to confusion.

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Discourse

• In the mathematical classroom

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Discourse

• Framework to build effective lessons
• Arrange furniture to facilitate discourse
• Get the class to direct questions to peers
• Use the childrens words on the board
• Too much paraphrasing means listen to me
• Requires both talking and listening for all.

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Discourse

• Stand in a variety of spots
• Pupils listen harder when a peer speaks
• Give students time to think
• End product to share, tangents may be good
• Involve pupils in challenging problems
• Open-ended questions, listen to pupils responses,
  train them to listen to peers
• Confusion is natural time is vital.

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Discourse

• Problem Solving has many strategies no limits
• Vocabulary no need to rush informal first then
  formal
• Concept Maps expand the thinking.

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Mathematical Metis

• A toolbox of knowledge and practical skills that
  enables people to respond to change.
• It cannot be taught or memorised
• It comes through imparting and acquisition.