July 12th, 2014 · Uncategorized
A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 167
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Back to blogging again. Thanks to all who responded to the request for feedback. Reminder: MBH has a new website! Please take a tour, it’s new and improved! We will cover the last CCSS ELA post tomorrow, then on to the Grade 2 Mathematical Practice Standards. Lastly, a grand finale to say farewell to Grade 2, not sure what, but it will be grand.
Today’s post features a blog post from “The Art of Learning” re the Common Core and its troubled start, due largely to standardized tests that were faultily (or not at all) matched to the standards. Another major CC flaw as stated in this post is the “fool’s gold” of the data mining that’s become so endemic with implementation and testing.
“Schools have rushed to “unpack” the standards and hastily rolled out poorly designed scripted curriculum materials primarily to prepare students for the high stakes tests (that supposedly measure their teachers performance) rather than prepare students for learning.
The Common Core testing regime is more about satisfying data-driven enthusiasts’ ‘thirst” for more data, than it is about cultivating students’ thirst for knowledge.
We are witnessing an unprecedented data collection “gold rush”, while the validity and reliability of this “fool’s gold” is of little concern to those who are mining it.”
The most outstanding point in the Art of Learning blog post is the one-letter substitution calling for “vigor” rather than “rigor.” From the moment I first heard the CC mandate for rigor in the classroom, all the way down to Kindergarten (and pre-K) it was clear that this was not a child-friendly or for that matter, at all sensible approach. Rigor and children don’t mix, because children are too wonderfully spontaneous and inherently creative for rigor’s attempted implementation to work in any way.
Vigor however: yes, by all means! We as adults tend to “see through a glass, darkly,” so it behooves us to stretch our parameters and take a page from the little ones in our care. Infuse everything we set before them with enthusiasm (whose root comes from the Greek enthousiasmos or the adjective, entheos, meaning “the God within”) for the sheer wonder of every thing in the world around us.
Then the vigor we need to access for effective, authentic teaching will flow from the light of each subject at hand as we lovingly impart it. “Schooling should be about inspiring all of our students and helping them to discover their unique talents, while supporting them as they pursue their passions.
This will require more vigor in the classroom which is inherently student-centered, and much less concern about rigor in the classroom which is primarily standards and test-centered.” Read the blog post here.
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow for the last Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
The post Uncommon Core: Classroom Vigor vs. Rigor (#167) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Uncommon Core: Classroom Vigor vs. Rigor (#167) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Uncommon Core: Classroom Vigor vs. Rigor (#167) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Uncommon Core: Classroom Vigor vs. Rigor (#167) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Uncommon Core: Classroom Vigor vs. Rigor (#167) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Uncommon Core: Classroom Vigor vs. Rigor (#167) appeared first on Math By Hand.
Tags:
A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 166
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Back in the blog saddle after a week away. We have a new website! Please take a tour, it’s new and improved! Back to the last CCSS ELA post tomorrow, then on to the Grade 2 Mathematical Practice Standards. Then a grand Grade 2 finale, not sure what yet, but it will be grand.
For today, here’s a wonderful post by a parent who shares what she learned working in a Waldorf Kindergarten for a year. It’s an excellent portrait of Waldorf beginnings and overall philosophy, one that can be universally applied to all parenting. See the post here.
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow for the last of the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
The post A Year in a Waldorf Kindy: Parenting Skills! (#166) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post A Year in a Waldorf Kindy: Parenting Skills! (#166) appeared first on Math By Hand.
Tags:
Day 165
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Another fun post today. Building the new website continues to take so much time and effort there’s less energy for anything else. Having fun with the blog is less taxing than writing about the Common Core! And needless to say, it’s more enjoyable.
Today’s post will feature a youtube from the City School of Los Angeles and several Waldorf Grade 2 Pinterest pages. The youtube is a wonderful example of a movement exercise using concentration, coordination, and cooperation, and then a song played with flutes and sung in a basic round. Both of these examples are “pointless” in the sense that there is no apparent immediate goal or structured lesson plan, certainly these activities are not teaching to any possible test! Instead, they feature movement and music, two essential ingredients that have been short-changed in the Common Core classroom.
The Pinterest pages and posts are colorful and lively, again seemingly random compared to the “rigor” of the Common Core agenda. Compare yesterday’s example of the second grade morning workbook with the focused, body-integrated activity at the City School. Or with the many beautiful examples of art and color-infused work and activities on the Pinterest pages.
The morning workbook is a good example of the workplace ethic, nose-to-the-grindstone mentality that has dominated classroom education since its beginnings (surprisingly not all that long ago). We need to let the children raise their faces and breathe. A post I shared on Facebook today featured a cartoon of a boy being dropped off at school, saying: “You can make my body go to school, but my soul will be running around under the sprinkler.”
Enjoy. Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
City School of Los Angeles:
#mce_temp_url#
Pinterest pages:
#mce_temp_url#
#mce_temp_url#
Tags:
June 29th, 2014 · Uncategorized
A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 165
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Another fun post today. Building the new website continues to take so much time and effort there’s less energy for anything else. Having fun with the blog is less taxing than writing about the Common Core! And needless to say, it’s more enjoyable.
Today’s post will feature a youtube from the City School of Los Angeles and several Waldorf Grade 2 Pinterest pages. The youtube is a wonderful example of a movement exercise using concentration, coordination, and cooperation, and then a song played with flutes and sung in a basic round. Both of these examples are “pointless” in the sense that there is no apparent immediate goal or structured lesson plan, certainly these activities are not teaching to any possible test! Instead, they feature movement and music, two essential ingredients that have been short-changed in the Common Core classroom.
The Pinterest pages and posts are colorful and lively, again seemingly random compared to the “rigor” of the Common Core agenda. Compare yesterday’s example of the second grade morning workbook with the focused, body-integrated activity at the City School. Or with the many beautiful examples of art and color-infused work and activities on the Pinterest pages.
The morning workbook is a good example of the workplace ethic, nose-to-the-grindstone mentality that has dominated classroom education since its beginnings (surprisingly not all that long ago). We need to let the children raise their faces and breathe. A post I shared on Facebook today featured a cartoon of a boy being dropped off at school, saying: “You can make my body go to school, but my soul will be running around under the sprinkler.”
Enjoy. Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
City School of Los Angeles:
#mce_temp_url#
Pinterest pages:
#mce_temp_url#
#mce_temp_url#
The post Waldorf Grade 2: A Lively Morning Circle & More (#165) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Waldorf Grade 2: A Lively Morning Circle & More (#165) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Waldorf Grade 2: A Lively Morning Circle & More (#165) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Waldorf Grade 2: A Lively Morning Circle & More (#165) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Waldorf Grade 2: A Lively Morning Circle & More (#165) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Waldorf Grade 2: A Lively Morning Circle & More (#165) appeared first on Math By Hand.
Tags:
A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 165
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Another fun post today. Building the new website continues to take so much time and effort there’s less energy for anything else. Having fun with the blog is less taxing than writing about the Common Core! And needless to say, it’s more enjoyable.
Today’s post will feature a youtube from the City School of Los Angeles and several Waldorf Grade 2 Pinterest pages. The youtube is a wonderful example of a movement exercise using concentration, coordination, and cooperation, and then a song played with flutes and sung in a basic round. Both of these examples are “pointless” in the sense that there is no apparent immediate goal or structured lesson plan, certainly these activities are not teaching to any possible test! Instead, they feature movement and music, two essential ingredients that have been short-changed in the Common Core classroom.
The Pinterest pages and posts are colorful and lively, again seemingly random compared to the “rigor” of the Common Core agenda. Compare yesterday’s example of the second grade morning workbook with the focused, body-integrated activity at the City School. Or with the many beautiful examples of art and color-infused work and activities on the Pinterest pages.
The morning workbook is a good example of the workplace ethic, nose-to-the-grindstone mentality that has dominated classroom education since its beginnings (surprisingly not all that long ago). We need to let the children raise their faces and breathe. A post I shared on Facebook today featured a cartoon of a boy being dropped off at school, saying: “You can make my body go to school, but my soul will be running around under the sprinkler.”
Enjoy. Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
City School of Los Angeles:
#mce_temp_url#
Pinterest pages:
#mce_temp_url#
#mce_temp_url#
The post Waldorf Grade 2: A Lively Morning Circle & More (#165) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post Waldorf Grade 2: A Lively Morning Circle & More (#165) appeared first on Math By Hand.
Tags:
A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 164
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Today’s post will continue reviewing the Common Core ELA standards, which are listed in blue and are followed by their ambient counterparts.
English Language Arts Standards > Language > Grade 2
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4B
Use a known word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
Making sense of words is essential, but this tends to be fairly analytical. Which is why it may be better to wait until Latin and Greek roots can be presented and adequately understood. Worksheets are not optimal tools for learning, at this or any other age. The first of the images below is a second grade morning workbook. How much nicer would it be to get the day moving with recitation and math set to movement? The second image is a Common Core worksheet on the subject. Of all the examples listed below the third, the cootie catcher, is the most likely candidate because it’s such a hands-on tool. However, making learning tools from the ground up is preferable.
There’s a sense of ownership and buy-in that comes with creating self-made tools. The Math By Hand materials consist mainly of instructions, lessons, and activities that center around a variety of hand-made tools. Waldorf students make not only learning tools but all their main lesson books which document every single thing they’ve learned. Together with handcrafts like knitting, crocheting, and sewing, as well as home and garden arts, the Waldorf student is well-rounded in both multiple learning styles and graceful, self-sufficient living,
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
Tags:
Day 164
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Today’s post will continue reviewing the Common Core ELA standards, which are listed in blue and are followed by their ambient counterparts.
English Language Arts Standards > Language > Grade 2
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4B
Use a known word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
Making sense of words is essential, but this tends to be fairly analytical. Which is why it may be better to wait until Latin and Greek roots can be presented and adequately understood. Worksheets are not optimal tools for learning, at this or any other age. The first of the images below is a second grade morning workbook. How much nicer would it be to get the day moving with recitation and math set to movement? The second image is a Common Core worksheet on the subject. Of all the examples listed below the third, the cootie catcher, is the most likely candidate because it’s such a hands-on tool. However, making learning tools from the ground up is preferable.
There’s a sense of ownership and buy-in that comes with creating self-made tools. The Math By Hand materials consist mainly of instructions, lessons, and activities that center around a variety of hand-made tools. Waldorf students make not only learning tools but all their main lesson books which document every single thing they’ve learned. Together with handcrafts like knitting, crocheting, and sewing, as well as home and garden arts, the Waldorf student is well-rounded in both multiple learning styles and graceful, self-sufficient living,
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
Tags:
June 28th, 2014 · Uncategorized
A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 164
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Today’s post will continue reviewing the Common Core ELA standards, which are listed in blue and are followed by their ambient counterparts.
English Language Arts Standards > Language > Grade 2
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4B
Use a known word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
Making sense of words is essential, but this tends to be fairly analytical. Which is why it may be better to wait until Latin and Greek roots can be presented and adequately understood. Worksheets are not optimal tools for learning, at this or any other age. The first of the images below is a second grade morning workbook. How much nicer would it be to get the day moving with recitation and math set to movement? The second image is a Common Core worksheet on the subject. Of all the examples listed below the third, the cootie catcher, is the most likely candidate because it’s such a hands-on tool. However, making learning tools from the ground up is preferable.
There’s a sense of ownership and buy-in that comes with creating self-made tools. The Math By Hand materials consist mainly of instructions, lessons, and activities that center around a variety of hand-made tools. Waldorf students make not only learning tools but all their main lesson books which document every single thing they’ve learned. Together with handcrafts like knitting, crocheting, and sewing, as well as home and garden arts, the Waldorf student is well-rounded in both multiple learning styles and graceful, self-sufficient living,
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post L.2 4 B: Worksheets vs. Stories, Songs & Movement (#164) appeared first on Math By Hand.
Tags:
A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 163
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Today’s post will continue reviewing the Common Core ELA standards, which are listed in blue and are followed by their ambient counterparts.
English Language Arts Standards > Language > Grade 2
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
Reading may not be happening yet, and that’s fine. A rock-solid foundation is being built for excellent reading and writing skills through exposure to classic literature and verse. Grade 2 reading need not be the watered down version necessary for independent comprehension and accessibility at that age. The meanings of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases are acquired holistically and naturally. A storehouse of skills is built effortlessly through a love of literature.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4A
Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Making sense of sentence level context happens continually while listening to stories or fables. Aesop’s fables from Ancient Greece, medieval legends of saints, or classic heroes’ tales possess an integrity of language that resonates deeply with 8 year olds. As the stories are told, complex structures are puzzle-pieced together in the children’s developing minds, and an integral part of that process is a vocabulary building that has no rival in any one of a broad array of strategies.
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
The post L.2 4 A: A Love of Stories = A Storehouse of Skills (#163) appeared first on Math By Hand.
The post L.2 4 A: A Love of Stories = A Storehouse of Skills (#163) appeared first on Math By Hand.
Tags:
Day 163
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Today’s post will continue reviewing the Common Core ELA standards, which are listed in blue and are followed by their ambient counterparts.
English Language Arts Standards > Language > Grade 2
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
Reading may not be happening yet, and that’s fine. A rock-solid foundation is being built for excellent reading and writing skills through exposure to classic literature and verse. Grade 2 reading need not be the watered down version necessary for independent comprehension and accessibility at that age. The meanings of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases are acquired holistically and naturally. A storehouse of skills is built effortlessly through a love of literature.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4A
Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Making sense of sentence level context happens continually while listening to stories or fables. Aesop’s fables from Ancient Greece, medieval legends of saints, or classic heroes’ tales posses an integrity of language that resonates deeply with 8 year olds. As the stories are told, complex structures are puzzle-pieced together in the children’s developing minds, and an integral part of that process is a vocabulary building that has no rival in any one of a broad array of strategies.
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
Tags:
