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Welcome to Module 5

Communication

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Getting Started

Create a mind map. Record Communication and Mathematics in the centre of the map. Use graphics, diagrams, words, pictures, etc., to show your ideas on this topic.

Communicationand

Mathematics

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Getting Started

your mind map.

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Key Messages

At the heart of mathematics is the process of identifying relationships and trying to present these relationships mathematically in order to communicate them to others.

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Key Messages

The secret to successful teaching is being able to determine what students are thinking, and then use that information as the basis for instruction.

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Key Messages

Through skillfully led discussion, teachers will gain insight into student understanding and students will build understanding and consolidate learning.

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Key Messages

Students’ writing will also reveal and consolidate understanding but must be prefaced by many oral opportunities.

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Key Messages

Whether students are talking or writing about their mathematical learning, the most valuable question that a teacher can ask of them is “How do you know?”

How do you know? Ther

e are 6.

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Working on It

Promoting Opportunities for Communication

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Promoting Opportunities for Communication

Fostering students’ communication skills is an important part of the teacher’s role in the mathematics classroom. Teachers need to be aware of the many kinds of opportunities that exist in the classroom for helping students to communicate.

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Promoting Opportunities for Communication

Read the list of opportunities for communication on p. 6.4.

In groups of four to six, create a graphic organizer on chart paper and organize into categories the ideas from the list. - What kind of graphic organizer will you use? - What categories will you use?

In each of your categories, add another example of an opportunity for communication.

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Promoting Opportunities for Communication

with the large group.

Discuss similarities and differences.

Similarities Differences

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Working on It

Oral CommunicationTeachers can promote students’ communication skills by providing models of good communication.

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Oral Communication

Help students to develop skills in problem solving by demonstrating the thinking process for solving a problem and modeling this process in oral dialogue.

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Oral Communication

Have student volunteers explicitly demonstrate what good communication would, and would not, sound like.

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Oral Communication

Use prompts and questions that help students expand on their oral responses.

Can you think of

another way to show that?

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Oral Communication

Model prompts and questions that students can use as they work together.

Here’s my strategy for getting more

points…

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Oral Communication

Encourage students to use ‘think time’ before they communicate.

If I go there, then she will be able to jump

me. Hmmm…

I’m going to move to H,8

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Oral Communication

Encourage concrete representation as a basis for communicating mathematical understanding.

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Oral Communication

Form six expert groups.In your expert group:

Read about a strategy for fostering oral communication (pp. 6.6 - 6.7).

Record your ideas on BLM 5.1:- What is the strategy? Give an

example of what it might sound like.- When could the strategy be used

appropriately?

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Oral Communication

Return to your home group.

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and record them on BLM 5.1

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Questions and Prompts for Promoting Communication

The questions and prompts that teachers use will vary to reflect the purpose of the communication they wish to elicit from students. At different times teachers ask students to:

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Questions and Prompts for Promoting Communication

Retell;

Make connections;

Reflect on their work;

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Predict, invent, or problem solve;

Share their representations of mathematical situations;

Share their feelings, attitudes, or beliefs about mathematics.

Questions and Prompts for Promoting Communication

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A Problem to Solve…

Form groups of four consisting of two ‘students’ and two ‘teachers’.

The ‘students’ solve the problem. The ‘teachers’ use the Question and Prompt cards to help support their ‘students’ as they solve the problem.

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A Problem to Solve…Two Machines, One JobTwo Machines, One Job

Ron’s Recycle Shop opened when Ron bought a used paper-shredding machine. Business was good, so he added a new shredding machine. The old machine could shred a truckload of paper in 4 hours. The new machine could shred the same truckload in only 2 hours. How long would it take to shred a truckload of paper if Ron ran both shredders at the same time?

- Van de Walle, Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, Fourth Edition, 2001, Pearson

Longman, p. 18

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Promoting Written Communication

Talk, then write

Model the

writing process

Use strategies that promote written communication

Provide authentic

writing tasks

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Promoting Written Communication

Number yourselves from 1 to 5, and reorganize into your number groups.

Each group is responsible for explaining three strategies for promoting written communication to the large group.

Record your group’s ideas on chart paper for sharing.

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Promoting Written Communication

1. Mind Mapping, Model Writing, Shared Student Writing,

2. Think-Talk-Write, Thinking Windows, Place Mat,

3. Procedural Writing, Graphic Organizers, Math Word Wall

4. Math Strategy Wall, Class Journals/Logs, Math Picture Books

5. Poster Projects, Problem Posing, Creative Writing

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Reflecting and Connecting

In your classroom…

Think about communication as you plan your math lessons.What prompts and questions will you use to help students communicate?Be prepared to share your discoveries at the next session.