The Build Math Minds Podcast Christina Tondevold

The two ends of the spectrum when teaching math seem to be “here are the exact ways to solve this problem, follow it exactly,” and “you figure it out, I’m not telling you anything.”  Neither of these tend to work.  Instead it’s about finding a balance between these. We need to give some guidance, but not too much.  We want them to figure out ways to solve problems on their own but we can’t let them flounder.
The book 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Classroom by John Seidlitz & Bill Perryman gives educators, as the title says, 7 steps and the first one is: teach students what to say when they don’t know what to say. This also applies when a student doesn’t know where to start with a math problem.  So this week’s episode is helping students have Things to Say Instead of IDK.
Join the Build Math Minds PD site: https://buildmathminds.com/bmm
7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Classroom by John Seidlitz & Bill Perryman
Build Math Minds YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/buildmathminds

It's been an incredible journey over the past two weeks as we've explored nine key strategies to Kickstart your students' number sense. Now, as we reach the end of this Kickstart event, it's essential to understand that the foundations you're laying are seeds of number sense, and their growth will be gradual. These principles we've discussed serve as the blueprint for you to navigate through the upcoming school year:
Do Number Routines and Contextual Problems with a focus on understanding.  Watch for your students’ thinking around the number sense concepts.  Keep a record of those understandings to help guide the number routines & contextual problems you pick.  While you are doing the number routines and contextual problems, make sure the students are doing the talking and you are listening.  Use lots of visuals and try to connect the C-R-A models as much as you can.  And then practice.  Once the understanding is there, kids do need repeated, PURPOSEFUL practice.
That’s your blueprint. 
Today, on Day 10, it's time to take this blueprint for building your students' number sense seriously. I've explored concepts, practical strategies, and provided resources to assist you on this path. However, there's more to discover, and if you are ready to explore these ideas further your Day 10 action item is: enroll in my online courses, The Flexibility Formula, tailored for K-2 and 3-5: https://buildmathminds.com/enroll/ 

The saying "Practice Makes Perfect" often implies that repetition leads to mastery. However, practicing something you do poorly, or incorrectly, doesn't make it perfect; it instead reinforces bad habits. Practice actually makes PERMANENT.
Practice is crucial, but it should follow the establishment of a strong sense of numbers. Day 9’s tip is to find a new way for students to practice math.
Today's audio message discusses two valuable approaches to make practice more enjoyable and connected to your students’ current mathematical needs: using math games and offering students choice during math practice. Listen in to get the details.
Practice is essential for reinforcing knowledge, but let’s do it in a way that is fun, differentiates for your students, and allows for students to reinforce the good mathematical thinking they’ve been building.
Get access to all the resources mentioned when you register for the Kickstart here: BuildMathMinds.com/10Day-kickstart 
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If you are looking for a comprehensive online course for elementary educators that will help you better understand and implement the ideas in this Number Sense Kickstart, join The Flexibility Formula Course.
During the 10-Day Kickstart you can get a special gift when you enroll by October 19, 2023.  Go to BuildMathMinds.com/enroll to pick the grade level of the course (K-2 or 3-5) and get enrolled.

Day 8 of the Number Sense Kickstart emphasizes a simple, yet sometimes difficult, teaching strategy: Let students solve story problems, don’t give them the steps.
The concept of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) plays a pivotal role here. It acknowledges that students bring their innate mathematical knowledge shaped by everyday experiences with numbers to the table when solving problems. Students often solve problems in different ways than we think they should mathematically…however their strategies are often rooted in the context of the problem so it’s helpful for educators to know the different problem types.
Your task for Day 8 is to select a problem from your textbook, ensure it meets the math content you need for the day, display it, and have your students solve it without offering explicit solution steps. Details on this are in today’s training. 
This shift is often difficult for the kids (and you) so, if needed, you can experiment with Numberless Word Problems, an approach developed by Brian Bushart, which gradually introduces numerical information into word problems while promoting critical thinking and mathematical discourse.
As you implement the use of story problems, continue to focus on understanding, identify underlying number concepts, record student insights, actively listen, encourage visual representations, and embrace a variety of models to help kids build connections.
Get access to all the resources mentioned when you register for the Kickstart here: BuildMathMinds.com/10Day-kickstart 
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If you are looking for a comprehensive online course for elementary educators that will help you better understand and implement the ideas in this Number Sense Kickstart, join The Flexibility Formula Course.
During the 10-Day Kickstart you can get a special gift when you enroll by October 19, 2023.  Go to BuildMathMinds.com/enroll to pick the grade level of the course (K-2 or 3-5) and get enrolled.

In Day 7 of our Number Sense Kickstart we are shifting from the theoretical ideas I’ve shared so far into practical classroom strategies that make it easier to do the theoretical ideas. 
Our first practical idea is to do a Number Routine with your students.  These structured, brief activities, taking just 5-10 minutes, are a potent tool for meaningful math engagement. Number Routines help students develop the 8 number sense concepts, encouraging them to interact with numbers and share their thinking.  
Number Routines create opportunities for deep mathematical understanding and allow teachers to listen more and talk less, gaining insights into student number sense.  They can be visual or abstract, but when possible, it's beneficial to incorporate visuals to help your students make connections using the Concrete-Representational-Abstract models.
Listen to the training for today to learn more about Number Routines so you can use one with your students tomorrow.
Get access to all the resources mentioned when you register for the Kickstart here: BuildMathMinds.com/10Day-kickstart 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are looking for a comprehensive online course for elementary educators that will help you better understand and implement the ideas in this Number Sense Kickstart, join The Flexibility Formula Course.
During the 10-Day Kickstart you can get a special gift when you enroll by October 19, 2023.  Go to BuildMathMinds.com/enroll to pick the grade level of the course (K-2 or 3-5) and get enrolled.

Today we're diving into the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (C-R-A) model of teaching mathematics.
Typically, these stages are presented in isolation, with separate lessons for each. However, the real impact comes when all three are combined in a single lesson. This integration helps students see connections between different problem-solving methods and leads to those "A-HA" moments.
The action item for Day 6 of the Number Sense Kickstart is to seek opportunities to combine C-R-A in your math lessons. Whether in your textbook or your upcoming lesson, aim to integrate all three stages.  Learn more about embracing this model to empower students to develop a deep understanding of mathematics.
Get access to all the resources mentioned when you register for the Kickstart here: BuildMathMinds.com/10Day-kickstart 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are looking for a comprehensive online course for elementary educators that will help you better understand and implement the ideas in this Number Sense Kickstart, join The Flexibility Formula Course.
During the 10-Day Kickstart you can get a special gift when you enroll by October 19, 2023.  Go to BuildMathMinds.com/enroll to pick the grade level of the course (K-2 or 3-5) and get enrolled.