Reflections
The strength of this lesson was making the math explicit and working with a small
group of students who needed my support. I needed to be focused in my goals for
the session, in the questions I posed, and in the materials and contexts I offered
them. I think the most effective part of the lesson was using the containers as
magic pots and doubling the cubes. The students were able to internalize that dou-
bling made the containers fill very quickly and the bigger the number, the bigger
the double. It was also important to bring the students from the small group back
into the whole-group discussion so they could practice what they had just learned
and be exposed to their classmates’ ideas. This is a process that I use often and in
different subjects. When students are allowed to express their thoughts in smaller
groups and they are supported and validated, it makes it easier for them to speak
with confidence in larger groups.
Making math explicit means making the math concepts as clear as possible
and presenting them in a variety of ways. The more deeply I understand a concept,
the more I should be able to teach it and show it in different ways. It becomes a
personal challenge to present material to students visually and verbally using a va-
riety of methods and materials. The time spent doing this is invaluable in helping
the students comprehend, apply the concept, and gain confidence.
•••Our dear friend and colleague, Michelle Perch, passed away on August 25, 2009. We
are grateful for her contribution to this book, and for her generous spirit that touched the
lives of teachers and students.
Double or Nothing