Hire a Math Coach to Raise Your ELA Scores

This week I had the opportunity to attend one day of  the two day  Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) 67th Annual Conference in Columbus.  I know, right now you are probably thinking the same thing I was thinking when I first heard about the conference.  (Insert your own math joke here)  HOWEVER, besides being energized by the passion and depth of understanding of mathematics by those who presented and attended, I was also impressed with the great pedagogy being discussed.  This shouldn’t be a surprise, because good teaching is good teaching no matter the subject area, but I found it refreshing that in a conference that seemed so esoteric at first, common themes emerged that all teachers can and should be addressing in their own classrooms.

Two of those recurring themes include the importance of teacher collective-efficacy and the value of providing students with voice and choice.  I have touched upon efficacy in the past (Using Standards & Collective Efficacy to Get on Common Ground and  Supporting Teacher Collective Efficacy) and have also mentioned the value of student voice & choice (What is Your One Wish for the School Year and  If THEY Build it Learning Will Come) which are also two of George Couros often referenced eight signs of an innovative classroom.  The emphasis I wanted to make in mentioning these two is that any of us can be and should be utilizing the power of these themes in our classrooms.  

At the conference Linda Gojak discussed how John Hattie’s work ties nicely into the mathematics classrooms, but they really apply to all classrooms.  As an example, she opened up talking about how “every student needs a great teacher, not by chance, but by design” which made me immediately go to The Red Queen Effect and teacher collective efficacy.  That is where Linda went with it as well.  She pointed out that when you look at the 8 Effective Mathematical Teaching Practices as endorsed by the National Council Mathematics Teaching (NCTM) they align with many of the practices that Hattie’s research found were impactful for all classrooms.  

• Teacher Clarity (effect size = .75...remember, according to Hattie, anything above 0.4 is impactful in the classroom) is no more than being sure students understand the purpose of the lesson and what connections can be made  and being sure students can provide  evidence of their thinking which is something that can take place in every classroom.
• Classroom Discussion/Discourse (effect size = .82) touches upon the importance of giving student voice leading to them making their own connections over telling students what connections they should be making.  This includes avoiding the use of univocal questioning to funnel kids to an answer WE want them to get.  Again, something that can take place in every classroom.
• Piagetian Programs (effect size of 1.28) is giving the students opportunity to build off of or construct meaning of new material on the foundation of past understanding.  In math it could take place by allowing students to make connections from seeing patterns that could eventually lead to an algorithm used by the student.  It is not telling or showing them the algorithm to use (the trick) prior to them having a conceptual understanding of the concept.  In ELA it would be having students talk about what they are reading and help them to make the connection that the recurring messages they keep mentioning in the story is the theme versus giving them the definition of theme, telling them to read a given paragraph in isolation, and requiring them to identify the theme.  
• Feedback (effect size = .70), especially timely feedback such as formative feedback is valuable  Those take place in the conversations we are having with our students every day.  Conversations can not take place if the teacher is the center of the classroom.  That is more of a lecture which includes asking students “funneling” type questions.  Putting students in a group worthy task which promotes productive struggle provides ideal opportunities to provide feedback.  Once again, this can take place in any classroom as long as the students are able to provide evidence of what they are thinking (make their thinking visible) and the teacher provides opportunity for dialog (timely feedback).

This is just one example of how this math conference was really more about teaching than it was mathematics.  I am  resisting the urge to talk about each of the sessions I attended in this post, but I do feel I need to at least mention one other session because the message about student voice and choice was so strong.

Kim Sutton is a nationally known mathematics teacher whose time in the classroom includes AP Calculus to elementary mathematics.  However, her heart is in the elementary classroom because of the importance of establishing a strong foundation.  Kim pointed out that mathematical foundation was not established by making sure the kids drilled their facts, but was instead based on allowing students opportunities to make connections and talk about those connections (voice & choice) versus telling that what connections they should be making.  She continued to emphasize the importance of allowing kids to make connections by seeing patterns and relationships for themselves, but  before going into all of the “good stuff” she shared, some of which can be found here, she said something which resonated with me.   She stated, that when she saw her kids struggling she knew “she had to change, not the kids” and I thought that was an important point that we all need continue to remember as teachers no matter our subject area, grade, or zip code.  

Our Math Specialist/Coach in our district, Mike Lipnos, often jokes that “if you want to raise your test scores in ELA you should hire a math coach” alluding to the importance of kids being able to see patterns, make those connections, and form relationships between concepts that promote understanding and ultimately learning no matter the content area..  After attending this conference, I am starting to make the connection.  :)