4 Things Every Math Teacher Should STOP SAYING

Рет қаралды 14,177

Күн бұрын

In today's video, we look at 4 things that every math teacher should stop saying, as well as what to say instead.
1. Does anyone have any questions?
Instead - "What questions do you have?" or "I want to hear 3 different questiosn about this topic before moving on."
2. What's the answer to this problem?
Instead - "How did you approach this problem?" or "What's something you tried on this problem?"
3. That's correct. **
Instead - "Tell me what you did here and why." or "Convince me that this is the correct answer."
4. That's wrong. **
Instead - "I agree with everything up to this point."
**Those last two are things to try not to say as quickly or just say less.
I've also got a spreadsheet I put together a few years ago with a bunch more sentence / question stems if you're interested - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
---------------------------------------------
I’m Thom Gibson.
🍎 I teach middle school math, robotics, a high school KZfaqr elective, creator of the 'Stories from the Classroom' Podcast and the Books & Beef Jerky Bookstagram, and learner of Mandarin and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,.
🎥Video, 🎤Podcasting, & 💻Computer Equipment I use - www.amazon.com/shop/thomgibso...
*contains affiliate links*
⏱ What my channel is about in 30 seconds - • A Teacher / Filmmaker'...
🎧'Stories from the Classroom' Podcast, an audio-documentary education-focused podcast - storiesfromtheclassroom.simple...
================
Find me on social media :)
Twitter - @gibsonedu
Instagram - @gibsoneducation
Website - thomgibson.com

Пікірлер: 85

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

What have you either stopped saying or started saying more in your math class?

@virluna12 4 жыл бұрын

Stop saying if something is right or wrong is really helpful, it challenge them to defend their thinking and when they get different answers they don't get discouraged right away because they might be right.

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

@@virluna12 For sure. I'll generally put both answers up and ask 'does anybody want to say why they agree or disagree with one of these' to open it up.

@soniateach 4 жыл бұрын

I make sure to take a longer pause after asking a question to give students a chance to think about the answer. This is especially important for my struggling learners that take longer to process information.

@aadithyaahil2046 3 жыл бұрын

MY MATHS SIR IS A LOSER COZ HE THINKS EVERYBODY DOES MAL-PRATICE

@atrayubrandy 4 жыл бұрын

OMG "I want to hear 3 different questions before moving on." BRILLIANT! I will definitely be using this from now on. Thank you!

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Atrayu! Happy teaching :)

@dianedavidson5283 4 ай бұрын

Yes, I like that!

@nikkirae83 4 жыл бұрын

It is amazing how simply changing the way you say things can completely change the dynamic of the conversation you have with your students. Thank you for sharing.

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

For sure. The other day I found myself telling a student that there was a 100s chart if he needed it and immediately I realized I should have just said that there was a 100s chart if he'd like to use one. Saying 'if you need it' makes it sound like he probably shouldn't need it. Always learning.

@esahmad 4 жыл бұрын

As a Math teacher, I really needed this. Thanks Thom!

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

Good to hear fro you again Ahmad :) Let me know how things go in math class!

@jeffkillion3383 3 жыл бұрын

Last summer I mentioned how much I really liked the idea of avoiding "Does anyone have a question?" and instead asking "What questions do you have?"and "I want to hear some questions about this point before I move on..." I kept hammering this strategy during school this past school year and I can tell you, it is GOLD. Rather than it being a sign of weakness, making asking questions not just OK but a vital part of the lesson led to more inspired comments from the students and furthered their understanding.

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

Love how you framed it as moving away from questions as a sign of weakness and instead a vital part of the lesson.

@jeffreykillion6001 3 жыл бұрын

Outstanding video, Thom. This is my 27th year of teaching math, yet I still catch myself making some of these mistakes "in the heat of the moment". Love, love, love the idea of "I'm not moving on until you ask 3 questions about this...". This is the beauty of teaching...that you can still learn things that are new and invigorating! I've already passed this on to all of my colleagues and I look forward to using these suggestions tomorrow. Thank you!

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for saying that Jeffrey! That means a lot coming from a seasoned vet like yourself :) Hoping to continue to embrace the growth mindset as you have!

@jeffreykillion6001 3 жыл бұрын

One thing I've trained myself to do is to NOT REPEAT what students say. That way they listen to each other and not me. I'll even counter with asking other students to articulate their understanding of what the other student said and if they agree/disagree and why. It's so vitally important to get students talking about their thinking and try to create debate and conversation wherever possible - it makes math class much more interesting.

@tinyr101 3 жыл бұрын

While I mostly agree with the motivation behind not repeating a students response, there’s also the consideration that a student may not be able to properly verbalize a specific math idea and could benefit from a teacher stepping in to briefly reword their response. As a student, I think it’s really helpful when teachers clarify the responses of students because it helps us learn how to “speak math”.

@jeffkillion3383 2 жыл бұрын

@@tinyr101 Fair point. Perhaps the goal should be to not repeat what the students say every time. Often, when I observe my colleagues, I hear them constantly immediately repeat what students say as an automatic reflex. I'd say in those situations have some times where the STUDENT repeats/rewords/clarifies what is initially said. I feel that it is necessary to help cultivate both speaking and listening skills in students.

@stephenhawk8384 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Thom. These are things that I know instinctively, but that I need to become more deliberate at in my practice. As I am starting to get myself pumped up for this next school year, this is something I will be journaling about to make it a part of me.

@gibsonedu 2 жыл бұрын

Great to hear that Stephen!

@ahmadibakari3739 4 жыл бұрын

Great ideas. Useful information to every math teacher. I'm definitely going to apply what you have shared in my class.

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ahmadi! Happy teaching 😊

@michellerank8212 4 жыл бұрын

I’ve been doing the what questions do you have. I love it. I also say “it’s okay to not know this. You wouldn’t be in school if you already knew this content.”

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

“It’s ok to not know this” creates a culture where students are more comfortable making mistakes knowing they’ll learn from them.

@jeffkillion3383 3 жыл бұрын

I will warn you that students will feel uncomfortable with being constantly asked to make up questions. You may need to start out asking for only one or two questions before moving on and slowly build it up. You may need to suggest to them types of responses to give (for example, What's another way to do this problem? Or my favorite...what small extensions could I do to make this a little bit more difficult, as if I put it on a test?) Like anything else it's a skill that must be cultivated. But trust me, it will be worth your time to do so. Thanks again, Thom!

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, slowly rolling out any new strategies is always a good bet!

@hvok99 2 жыл бұрын

Super thoughtful! Thanks for making this video

@gibsonedu 2 жыл бұрын

My pleasure Sam! Happy teaching :)

@danilotuburan7050 3 жыл бұрын

Great job. I love that you have ask three questions before moving on to the new lesson.

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve gotten out of the practice of doing it but this reply has prompted me to start again!

@mohy_pjmrd9756 3 жыл бұрын

This video is really helpful , thank you

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

I’m glad it was helpful Mohy!

@kianbostic 4 жыл бұрын

Instead of saying they are wrong, I tell them to go back and check your work!

@thegreatgoddess9149 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for making this video... As a math teacher I really didn't think about this

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ashley. Yeah I have to remind myself of some of these a lot even AFTER I've heard of them. Easy to fall into old habits.

@crimedogs 2 жыл бұрын

wow this has been so well thought through! very clever 🙂

@gibsonedu 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much CRIME DOG! :)

@awgustbaird 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent verbiage! Definitely going to use, thank you!

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

Let me know how it goes Awgust :)

@ThingsILove2266 2 жыл бұрын

Well done!

@gibsonedu 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks ThingI Love :)

@cmccarthy3995 3 жыл бұрын

Great advice to any teacher.

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks C McCarthy 😃 👨🏻‍🏫

@gfontes 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic! Keep doing it man!

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Gabriel for leaving all the love on my IG and here on YT :)

@gfontes 4 жыл бұрын

@@gibsonedu What happened with the Drive book video?!

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

@@gfontes Ha, literally editing it right now to release this week :)

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

@@gfontes Actually, wait, I posted the Drive one (just click on 'videos' and it was posted before this one) and I'm editing the 4 Hour Workweek video for this week.

@AceOfHearts001 3 жыл бұрын

Very nice video!

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ace :)

@ktreznin5538 Жыл бұрын

I've never said "that's wrong." That's the worst thing ANY teacher can say.

@gibsonedu Жыл бұрын

This comment is wrong! Jk ;)

@Krishnafied 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant!

@Krishnafied 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, this is correct! haha

@gibsonedu 4 жыл бұрын

Ha, they hate when I don't tell them if they're right right away.

@sagecollins6131 5 ай бұрын

I understand that asking students to say if they agree with another student's work or not is kind of important to do in class so people can share and learn, but as a senior in highschool right now, I can feel the dread of all my past classes when a teacher asks the students to explain why I'm wrong. It just feels like the students and the teacher are ganging up against me so I feel embarrassed, especially if it's phrased in a way where it is assumedly so obvious that the other students can see why my work is wrong and they should be able to explain why (not that you did that in your example at all).

@gibsonedu 3 ай бұрын

Yeah the language is important. 'Why do you disagree?' is different than 'explain why they're wrong.' I almost always tried to justify SOME of the thinking of the student who didn't get it correct by saying something like 'What I really appreciate about Steven's answer is it does approach it from a different perspective, we just got caught up a little in some of the arithmetic but definitely a perspective worth analyzing.'

@luisx000dontfindme 11 ай бұрын

if the answer was wrong id say "wow i love how you put your effort and how you showed your work" or " i love how confident you were in this problem" and then say but its incorrect bc of this this n that n help out

@gibsonedu 10 ай бұрын

Yeah, always a good idea to encourage the attempt of the problem as so many students will just give up if they're unsure.

@peteramuhaya8664 3 жыл бұрын

Stop saying "study harder next time".

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

Ha! Yeah that’s generally not super helpful.

@TatiannaSpencer 2 жыл бұрын

Using a number talk strategy, I ask for answers writing and repeating each one down using a neutral tone. I then ask, who is willing to share why an answer is reasonable or unreasonable? They might say I agree with or disagree with this answer because... Or this answer is reasonable or unreasonable because... Or I want to disagree with myself and change my thinking because...

@gibsonedu 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah that neutral tone is key. Kids are like 'I can't tell if its right or not by how you're talking!?' Haha.

@nerdgeekcosplay909 3 жыл бұрын

“ are we solving for Satan ?!” - High school junior me

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

No that one is actually OK to say ;)

@robertteran1815 2 жыл бұрын

I have a really bad math professor who does everything that this video says Math Professors shouldn’t do

@gibsonedu 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry about that Robert. KZfaq math lessons will be your new best friend.

@sunnyrain8403 3 жыл бұрын

how do you send something to your math teacher without sending it

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

I don't know what that means ? 😕

@sunnyrain8403 3 жыл бұрын

@@gibsonedu I meant as in my math teacher needs to hear this hah

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

@@sunnyrain8403 Ha! Got it. Too bad you can't send an anonymous email :)

@primarinathecutie8060 3 жыл бұрын

Do you know Mary Gibson?

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

I do not. She sounds awesome :)

@dishitasoniagupta2862 3 жыл бұрын

Bsv maths teachers learn something here

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

Bsv?

@dishitasoniagupta2862 3 жыл бұрын

@@gibsonedu it's my school name- Birla Shishu Vihar

@dianedavidson5283 4 ай бұрын

Well, I see you resigned. I like to say, why did you get that answer, I agree, tell me how you got it. By assuring them they have the right answer, it encourages them to speak.

@gibsonedu 3 ай бұрын

Yeah, telling students who may be a little less confident that you agree and asking them to explain is super helpful.

@Wiskundewinkel 3 жыл бұрын

Sometimes I do use a ‘sarcastic’ tone if it’s something we been working on for some time. Like: ‘are you sure? For real?!’ Then they’re like: ‘ooooh nononono wait...’

@gibsonedu 3 жыл бұрын

That'll work! I'll even sometimes do something similar when they are correct just to see if they stick with their work and keep them on their toes.

@Stettafire 8 ай бұрын

That's awful. Way to humanilate students