Clip 18/20: Multiplying and Factoring Polynomial Expressions Debrief Part 4
Overview
SVMI mathematics coach Pam Brousseau asks Melissa Nix about her approach to ensuring the appropriate cognitive demand for her students that neither bores nor overwhelms them. Melissa describes her rationale for students doing a “three read” of the problems to understand what was happening, what quantities were included, and what operations were stated explicitly or inferred.
She describes her use of scaffolds, such as a worksheet, to allow students who did not know where to begin to get started. Melissa shares that her sequencing of the lesson, and her reminding students of how what they were working on related to ideas they’d grappled with previously, helped their conceptual and metacognitive growth.
Teacher Commentary
Teacher Commentary
Number talks are a really good intro for holding students accountable for talking in classrooms and giving them something to talk about. That focus sets up some of those norms and procedures in classrooms. Most kids have access to some part of the number talk. They might not be able to do it all, but that access at least gives them some agency of being able to participate, because they can make sense of it.