Reply To: Strategy #1: Avoid Rushing To The Algorithm – Discussion

[Philip Pittelli]

My big takeaway is to stop pre-teaching. I have always tried not to get to the algorithm or follow my steps and see if the students can come up with them. I really enjoyed the quote about assuming the kids can’t think and won’t think. I feel like I middle school students have been trained to wait and see what the teachers do and then they follow that lead. We as teachers tend to model too much, especially in the elementary world, so thinking for themselves becomes a challenge Putting kids in situations that is unfamiliar I think is super important, and the next steps that follow are probably even more.

[Philip Pittelli]

My big takeaway is to stop pre-teaching. I have always tried not to get to the algorithm or follow my steps and see if the students can come up with them. I really enjoyed the quote about assuming the kids can’t think and won’t think. I feel like I middle school students have been trained to wait and see what the teachers do and then they follow that lead. We as teachers tend to model too much, especially in the elementary world, so thinking for themselves becomes a challenge Putting kids in situations that is unfamiliar I think is super important, and the next steps that follow are probably even more.