Teachers Learn New Things, Too!

 When teachers are out of the classroom for professional development, we have several questions run through our minds. Are my students doing ok today? What if someone needs me and I am not there? Did I leave clear directions in my sub plans? Will I be able to apply what I learn in this meeting to meet the needs of my students?

Last week, first grade teachers met across the district to learn some new applications for math instruction. My teaching partner and I were buzzing when we were allowed time to plan for implementation in our classroom. We planned next day activities that we were able to begin implementing immediately. This helped calm those rippling thoughts that we as teachers have when we are out of the classroom.

We are a few days into this learning, and already I am seeing blossoming partnerships, critical thinking of new ideas, and new procedures learned and understood. 

We are learning to get moving, mix up with new partners who are different from the ones sitting at our tables, and use our voice to explain our mathematical thinking. We started with a few photographs containing 4 images. The students first watched the spinner wheel randomly place them into a working partnership. (They loved watching the spinner create their groups!) Then, each partner had a task to complete prior to arriving at their designated spot. One partner had to grab a marker and eraser, one partner needed the whiteboard (In some spots) and that same person was the writer. 

Once all students were situated in their spots, the picture with the four images was displayed. They began discussing their reasons and explanations for the image that didn’t belong. The best thing about this activity was that there were countless correct answers. They had to give explanations, but multiple partners were able to share their answers. 

Then, since we are in first grade, and we wanted to really hammer in the procedure and process of mixing up and partnering off, we cleaned up and spun the wheel again for a new partnership and repeated the same process!

We loved bringing new learning into the classroom, after all, teachers love learning new things, too!