The Instructional Method in Grade 7 Math
Most of what a student needs to know for Math is in the Chicago Math textbook.
In the classroom, I will explain the main ideas of a topic, I will give any important information that is not in text, and I will cover what I consider to be the difficult ideas. So not everything in the text is covered during class time. The text is set up so the first several questions can work as the student’s notes. If a student needs more explanation they can ask me or refer to the textbook. The student needs to be responsible for the assigned homework to assure the learning is complete.
The student needs to pay attention in class, participate in activities, do the homework, and BRING UP ANY QUESTIONS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. This helps the whole learning process function better for everybody.
The best way for a student to study math is to read notes and old tests picking out questions that were difficult, and try them again on fresh paper. This is the best way to remember, and the student ends up with a good set of condensed notes. Writing down mains ideas or making a ‘mind-map’ is good too. These notes are also called ‘evidence of study’ by teachers, parents, and tutors who want to verify that the student is studying.
Ideas for Improving Achievement
Assure your child has a nurturing home environment that will enable success in education:
- Adequate and regular sleep, even on weekends.
- Smoke-free environment.
- Fresh and balanced diet, free of toxins.
- assure your child has washed fresh fruit for snacks and lunch.
- do not buy artificially sweetened drinks/foods or drinks/foods with msg
- Limited time on internet ‘chat’ and computer games.
- Opportunity for exercise.
- Personal quiet time to sit and think, free of commitments and connections
- Children, young and old, need opportunity to make choices and structure their own time. There are parts of the brain that learn to do these things, so practice making good choices is important.
Having well-organized notes makes for better achievement. Students are given hand-outs in the form of 3-hole punched A4 sheets, so the best organization is to put everything in one 3-ringed binder. As soon as students put their pages in separate files, they can’t find them. In addition A4 pages are large enough for the large diagrams used in science.
The best way for a student to study is to read the text, notes, powerpoints and other supplementary materials, then put everything away, and summarize the material in his/her own words on fresh sheets of paper. This is the best way to remember, and the student ends up with a good set of condensed notes. These notes are also called ‘evidence of study’ by teachers, parents, and tutors who want to verify that the student is studying.
Another important way to support a child’s learning is to make use of the Homework Notebook. This is kept by the student during the whole day at school and in it goes all the homework information including the dates of tests and deadlines. Parents and tutors are encouraged to read this so they can keep up to date with what their child is doing for homework and can ask the child to see relevant tests, quizzes, lab reports, and so on. It can be a starting point for a discussion about what is being learned. It is a much better way to be involved with a child’s education and to keep track of progress than to get more reports from the school. It strengthens the parent-student-teacher triangle of communication, and keeps the student responsible for his/her own education.
Finally, each student should have a Homework Buddy. That person will collect handouts, share notes, and pass on homework assignment information if a student is sick.
