Page 10 - Magazine Project: 243

then they would learn. So it really started because of week 2 in school and they had a review packet in

me. It developed more when I had my own kids and math. She came down to me with a question. I was
saw what they were doing in class. busy making dinner and told her I’d help in a minute.
I told her “You know, you’ve learned all that math

Q: Your classroom management is pretty on point. before if it’s review. Think about it and see what you

What are some things you do to make your class- remember. She disappeared and never came back. I

room run smoothly? went up and asked if she still needed help or had

A: Having activities to do to learn the material is figured it out. She said “I found my 5th grade

helpful. Also, just setting the expectation that we are notebook.” It had a table of concepts that she used to

all different and have different ways to think about figure out where to find what she needed.

things. Embracing differences and having a Now I know my students are different, but if my kid

comfortable environment where students are willing remembered that the notebook existed, pulled it out

to try even when they make mistakes is the key. We and used it, and didn’t need help, this is a tool I should

are all learning. Nobody is going to get ridiculed or probably use. Especially in my teacher education

looked down on. Just having that sort of classroom classes where then they can use it in their own classes.

environment makes it so everyone is comfortable I found that it wasn’t working for just my teacher ed

learning and we are all respectful of each other’s students but also for my really low math learners in

learning time. the beginning math classes.

Q: How do you teach elementary concepts to Q: How is using interactive notebooks beneficial to

college students without making them feel stupid? your students and your lesson delivery?

A: That is hard! Especially when you’ve said A: Most community college students don’t have the

something 4 times and they are still giving you the skills to filter through information to decide what’s

blank stare like you’ve never even said it. Questioning valuable. I was giving them more and more and more

techniques are really important for this. It helps you and they ended up not looking at any of it.

know what they already know. The 4-step problem When I moved to an interactive notebook, anything I

method was really useful because it outlined what gave them had to be really important. It made me trim

they knew and what they were looking for. Breaking it back and decide what really was going to help my

down and really scaffolding it is really important students learn the material. It was good for me

because even though the concepts are elementary they because my learning style and my teaching style are

only got the procedural end of it and don’t really un- so different that I needed to make sure I wasn’t just

derstand why it works. Your language is also im- giving them stuff to give them stuff. I use it in all my

portant. Saying to them “I know you can add frac- classes, even intermediate algebra.

tions, but why do we need a common denominator?” I’ve done some workshops for other teachers on

Having them explain the reasons behind it really helps interactive notebooks and a lady just sent me a picture

them in the long run. of her notebook she’s using. The students love it, it’s

I never had to try to make mistakes. I made mistakes so helpful and I’ve had students who have used it

on my own and I’m not embarrassed by mistakes – from one class to the next.

it’s part of being a human being. That kind of attitude

really helps in my classroom because it helps my

students feel better about trying, even when they make

mistakes. Creating a comfortable environment in the

classroom helps my students learn as a community

together. My students will always bring up something

I hadn’t thought about before and it’s because we are

all different and unique and have a different way of

thinking about things.

Q: When did you start using interactive
notebooks?
A: My notebooks came from my daughters teacher. In
5th grade, she had this notebook. In 6th grade it was

9