Enjoying Books Longer

 "Books are a uniquely portable magic."

Stephen King

As an educator I have dozens of favourite books. I love sharing a wonderful text with children during whole group meetings. It's enchanting to become lost in the story with them, and discover parts of the text that I might not have noticed before. Children are careful observers! They point out aspects of books that I have missed even though the books are worn and well loved...small details in the illustrations, joyful narrative, and connections to the world around us. With each reading the book becomes more special and I feel a deeper understanding of what the author and illustrator might have been trying to convey in their telling of the story. 

Because I have so many favourite books I used to treat them like fast food - rushing through text after text and not usually spending more than a day on each. However I have realized that reading books with children is like enjoying a five course meal - better slowly savoured and attuned to the overall experience. This year my goal was to read one book for at least a week - usually one reading per day. I was worried that the children might become bored but after a few months of using this strategy I have noticed the opposite happen. Children are extremely engaged and our conversations about the story tend to deepen each day. I feel like we are learning so much more. Each reading I tend to focus on a different element of the book - listening comprehension, careful attention to the illustrations, a review of new and interesting vocabulary, connections to other books we have read and questions the children might have that need further attention. We have also looked for other versions of the stories (e.g., animated videos, poems, songs) and compared these to the original. Children have been eager to retell the stories in the drama center and sensory tables, and families have been reviewing and reading versions of the texts at home too. Overall it's been an incredibly positive experience. 

I've also noticed that:

~with each subsequent reading children become more familiar with the story and confident sharing their ideas in our discussions

~over the course of the week the children's interest in the characters and understanding of the plot seems to deepen and grow

~children ask richer questions and make more significant connections as they gather more information from the book with each new reading

~as familiarity with new vocabulary grows children appear more comfortable using the words in other learning opportunities

~many children thrive with comfortable routines and hearing a story over and over is reassuring to them, especially first thing in the morning

~with each reading we are able to explore concepts of print more fully (e.g., speech bubbles, the shape and size of fonts)

~we have noticed that the front and back covers and end pages also offer opportunities to make connections and ask questions

~enjoying the text together with children is a bonding moment as we enjoy a special book together

~ often the books lead to some pretty interesting inquiries that extend beyond whole group that the children enjoy researching further

~this approach gives me more time to differentiate experiences related to the text to meet the needs of learners

~children often notice and wonder about math and science questions that are teased from the book with each discussion

I'm excited to continue with this reading strategy and see how far we travel!

Cultivating a Classroom Space for Math Learning

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. 

Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” 

Alan Cohen 

As we head back into the school year many educators are working thoughtfully to create environments that are rich with math possibility. In Reggio Emilia the environment exists as the 'third teacher' inspiring, supporting, and extending children's learning in rich and complex ways. I have been contacted by many educators asking for advice on how to best set up their classroom and routines in order to create as many opportunities for authentic math as possible. This has inspired today's blog post - how to cultivate a math rich learning space for children at the beginning of another school year. (I recognize that many areas will have Covid restrictions and following the advice of your local health unit will be important as you plan for your programming.)

When I reflect upon my own math pedagogy and practice these are what I think stand out as mathematically meaningful for the educators, children and families that share our space. Although this check list isn't all inclusive, I thought it might spark some ideas to support and inspire as we enjoy the final weeks of summer and start back in our classroom with open eyes, minds and hearts this year.

 

1. Make math a part of every space in the classroom and child's school world. In the classroom are there math tools and materials available for use beyond a 'math center or math shelf'? Do children see how math relates to every subject in the space (e.g., how materials are sorted and stored on the toy shelf, how measurement is used when children decide on a size of paper to use for their project)? Can they translate math tools and ideas into other spaces in their immediate school world (e.g., see how math relates to their walks in the hallway or work in the gym)?

2. Ground and build math concepts into known objects for children. When introducing, extending or innovating a math idea is it organic and natural to the child's explorations and world? For example, it is more natural to engage children in an exploration of measurement if they measure things in their immediate world using the stick they are playing with, instead of using a standardized ruler (e.g., "Can you find something the same length as your stick in the yard?", "What is taller than your body?").

3. Use available math moments with children. In our classroom we have a large block of uninterrupted play each day. It's sometimes challenging to manage children, materials and activities during center time. However I try to engage with children as much as possible in the activities, and take on the role of 'play partner' together with them. When I am actively playing I am able to closely observe what they are saying and doing, helping me to identify and extend the rich math learning that is organically occurring (e.g., helping children to recognize why their tower keeps falling, using math terms when they equally share the play dough, introducing math terms as they discuss how many cars are in their parking lot).

4. Become a math role-model for children, families, and colleagues. Even if math isn't your favourite subject, how do you discuss it within your school and classroom? Are you excited by new activities and resources? Do you demonstrate a growth mindset? When mathematical situations arise with children that you aren't sure of, can you use these opportunities to showcase positive thinking and problem-solving? Share your new math learning with others - suggest articles and books you're reading and post these throughout your classroom to enhance documentation displays.

5. Find the math in everything. Many educators plan forward by choosing curriculum and programming expectations and then building activities to fulfill these. Try back-mapping activities from time to time; embrace child-centered, organic experiences and then deconstruct them in order to identify the rich math concepts and curriculum expectations that they utilize. You'll be surprised to find that math happens in almost every experience children have in the classroom.

6. Try looking at life through a mathematical lens. When planning invitations for learning in your classroom, see what math you can sneak in as well. Changing one or two elements of the experience might be enough to engage children in rich math. It reminds me of how I used to sneak veggies into my children's meals - a little can go a long way!

7. Collaborate mathematically with colleagues. Share new ideas and resources informally. It's easy and effective to create math invitations and activities and share these within your school or division. If every educator plans one or two activities and these are shared, children will benefit from many rich and interesting games and activities without the burden of planning and preparation it would take one educator to accomplish the same.

8. Record and celebrate your math moments. Help children, families, and colleagues recognize that math happens everywhere in the classroom by creating a documentation display with photos, anecdotal observations and connections to curriculum. This bulletin board can be built over the course of the school year as artifacts of learning are continually added by staff and students. Keep sticky notes nearby and invite observers to record their own ideas and share them by posting the notes within the documentation.

9. Engage families in joyful math with children outside of school. Consider ways that you can promote and extend math for children after school. Encouraging families to play math games and activities together with their children will not only provide children with additional meaningful math moments, but it may help older family members reconcile their fear or dislike of math. In our classroom we send home family math bags once a week. These are filled with math invitations and materials so that children and their families can play games inspired by our classroom work.

10. Build your collection of math stories, songs and games. Children love to sing, dance and play games. Ask colleagues to share their favourite games and activities, and use these to help with transitions and other 'math moments' throughout the day. Quite often the words in songs can easily be improvised to match something happening in your classroom, and many rich storybooks have mathematical elements and problems embedded within them that can inspire children.