The Inadequacy Factor: Diving Into The Common Core One Step at a Time

I spent the morning in a great session about Common Core Math.  A group of administrators and instructional leaders from my district put their heads together and designed a really inspirational morning for third through fifth grade teachers from around the district.  I had the good fortune to be invited as well.  We started out in grade level groups – I sat with the fifth grade teachers.  It was interesting to hear their perspectives as we worked through a series of problems.  One by one we were given time to think through each problem, talk with a neighbor about our thoughts, then come together in a whole group discussion focused on comparing each problem to the type of problems we were exposed to as elementary students, and the type of problems we typically expose our students to.  The process lent itself to the kind of critical thinking that the facilitators intended.  They suggested that it could work with our students as well.

The consistent themes were that these problems encouraged us to think about the ‘why’ behind the ‘what,’ and that the structures of the solutions were somewhat vague.  Instead of being asked to continue a pattern we were shown how someone else continued a pattern and asked to describe thought process.  Was she correct?  How did she come to her conclusions?  Instead of being asked to choose between ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, and ‘d’, we were asked to identify which among them met particular criteria.  Each problem prompted a complex train of thought and an interesting conversation about mathematics.  My instinct to find answers was as strong as ever but I began to see answers in a new light – process instead of product.

Later, in a conversation about the common core my principal suggested that we should be starting small and working toward change one step at a time.  He told me that we simply need to keep moving forward and that “if we’re not feeling inadequate we’re probably doing something wrong!”  I appreciate that sentiment and that style of leadership.  It helps me feel like I can explore, take some reasonable risks, and even learn from my mistakes if necessary.

As always, I’ll give it a shot and report back:).