Artifact: Think Aloud Visual
I developed a think aloud visual for multiplication in an attempt to teach the students exactly what they should be “thinking” as they work multiplication problems. Just as students have to be given an opportunity to listen to a teacher think aloud while reading they need to have the benefit of knowing what a good mathematician thinks while working problems. I made this visual more interesting for my students by using multimedia applications. The students were captivated by the slide show and were able to see it more than once by accessing it on our school network. I even copied the slides as handouts for the students to use at home. Multimedia programs help teachers scaffold students as they are learning new concepts.
The goal of the think aloud was to offer a scaffold for students, especially those with Math Difficulties, to understand the thought processes behind working a multiplication problem. Students practiced using this during morning math work while in cooperative groups in this situation students also developed a trust with their group and they showed a sense of pride when all group members understood how to work these problems.
Proposition #1 - Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
I adapted this multiplication think aloud from a division poster I learned about years ago at a math conference in Auburn, Alabama. I often use the division poster as a project for my students but always after I taught them how to divide. It occurred to me the benefits of students learning how to think about a problem as they learn how to work it, not afterwards. This visual helped all my students, but especially those with MD (Math Difficulties).
Proposition #2 – Teachers know the subject they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
Computation is hard for some students. This is because to concrete learners computation is just too abstract. This visual helped me make computation a little easier to understand. Math is a series of steps and if one step is skipped it is very difficult to master the next one. In order for my fourth graders to understand the division and fractions they were about to encounter I needed to make sure the multiplication foundation was solid. Mastering math is a series of understanding the procedures and many opportunities to practice. By using this visual students were able to do both.
Proposition #4: Teachers Think Systematically About Their Practice and Learn from Experience
As I have stated previously, because I had used a similar idea in previous years, only with a different skill, I realized the benefits of using this with multiplication. This multiplication think aloud was developed from idea I had used in teaching division but also through my Alabama Reading Initiative training. This is where all teachers in Alabama were taught the benefits of students learning to think aloud while reading. After using this for two years in my own classroom I soon realized that students would also gain a great deal if I integrate this in to my math instruction. This also facilitated what exactly students should be doing during math cooperative group time.
I was most excited about my think aloud demonstration. I love creating visuals to be used during class instruction because it fosters my own creativity. I have noticed that allowing my creativity to flow I get excited about whatever it is I’m teaching that day, even if it usually is boring. Once I developed this think aloud I couldn’t believe it had never occurred to me before to use this not only in division but in multiplication. Because of this excitement I also developed one for my fractions unit. I will definitely use this again next year and the years to come.