{"id":3851,"date":"2014-12-05T10:15:22","date_gmt":"2014-12-05T18:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/familymathnight.com\/blog\/?p=3851"},"modified":"2014-12-05T10:15:22","modified_gmt":"2014-12-05T18:15:22","slug":"smart-vs-good-thinker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familymathnight.com\/blog\/?p=3851","title":{"rendered":"Smart vs Good Thinker"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

I was going through my pile of old magazines and journals trying to let go of issues I know I just don’t have time to read when a photo of Ken Jennings caught my eye on the cover of the Costco Connection. For a wholesale warehouse magazine, I’ve always been impressed with the variety of topics included in their articles.<\/p>\n

Now, as a quick reminder, Ken Jennings is the longest reigning champion on the t.v. game show Jeopardy. \u00a0Just appearing on the show, in my opinion, is a pretty remarkable feat. \u00a0These people are smart. \u00a0They know\u00a0a lot<\/em>\u00a0of stuff about\u00a0a lot<\/em>\u00a0of things. \u00a0But there’s a difference between being smart and being a good thinker.<\/p>\n

Don’t get me wrong; I want to make it very clear that I am impressed with the knowledge of each contestant on the show. \u00a0It takes a lot of hard studying to get to where they are. \u00a0And I’ve no doubt that they are probably pretty good thinkers and problem-solvers, as well. \u00a0But that said, I see this all the time in the classroom – kids who are impressed simply because someone can recall facts quickly or remember the date of Custer’s Last Stand.<\/p>\n

What I want my students to focus on is the difference between being smart and being a good thinker. \u00a0Both are important but the second is essential. \u00a0If I want to know the properties of geometric shapes…then I can look that up. \u00a0But if I want to apply those properties in the design of packaging that uses minimal materials – well that requires thinking.<\/p>\n

This is where I believe the Common Core Standards in Mathematics will have their greatest impact. \u00a0Not so much with the list of grade-level curriculum standards but, instead, with the\u00a0Standards for Mathematical Practice<\/a>. \u00a0It is through these Practices where our students will learn learn the difference between being smart and being a good thinker. \u00a0They’ll come to understand that recalling facts quickly or being the first to finish an assignment is not the sign of true learning and understanding. True learning and understanding requires deliberation, perseverance and effective communication.<\/p>\n

While I was going through that pile of old magazines and journals, I also came across the September issue of the California Mathematics Council ComMuniCator. \u00a0That’s a journal I don’t recycle until I’ve read it cover-to-cover. \u00a0As I flipped through it, I noticed an article by Nita Walker on using the Mathematical Practices in a jigsaw activity for teachers. \u00a0It was a good article, but what caught my attention was the activity sheet she created for students to better understand the Practices. \u00a0To do this, she re-wrote each one of the Practices in a way kids (and I!) could understand. \u00a0Here’s what she came up with:<\/p>\n

MP1: \u00a0I can solve problems without giving up.<\/p>\n

MP2: \u00a0I can think about numbers in many ways.<\/p>\n

MP3: \u00a0I can explain my thinking and try to understand others.<\/p>\n

MP4: \u00a0I can show my work in many ways.<\/p>\n

MP5: \u00a0I can use math tools and explain why I used them.<\/p>\n

MP6: \u00a0I can work carefully and check my work.<\/p>\n

MP7: \u00a0I can use what I know to solve new problems.<\/p>\n

MP8: \u00a0I can solve problems by looking for rules and patterns.<\/p>\n

Getting our students to focus on the Practices by using these simple\u00a0I can<\/em>\u00a0sentences will change the focus from simple recall to deeper mathematical thinking. \u00a0And if you haven’t already noticed, there is a heavy emphasis in the CCSSM on having conversations with our students about ideas and concepts in math. \u00a0When we pose good questions and allow students to explain their thinking, we help our students develop those good thinking skills so necessary for them to be successful in math.<\/p>\n

We need to teach parents how to have these important math conversations with their kids, as well. \u00a0It can be as simple as giving parents a few leading questions such asHow can you prove that answer?<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0or\u00a0Can you think of another way to do it?<\/em><\/p>\n

In our\u00a0Family Math Night kits<\/a>, we provide Participant Booklets which include examples of higher-order thinking questions that parents can ask their kids while doing the activities. \u00a0One of my favorite things to do during a Family Math Night event is to walk around and listen to all the great math conversations happening. \u00a0I call it\u00a0math chatter<\/em>and it’s a thing of beauty!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Of course, we’d love to help you host\u00a0a\u00a0Family Math Night<\/a>\u00a0event and get those math conversations started. \u00a0Feel free to call or email us about our\u00a0Nifty Numbers<\/a>,\u00a0Math Medley<\/a>,\u00a0Gellin’ with Geometry<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Play and Take<\/a>\u00a0Family Math Night events*.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was going through my pile of old magazines and journals trying to let go of issues I know I just don’t have time to read when a photo of Ken Jennings caught my eye on the cover of the Costco Connection. For a wholesale warehouse magazine, I’ve always been impressed with the variety of topics included in their articles. Now, as a quick reminder, Ken Jennings is the longest reigning champion on the t.v. game show Jeopardy. \u00a0Just appearing…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,51,44,184,57,58],"tags":[102,81,21],"class_list":["post-3851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-math-night-2","category-kids-and-math-3-5","category-kids-and-math","category-elementary-mathematics-2","category-problem-solving","category-problem-solving-kids-and-math","tag-common-core-state-standards","tag-family-math-night-activities","tag-karyn-hodgens"],"yoast_head":"\nSmart vs Good Thinker - Karyn's Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.familymathnight.com\/blog\/?p=3851\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Smart vs Good Thinker - Karyn's Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I was going through my pile of old magazines and journals trying to let go of issues I know I just don’t have time to read when a photo of Ken Jennings caught my eye on the cover of the Costco Connection. 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