Episode #315: Why Early Math Matters & How All Grade Level Teachers Need to Hear This: An Interview with Sue Looney

Oct 28, 2024 | Podcast | 0 comments

LISTEN NOW HERE…

Making Math Moments That Matter

Why Early Math Matters & How All Grade Level Teachers Need to Hear This: An Interview with Sue Looney

Why Early Math Matters & How All Grade Level Teachers Need to Hear This: An Interview with Sue Looney

      0:0030:59
      Canadian Wealth Secrets on YouTube Podcasts

      WATCH NOW…

      How can we blend curiosity, deep understanding of the stages of counting to transform early math learning?


      In this episode of the Making Math Moments That Matter podcast, Sue Looney joins hosts Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr to share her personal journey and highlights the importance of curiosity-driven learning, especially in early childhood mathematics. Many educators face the challenge of moving beyond rote memorization, especially when teaching foundational concepts like counting. This episode addresses how understanding the stages of counting and fostering curiosity can set the stage for future mathematical success.

      Whether you’re an early childhood educator or someone looking to strengthen your teaching approach, this episode provides practical strategies for assessing students’ understanding of numbers and supporting them through critical learning phases.

      • Discover why curiosity is key to unlocking a deeper understanding of math concepts.
      • Learn how to assess students’ counting abilities and build a solid foundation for their mathematical growth.
      • Gain practical strategies for incorporating counting tasks that go beyond memorization and promote critical thinking.

      Tune in now to explore how fostering curiosity and returning to foundational concepts like counting can transform your students’ math journey!

      Attention District Math Leaders:

      Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: http://makemathmoments.com/grow/

      Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

      Episode Summary:

      Exploring Math Concepts and Overcoming Dismissal

      Sue shared her’math moment’ from her second-grade experience with subtraction using number lines. She questioned the teacher’s explanation and felt her curiosity was dismissed. Later, in 7th grade, she learned about negative numbers and felt vindicated, realizing her initial idea was correct. Sue expressed her desire to understand and explore math concepts, even when they were not encouraged by her teachers.

       

      Encouraging Curiosity and Lifelong Learning

      Sue emphasized the importance of curiosity and understanding what others know. Kyle discussed the need for educators to create opportunities for students to continue learning, even when they don’t know the answer to a question. He also shared a personal experience with his daughter, who was learning about powers and roots, and how he encouraged her curiosity and extended her knowledge. The conversation ended with Kyle and his daughter discussing the concept of square roots and the possibility of extending it to other roots.

       

      Early Childhood Math Education and Counting

      Sue and Kyle discussed the importance of understanding counting in early childhood mathematics education. Sue emphasized the complexity of counting and the need for a deeper understanding beyond rote memorization. She highlighted the lack of focus on early childhood math in teacher preparation programs. Kyle agreed and stressed the importance of recognizing different stages and routines in counting to identify and address student struggles. Sue’s upcoming summit session aims to present research on the significance of early childhood math and practical strategies for incorporating counting routines that foster curiosity and exploration.

       

      Assessing Cardinal Understanding and Counting Tasks

      Sue discussed a specific task used to assess a child’s understanding of counting, which involves counting objects and identifying the total number. She demonstrated how to modify the task to test the child’s understanding, such as moving objects around and asking the child to recount. Sue emphasized the importance of this task in determining a child’s cardinal understanding. The conversation then shifted to the topic of extending the counting phase to include fractions, decimals, and different units, with Sue suggesting that introducing new numbers should be accompanied by a return to the counting phase to ensure a strong foundation for the future.

      Be Our Next Podcast Guest!

      Join as an Interview Guest or on a Mentoring Moment Call

      Making Math Moments That Matter Podcast
      l

      Apply to be a Featured Interview Guest

      It will take less than two (2) minutes to book your Math Mentoring Moment call.

      Book a Mentoring Moment Coaching Call

      Take two (2) minutes to book your Math Mentoring Moment call and let’s work together to shake that math pebble out of your shoe!

      Are You an Official Math Moment Maker?

      Ensure that you followrate and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other platforms to show your support and ensure other math educators can find the show.
      DOWNLOAD OUR HOW TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR OFF RIGHT GUIDE
      Start your school year off right by downloading the guide that you can save and print to share with colleagues during your next staff meeting, professional learning community meeting or just for your own reference!

      FULL TRANSCRIPT

      Your Customized Improvement Plan For Your Math Classroom.
      Take the 12 minute assessment and you'll get a free, customized plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics classroom program.
      Take The Free Assessment
      District leader/math coach? Take the District Assessment

      Thanks For Listening

      To help out the show:

      0 Comments

      Submit a Comment

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      The Making Math Moments That Matter Podcast with Kyle Pearce & Jon Orr
      Weekly interviews, strategy, and advice for building a math classroom that you wish you were in.
      Making Math Moments That Matter

      Three (3) Critical Math Topics To Avoid Rushing To The Algorithm

      Three (3) Critical Math Topics To Avoid Rushing To The Algorithm

          0:0019:14

          How A Rockstar Found His Calling To Teach – A Math Mentoring Moment

          Loading...

          53:35

          Growing Your Assessment Practices - A Where Are They Now Math Mentoring Moment with Nathan Vaillancourt

          Loading...

          48:00

          How Do I Engage My Students When The Math Is Abstract? - A Math Mentoring Moment

          Loading...

          49:33

          Two Formative Assessment Techniques You Should Stop Using!

          Loading...

          47:21

          How to Use Mindfulness to Change Trajectories - An Interview with Christina Lincoln-Moore

          Loading...

          49:56

          Show Your Becauses - An Interview with Nat Banting

          Loading...

          52:11

          #103: Learning and Teaching Early Math: An Interview With Dr. Doug Clements

          Loading...

          45:08

          #101: Reframing Our Math Mindsets - An Interview With Howie Hua

          Loading...

          40:41

          #98: The Thinking Classroom Part 2: An interview with Peter Liljedahl.

          Loading...

          59:44

          #95: The Vast Majority of Ed-Tech Is Garbage: An Interview with Eli Luberoff

          Loading...

          47:05

          #91: 3 Things We Can Learn From Online Learning

          Loading...

          46:54

          DOWNLOAD THE 3 ACT MATH TASK TIP SHEET SO THEY RUN WITHOUT A HITCH!

          Download the 2-page printable 3 Act Math Tip Sheet to ensure that you have the best start to your journey using 3 Act math Tasks to spark curiosity and fuel sense making in your math classroom!

          3 Act Math Tip Sheet

          LESSONS TO MAKE MATH MOMENTS

          Each lesson consists of:

          Each Make Math Moments Problem Based Lesson consists of a Teacher Guide to lead you step-by-step through the planning process to ensure your lesson runs without a hitch!

          Each Teacher Guide consists of:

          • Intentionality of the lesson;
          • A step-by-step walk through of each phase of the lesson;
          • Visuals, animations, and videos unpacking big ideas, strategies, and models we intend to emerge during the lesson;
          • Sample student approaches to assist in anticipating what your students might do;
          • Resources and downloads including Keynote, Powerpoint, Media Files, and Teacher Guide printable PDF; and,
          • Much more!

          Each Make Math Moments Problem Based Lesson begins with a story, visual, video, or other method to Spark Curiosity through context.

          Students will often Notice and Wonder before making an estimate to draw them in and invest in the problem.

          After student voice has been heard and acknowledged, we will set students off on a Productive Struggle via a prompt related to the Spark context.

          These prompts are given each lesson with the following conditions:

          • No calculators are to be used; and,
          • Students are to focus on how they can convince their math community that their solution is valid.

          Students are left to engage in a productive struggle as the facilitator circulates to observe and engage in conversation as a means of assessing formatively.

          The facilitator is instructed through the Teacher Guide on what specific strategies and models could be used to make connections and consolidate the learning from the lesson.

          Often times, animations and walk through videos are provided in the Teacher Guide to assist with planning and delivering the consolidation.

          A review image, video, or animation is provided as a conclusion to the task from the lesson.

          While this might feel like a natural ending to the context students have been exploring, it is just the beginning as we look to leverage this context via extensions and additional lessons to dig deeper.

          At the end of each lesson, consolidation prompts and/or extensions are crafted for students to purposefully practice and demonstrate their current understanding. 

          Facilitators are encouraged to collect these consolidation prompts as a means to engage in the assessment process and inform next moves for instruction.

          In multi-day units of study, Math Talks are crafted to help build on the thinking from the previous day and build towards the next step in the developmental progression of the concept(s) we are exploring.

          Each Math Talk is constructed as a string of related problems that build with intentionality to emerge specific big ideas, strategies, and mathematical models. 

          Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons and Day 1 Teacher Guides are openly available for you to leverage and use with your students without becoming a Make Math Moments Academy Member.

          Use our OPEN ACCESS multi-day problem based units!

          Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons and Day 1 Teacher Guides are openly available for you to leverage and use with your students without becoming a Make Math Moments Academy Member.

          MMM Unit - Snack Time Fractions Unit

          SNACK TIME!

          Partitive Division Resulting in a Fraction

          Shot Put Multi Day Problem Based Unit - Algebraic Substitution

          SHOT PUT

          Equivalence and Algebraic Substitution

          Wooly Worm Race - Representing and Adding Fractions

          WOOLY WORM RACE

          Fractions and Metric Units

           

          Scavenger Hunt - Data Management and Finding The Mean

          SCAVENGER HUNT

          Represent Categorical Data & Explore Mean

          Downloadable resources including blackline mastershandouts, printable Tips Sheetsslide shows, and media files do require a Make Math Moments Academy Membership.

          ONLINE WORKSHOP REGISTRATION

          Pedagogically aligned for teachers of K through Grade 12 with content specific examples from Grades 3 through Grade 10.

          In our self-paced, 12-week Online Workshop, you'll learn how to craft new and transform your current lessons to Spark Curiosity, Fuel Sense Making, and Ignite Your Teacher Moves to promote resilient problem solvers.