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Cooperative Arithmetic: How to Teach Math as a Social Activity
A master teacher in Anchorage, Alaska, establishes a cooperative-learning environment in an upper-elementary classroom. (Find PDFs of teacher tools and student self-evaluation samples below.)
Release Date: 2/27/08
Running Time: 9 min.
Video Credits
Produced, Written, and Directed by
- Ken Ellis
Associate Producer:
- Amy Erin Borovoy
Editor:
- Karen Sutherland
Camera Crew:
- Rob Weller
- Cal Coleman
Narrator:
- Karen Sutherland
- © 2008
- The George Lucas Educational Foundation
- All rights reserved.
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SEL Standards: Teaching Tools and Self-Evaluation Samples
SEL skills and understanding don't just happen. The ultimate hope is that children come to school with healthy hearts and minds and the skills to communicate and interact effectively. But we all know that this is often not the case. Children come from wildly different backgrounds and experiences, and they bring their diverse skills and struggles to school.
As social, emotional, and academic abilities continue to span a wider spectrum and the pressures of testing and accountability continue to mount, how do teachers ensure that their students are meeting the required standards for the content areas they're covering? In my district, the Anchorage School District, we're implementing standards for social and emotional learning (SEL) side by side with traditional content areas.
When I think about this daunting task, I have to be a realist. Most people I talk with ultimately realize the importance of SEL skills and knowledge but feel overburdened with the sheer amount of content we are expected to teach in a very limited amount of time. A common statement is, "If I am to get through these math lessons, or this language arts curriculum, when am I supposed to teach the SEL skills? That's the parents' job."
I understand this position and have had those thoughts myself, but my question becomes, "Without SEL skills and knowledge, how can we possibly teach and have students learn effectively?" I believe social interaction is a key ingredient to productive and efficient learning environments.
With that said, how do we incorporate SEL into our day and into our lessons?
The ideas here are from years of collaboration, professional development, books and journals, research, and experience. This is a culmination of many people's ideas, and to give credit where credit is due is simply impossible. I think it's safe to say the credit goes to teachers who share their knowledge and experience. I've listed the person responsible for specific rubrics whenever possible. This is in no way comprehensive, and it is simply the way I think about SEL.
I have organized my thinking on this topic into five constructs: professional planning and reflection, climate and community, direct instruction, infusion, and student reflection and self-assessment. Of course, these continuously overlap, and at times, it is difficult to speak of one without the other.
For each construct, I've provided a narrative that explains my thinking, along with a list of lesson ideas and possible rubrics. For a few of these ideas, I have included lesson plans, procedures, and rubrics.
-- From Chris Opitz's SEL Overall Plan
Teaching Tools
SEL Overall Plan (348 KB)
Integrating Content and SEL Standards (Blank) (51 KB)
Integrating Content and SEL Standards (Example) (100 KB)
Class Meetings (55 KB)
How to Talk to Your Teacher Lesson Plan (56 KB)
Noticing Kids (60 KB)
Developing Our Working Agreements Lesson Plan (56 KB)
Implementing Working Agreements (97 KB)
Our Working Agreements (55 KB)
The Fishbowl (88 KB)
Role-Model Self-Evaluation (60 KB)
Work-Skills Self-Evaluation (71 KB)
Goal-Setting Self-Evaluation (60 KB)
Teamwork Reflection Evaluation (55 KB)
Student Self-Evaluation Samples
Anna's Teamwork Reflection (382 KB)
Riley's Attributes (1.2 KB)
Riley's Self-Evaluation (285 KB)
Comments & Responses
community of learners
Thank you for this treasure! I am sending it on and keeping for my own classroom in another year. lela
Cooperative arithmetic
What a great video. In my classroom there is a lot of partner and group work, but I do not feel that the children work as well as they possible. Because of this video, i will be "investing" more time at the beginning of the year. I am worried about the amount of time it may take, but the rewards should be worth it.
Cooperative Arithmetic: How to Teach Math as a Social Activity
Great work! Chris, just came across this video and was thoroughly impressed with your manner. I was fortunate to teach in the same building with you at Russian Jack and your Space and Ellis Island projects continue to work their way into my instruction. Thanks for the ideas and thank you especially for allowing your students to think.
Luke Benson
Tennessee School for the Deaf
Respect for others
I think you have done a fabulous job teaching students to be respectful to each other. Students do not often realize that not listening to each other is a form of disrespect. It is sometimes difficult to incorporate teaching character at the same time as you are teaching content. This video has given me some great teaching tools to put into use in my own classroom.
Facilitating respectful conversation and dialogue among students
I agree with you. Facilitating respectful conversation and dialogue among students can be incredibly difficult, but boy is it worth the investment. I love your comment regarding respect and disrespect. I hear those terms so often, and I've got to wonder how children interpret what respect means and what it looks like to them. I believe that by explicitly modeling and practing discussion habits (what respectful discussion does and does not look like), students are more likely to internalize and in turn, practice those expected habits. In the long run, the learning of content will benefit, and students will be more likely to engage themselves independently because they have the skills to do so. Thank you so much for your comments and insight.
Learning from multiple perspectives
Observing classes during student teaching is, of course, helpful in gaining an understanding of real world teaching. However, having access to videos that not only show us a master in action, but give voice-over explanations of the process is ideal.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to create and share this with us. So many will benefit.
A model for successful teaching and learning
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” And, this video was a great model of how cooperative learning strategies can be played out in an elementary mathematics classroom. My college prospective teachers thoroughly enjoyed this math lesson where students were actively engaged in the process of learning and enjoying math in a social context!
Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words
I appreciate your opening quote about "a picture is worth ....". Visual models are such powerful teaching and learning tools. Just like the students in our classes need hands on models for math, they also need explicit models for building social skills. I appreciate that you point out that we as adults also need models for our learning. It's so true. Having the opportunity to watch and learn from other teachers is so important.
Teaching and learning sides of the coin
Hi Chris,
Teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin. And, if learning is a life-long process then we all need models. And, you and your class represened a wonderful model for all of us. Thanks for the reply and thanks for your modeling.
Cooperative arithmetic
You and I share a pedogogical point of view. While some of your vocabulary is different from mine, our actions are similar. I'm fortunate to work in a school that encourages this type of teaching.
I agree with you 100% about the time invested at the beginning of the year. All the community building pays off as the year progresses, especially as we start our projects and cooperative learning.
I wish there were more reports in the media about teachers like us. We represent all that is good in education, and others need to know it is possible.
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