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What Common Core 'Looks Like': Jennifer Wilson Shares Math Examples

EducationWorld asked educators and other experts for concrete examples of how Common Core is changing instruction for the better. Below is what math educator Jennifer Wilson shared.

math teacher jennifer wilsonBy Jennifer Wilson

Jennifer Wilson has been teaching math for 21 years. She is a national instructor and author for the Texas Instruments Teachers Teaching with Technology (T3) program and an editor for Illustrative Mathematics. Wilson also received the 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She blogs about her experiences implementing CCSS-M, particularly geometry, with her students at Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood, Mississippi.


What's your best concrete example of how Common Core-aligned instruction is qualitatively different from previous models of instruction?

Common Core-aligned math instruction is based on the Standards for Mathematical Practice. When I think back to how I used to teach about the perpendicular bisector of a triangle (see below), I cringe.

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Now I pose a different task to students.

I have them think about where a fire hydrant needs to be located so that it is equidistant from three buildings.

All of the vocabulary and math content that I used to tell my students about the perpendicular bisectors now comes out in class through the context of a modeling task with student exploration and ownership of their learning.

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We use the TI-Nspire CX graphing technology to model the situation, and can dynamically change the given situation to think about when it might no longer be logical to place a fire hydrant equidistant from three buildings just for the sake of being equidistant.
 

What's your best concrete example of how student learning is enhanced due to Common Core-aligned instruction?

Student learning in in my classroom has been enhanced most through our emphasis on learning math using the Standards for Mathematical Practice. It’s a big deal for students to realize that we expect them to learn math by making sense of problems and persevering in solving them. It’s a big deal for students to realize that we expect them to learn math by constructing a viable argument and critiquing the reasoning of others. It’s a big deal for students to realize that we expect them to learn math by attending to precision – not only with numerical precision, but also with precision in the language that we use.

My students write journal reflections each quarter on using a math practice to solve a problem. One student wrote: “This semester’s math class has been one of the most challenging classes I have taken. With that being said, it has also been my most beneficial, and it is one of my favorites. No matter how difficult a problem may be, I have learned to continue trying and persevering, for I should be able to figure the problem out. There is no greater feeling than solving a math problem correctly, especially if it is difficult. This class has taught me time and time again to just keep on trying.”

Many students think that math is about solving problems quickly. We are having to change the habits and practice of our students. The reflections that my students write give me evidence that learning math using the Math Practices is working.
 

What is the biggest challenge of implementing the Common Core?

Our biggest challenge is having time to meet with other teachers to work tasks and plan questions that will help students meet the learning goals. Our subject area teams have common planning time during school, but even then, we feel like there is never enough time to fully plan and revise lessons in the midst of our other regular duties that keep our school a safe learning environment for students.
 

What advice do you have for schools that are struggling with the standards?

Teachers who are struggling to implement the standards should start at www.illustrativemathematics.org. You will find tasks organized by standard that will help you learn both about the content of the standard and what we expect students to be able to do as a result of learning the standard. The tasks include commentary to give the teacher additional information about how the task might play out in the classroom and how the Standards for Mathematical Practice are related to the task. The tasks also include sample solutions. I have learned a lot about the standards myself from working through the tasks, even though I don’t give every task to my students. Illustrative Mathematics has become my teacher textbook for learning how to teach using the standards.

 

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