Encouraging students to THINK is a large part of what I do in the classroom. I
don't
want my 2nd graders to recite facts back to me...I want them to think,
analyze, infer, compare, contrast, etc. (I do, however, want them to
remember their math facts!) It is relatively easy to facilitate higher
level thinking in reading. I've blogged before about Thinking Stems in
reading and social studies. But, what about math? Math seems rather cut
and dried. There's only one correct answer, right? Well, yes...but
there's more.
A high level of thinking is achieved by
simply solving a complex math algorithm. However, we can take it a step
further by including metacognition in the mix and having students
articulate their thinking in writing. This brings me to the math
thinking stem!
The Math Thinking Stem
The math thinking stem is
similar to the reading stem in that it encourages students to use their
thinking skills for a specific purpose. These skills include: schema,
inferences, predictions, comparisons, visualizations, questioning, and
more. In math, the thinking stem forces students to look closely at the
math skill they are learning, and really pick it apart for analysis.
Even 2nd graders can do it! Here is an example of a math thinking stem:
We are learning about place value. When
you use place value, you break numbers down into hundreds, tens, and ones. You
can use it to understand numbers. For example, 200+20+3 equals 223. That is the
same as 2 hundreds, 2 tens, and 3 ones. I can visualize the base ten blocks showing 223. I predict it will help me when I add and subtract. I infer
place value can show even bigger
numbers because you can add more blocks. Place value is fun!
The thinking stem not only encourages their higher level thinking, it
exercises writing skills and helps students see that thinking and
learning skills are applicable in all subjects!
With this in mind, I've created a math thinking stem guide for students and teachers. Follow this link if you would like the downloadable file at my
TPT Store. I use the thinking stem in math stations every week! Enjoy.