Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites

MARCIA TATE’S HOW THE BRAIN WORKS

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT ENGAGE THE BRAIN

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

WHAT DO YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE LEARNING THAT IS TAKING PLACE IN THIS PICTURE?

IF BOTH TEACHERS ARE TEACHING THE SAME CONCEPT, WHICH TEACHER WOULD YOUR RATHER HAVE? WHY?

BRAINSTORMING AND DISCUSSION

Brainstorming• Brainstorming and discussion use verbal

linguistic intelligence and engage the auditory learning style.

• They reinforce active learning and allow students to solve and explore problems in collaborative groups.

Large Group• If talking and sharing come naturally to use

as social beings, why do students in traditional classrooms spend so much time in silent learning or in individual activities?

• What can teachers do to encourage brainstorming and discourage criticism in the classroom?

• How do the six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning domains apply to instruction and brainstorming?

Read Rationale• Read Research Rationale page 2 (2nd edition page

12)

• Discussion the research with an elbow partner

• Read pages 2 – 4 (2nd edition pages 12 – 14)

• Pick your two favorite instructional activities and share why you liked the activities in your groups.

Bloom’s Question Corners

• Google Doc chart on Wiki. • Each group will write a content-based

question, using one or more of the key words from its assigned Bloom’s Level.

• When you hear the signal your group should move to the next level and continue to write content-based questions until all the charts have been completed.

Large Group Bloom’s Debrief

• Which one was the easiest to write?• Which level(s) are most difficult to

address in your lessons?• Which levels engage the learner?

Why?• Which levels are the hardest to

prepare for?

Math Talks

15

Acrobats, Grandmas, and Ivan

Reproduced with permission (pending) from M. Burns, 50 Problem-Solving Lessons: Grades 1-6: The Best From 10 Years of Math Solutions Newsletters (Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications, 1996), p. 133.

16Reproduced with permission (pending) from M. Burns, 50 Problem-Solving Lessons: Grades 1-6: The Best From 10 Years of Math Solutions Newsletters (Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications, 1996), p. 134.

Large Group• Share your chart paper of how you solved

this problem• Does this group’s thinking make sense to

you? Do you have any questions for the group?

• Are there any other groups that use the same strategy?

• Is there another group that may have thought about this in a different way?

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Problem Solving with Acrobats, Grandmas, and Ivan

• How did the activity involve you in problem solving?

• How might this be a worthwhile activity for students?

Brainstorm Math Talks• How is learning enhanced when you let

students discuss the different ways they solved a problem?

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Why Are We Dealing With This?

• Students need to explore problem solving situations in order to develop personal strategies and become mathematically literate. They must realize that it is acceptable to solve problems in a variety of ways and that a variety of solutions may be acceptable.

» Alberta Education, p.2

Application• Think about 3 ways you might integrate

brainstorming and discussion into your daily lessons.