MATH AND THE MRVED
March 03, 2008
“Wow! I have never thought of math that way!" a comment from a teacher during the workshop with Dr. Takahashi.
Dr. Akihiko Takahashi, a master teacher from Japan, and currently a professor on staff at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, was in the MRVED on February 28 & 29, 2008. Over the two days he presented to fifty teachers from St. Paul, Duluth, Red Lake Falls, and the MRVED districts. The first day he taught a public math lesson to a class of 8th grade students in Dawson and the second workshop he taught a class on problem solving for teachers of math.
Dr. Takahashi has been instrumental in assisting schools throughout North America begin the lesson study process with their teachers. He has assisted administrators and teachers from the MRVED with implementing lesson study in their schools since August 2002. He participated in the first ever Minnesota Lesson Study Conference on October 6 & 7, 2005 held at the Prairie's Edge Conference Center in Granite Falls, MN.
Following are additional comments from teachers after having spent the day with Dr. Takahashi:
- “When I plan a lesson, I need to look at curriculum, the student, and the problem!”
- "In Lesson Study, anticipate what students will think and say so you can naturally help/guide them during the lesson.”
- “Show and Tell is NOT the END of the process. Student discussion is necessary. “
- "The goal is for students to use the most accurate, reliable, and understandable math method.”
- “Go from show and tell to real-world mathematical discussion of the processes presented by participants/students”
- “Thanks! It was a great day!
Dr. Takahashi is scheduled to return to the MRVED on January 19, 2009.
