Problem Solving: The UPSET Model

Every year,  I start my math program with a unit on basic problem solving skills. Despite what I have been reading in the paper recently, I am unwavering in this focus within my program.  I feel that my students must be able to approach a problem, regardless of it's curriculum content in a focused and methodical manner. And so, we spend a month or so just working through problems.

One of the things though, is that kids often don't know where to start when the are faced with a problem. They just....stare. They look around. They doodle. They randomly punch numbers into their calculators. And then...the hands go up.

"Mrs. Dean. I need help."
"Yes. Well, what have you tried so far?"
Blank Stare.
"Well....I used my calculator to..."

And so on, and so forth.

So, the first thing I teach them is to use a model to help them plan their ideas. I got this particular model from a great teaching friend of mine, and we have adopted it in our Grade 8 division at our school. It's called the UPSET model. I tell kids it's to help them to not get UPSET when they are facing a problem. Groan.

The UPSET model

U- Understand the problem. 

P- Create a plan of attack. 

S- Choose a strategy

E- Evaluate. Use your strategy to work through the problem. 

T- Think about it. Does your solution make sense? 

You know what the hardest part seems to be? The "Thinking about It" at the end. I mean, I can't tell you the number of times I have seen answers to the effect of 1 = 0. Um...what? 

We spend the first month using this model on a variety of problems, and then we work on creating actual solutions. And then, the scariest thing of all:  The kids have to present what they did to the class. They have to talk about the math. And they can't just say, "I used my calculator".  Really, does your calculator talk?  What did you say to it?   This talking about your math is simultaneously the most informative and challenging part of the whole process. 

The UPSET model. It's straight-forward and it works. It helps give kids a frame work. And it's going to be one of the first foldables I design for my interactive notebook. Stay tuned. 

Blogging Burn out?

So, Confession time. I spend a lot of time on Pinterest.  A lot of time. This is mostly because I am home on maternity leave and Pinterest is both mindless and inspiring at the same time. I can find some new recipes, plan my dream wardrobe and troll for new ideas for my classroom. Since teaching math is something that has become my new passion, I spend a lot of time looking for new ideas to incorporate into my program.  And as I am scrolling through Pinterest, I come across a lot of teaching  blogs. However, many of the sites I find myself on seem to have only one or two posts, or nothing for quite sometime---particularly math teaching blogs. (This may be because I spend a lot of time focusing on just math blogs).  I wonder what is about the combination of teaching and blogging that so many of us start with this desire to reach out and share our ideas on the interwebs and then....it just..falls away like so many other things.  This happened to me. When I first wanted to start a blog, I wrote all the time. I was constantly thinking about new things I wanted to share, different ideas that I had. And then...well....report cards took over. And I got pregnant. And now I have a baby. I still have the desire to share my ideas. But I find it hard to sit down and write, even when I really want to. I firmly believe though, that as an experienced teacher, part of my role in the education world is to share my experiences, my learning  with the rest of the education community. Blogging is one way to do it. There are lots of other ways. But it's part of the calling as a teacher.

We teach our students. We share our ideas. We are learners together. We are only leaders if we learn.

No calculators allowed.

These are words that strike fear into my students' hearts and I totally understand why. They make me feel hot and sweaty too. Maybe I shouldn't admit that as a math teacher. It's the truth, though. I often tell my students that I use my calculator to make sure two times two is still four. 

I went I to school in a time when we were much less dependant on technology. The fanciest thing we had was an overhead machine. I did math on ditto sheets. And we had to do math in our heads. It was terrifying. I was horrible at math. I'm still not naturally good at it, but I work hard at it. This is why I was so terrible in math: I didn't understand what we were doing or why. I just memorized the steps. This lead to a lot of math test anxiety and disaster. 

For these reasons, I am a big fan of using a great deal of problem solving in my math program. I want my students to work to understand why we are doing what we are doing. I want them to be able to explain what they know. I want it to be about more than just the numbers. But at the same time, they have to know how to add, how to multiply and what on earth division means without having to google it.  I am all for technology in my classroom. I encourage the use of smart phones and other technology so long as it is used appropriately. But I do think that students need to be able to do basic math computation. So where does this leave me?

It's time to revamp my math program again. Problem solving and an emphasis on communication? Yes. Project-based learning? Yes. Interactive notebooks? Yes. Mental math and basic math computation? Yes. Calculators any time you want? No.  It's time to revive some of our earliest technological advances: the pencil and paper. 

In the middle, 

Melissa

Do principals write blogs?

I have three main professional goals right now:

1. Finish my math specialist. 

2. Blog on a regular basis in a professional context. 

3. Take my principal qualifications so that I can investigate going into administration at the elementary level. 

And so, as I focus on my second goal these days I am wondering something. Do principals blog like teachers do? I have just recently begun reading several professional blogs written by teachers who share similar professional interests as myself. I enjoy looking for ideas for my program and my classroom on Pinterest. But I have not come across blogs written by principals. Perhaps I just haven't looked for them. Or maybe there is something about that part of the educational sector where blogging isn't useful. Maybe principals simply don't have the time to write blogs. 

So I wonder if two of my goals are in conflict with each other. I could be totally wrong here, though. I am tempted to spend the rest of my night looking up blogs written by principals. I mean, what is the point of all this blogging. Why am I writing this blog? Why do I read other people's blogs? To share ideas. To be inspired. To hope that someone else out there might have the same problem I have. I don't think these needs change once you become the head of a school. I know that once or if I become a principal I am going to need all the help I can get. 

In the middle, 

Melissa

In the Middle

I have a passion for three things when it comes to my career: math, music and middle school students. These are the things that I love. It has been a journey to get here. A long one. It took me a long time to get to the point where I am at. In this place, it is my intention to write about my passions, my experiences, my thoughts and my hopes for my classroom program as it changes and grows, and as I grow as an educator.

One of the things I have learned over the years is the need to meet people--students, colleagues, administrators, in the middle. When you're a teacher, you need to roll with the punches. You need to think on your feet. You have 'to walk out your door' and not necessarily know where your feet will take you, or your students that day. Your students might not even be walking on the same path that day. That's the risk you take. And you take it every day. THIS is one of the reasons I love being a teacher. The journey. The risk.

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might get swept off to."

In the middle,
Melissa

Find me on BlogLovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11704711/?claim=yncr72889pn">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>