Students at Arrowpoint Elementary School helped explain the new mathematics program the school is piloting during a recent PTA meeting.
Called Connected Mathematics, it is problem-centered. Students practice with concepts and related skills aligned with state standards and the boys and girls explore the problems both individually and in groups.
To kick off the meeting, a few of the school’s sixth grade students, with the help of teacher Demetrius Adams, talked about the program.
The overall goal of the pilot is to help students and teachers develop mathematical knowledge, understanding and skills along with an awareness of the connections within math and to other subjects.
Adams told the parents and grandparents that so far, the students have worked on a geometry unit as well as one on factoring. The students give feedback on the lessons. There are three parts to the lessons – launch, explore and summary. Adams said that Connected Mathematics will come in handy later in life. It prepares students for the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test and it makes you learn how to work together with classmates.
“It was a lot of measuring and problem-solving, not read this, then do this, and this and this,” said student Darrell Level.
Classmate Ryan Richardson noted another benefit of the program. “When you work in a group, you can get more than one opinion,” he said.
“Many students struggle with math,” Adams said. “By talking together, the students work through possible answers and learn from each other.”
Connected Mathematics will be presented to the Hazelwood School District Board of Education for approval later this year. Other district schools that are piloting the program include Kirby Middle School and Hazelwood West Middle School.
Adams added that students are embedded in engaging problems and they learn to think for themselves as well as work as a group to get the answers and to show their work.
“At first, I had concerns about the program because I thought the students were just playing,” Adams said. He said after he used Connected Mathematics more, he realized that his students learned more using this program instead of listening to his lectures.
“Sometimes, they show me methods to get the right answer that I didn’t even know about,” Adams said.
Next, several fourth grade students performed a positive rap about the MAP test followed by some of the fifth grade students who explained why you should wear a helmet if your ride a bicycle or a skateboard.
Finally, five rows of third grade students stood in the multi-purpose room, where they recited a poem called “This Year in Third Grade.” In the lyric, they extolled the virtues of school.
March 31 deadline for Jackie Robinson Foundation application
Applications for the Jackie Robinson Foundation Education and Leadership Development Program are now available exclusively online at the Foundation’s website, www.jackierobinson.org. Completed applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. ET on March 31, 2007.
The Foundation, established in 1973 to perpetuate Jackie Robinson’s pioneering legacy, provides four year college scholarships to minority students with records of academic achievement, leadership capacity, civic engagement and financial need. More than financial assistance, the Education and Leadership Development Program offers all Jackie Robinson Foundation scholarship recipients a comprehensive set of support services including mentoring, networking opportunities, career exploration programming and practical life skills training. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars may use the award at the four year college or university of their choice.
Last year nearly 4,000 students from across the country applied for the prestigious scholarship. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars are chosen by regional selection committees consisting of academic, corporate and civic leaders. The rigorous and highly selective application process includes an interview and several essays.
This academic year, the Foundation is providing more than $1.8 million in scholarship support to 266 Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars at 93 colleges and universities. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars are drawn from across the nation, representing 33 states. The Foundation has provided more than 1,100 scholarships in its history. Jackie Robinson Foundation alumni include the first African American golfer in the Ivy League, an internationally touring classical pianist who was a former Miss America runner-up, a partner at a leading Wall Street investment bank and scores of doctors, teachers and lawyers.
Since the inception of the program, Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars have maintained a remarkable 97 percent graduation rate, more than twice the national average for minority students.
Applicants and parents should visit the Foundation’s website at www.jackierobinson.org for additional information. Corporate and individual donors interested in sponsoring Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars should contact the Foundation at (212) 290-8600.
