Our Service Learning classroom uses a variety of methods to get students focused, eager and ready to learn. One of these methods is to get students to move by having them sing and clap songs to learn multiplication facts. I have noticed that the students are able to recall multiplication lists by learning these songs. When they have to do multiplication problems or long division, they first write a list of multiples on the side of their papers. Most of the time they write the list while they are singing the song to themselves.
The cooperating teach is skilled at helping the student develop independent problem-solving skills by encouraging them to find various ways to solve problems. I have noticed this the most when they work out long division problems. Long division is a new skill for the fourth graders and many students struggle with these math concepts. To test their understanding, the teacher will give them a division problem and ask them to solve it any way they choose. Many students can find a way to solve the problem with a few clues and by following the examples other students show them. The objective is to have them use any technique that they are learning to solve the problem.
Another method the teacher uses to engage the students is to encourage them to discuss with each other the things that they are learning. The class has recently read a series of passages about various activists who made a difference in their communities by organizing protests, promoting charity causes and educating the public about important issues. The students discussed how these people helped improve the lives of others. The students think about heroes in their own lives and discuss how these people make a difference in their families or communities.
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