Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine
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Prompt 3: Option A

30 Nov 2014 1:15 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

Review the video My Favorite No: Learning from Mistakes. Choose a common student error and create a "favorite no" for the problem presented in Figure 21. Why is this common error useful to know?

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  • 29 Dec 2014 4:20 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    I totally believe we all learn from our mistakes and love how students can benefit from "My Favorite No: Learning from Mistakes". This is a very useful tool and can be used with all concepts. It takes the pressure off students because they may have gotten it wrong. It definitely can help those that are struggling and having difficulties with a particular concept.

    My current unit is Rational Exponents. I would use this as a warm as shown in the video with simplifying rational exponents. When simplifying rational exponents there are so many rules that common errors are made. I would go through the answers and pick the one with the most common error to review with the students.

    Love the warm up!!!
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  • 30 Dec 2014 10:57 AM | Anonymous member
    What a great idea! I usually start my Pre-Algebra classes with a four question class opener, but I notice that some of my students are not engaged in the actual content of the questions. On Monday, for the review questions about simplifying an algebraic expression or about solving a percent equation using a proportion, I'm going to follow up using this strategy. My prediction is that the students will be much more focused on the problems. I also like the strategy of beginning with the question 'what is right in this problem?' since students correct reasoning can immediately be validated.
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  • 04 Jan 2015 5:32 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    I too liked the "My Favorite No" video. I'd actually seen this presented at a conference several years ago and liked it then and still like it. The comment about electronic gathering of student answers was mentioned by the teacher in the video. I think her method provides more information - she can actually see each student's work. When she chose her favorite no, I noticed she didn't actually use the student's card, she rewrote the student's work on a new card. I think this keeps the student's work present but might protect the author.
    In the example from Figure 21, there are opportunities for students to make mistakes. On mistake might be for a student to think that the $24 represents 3/5 of the original amount. In this case, a student might then figure that 1/5 of the original amount would be $8 and conclude, incorrectly, that the amount Joseph received on his birthday was $40.
    This error would be useful to know because it would be a chance to emphasize the importance of reading a problem correctly. Attending to precision and problem solving are two of the CCSS Math Practices that could be highlighted in the "favorite no" discussion.
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  • 09 Jan 2015 1:07 PM | Anonymous member
    Great teaching strategy. Happy to see it coming to the forefront - I used it way back when. Liked that the teacher was collecting data to validate that the strategy has been successful in her teaching. Teachers need to do more of this to validate that they are successful.
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  • 17 Jan 2015 3:41 PM | Anonymous member
    I often use admit and exit slips to inform my teaching. My Favorite No Expands on this idea. Using My Favorite No as a strategy gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding as they analyze the mistakes and misconceptions of others. I began using this technique and have seen increased motivation and engagement. I began with the example from the video since some of my students have been having difficulty with the distributive property and it has also worked with combining like terms. So far so good!!
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  • 27 Jan 2015 11:39 AM | Deleted user
    Hello All.....again, using a snow day to play "catch up" on a number of fronts. I just viewed the video on My Favorite No. I do think I could use this strategy in my second grade class and this is why I would. First, student engagement is encouraged with the index cards. I have been using write on/wipe off boards in class (i.e. the index cards...) but too many students take time here to play and draw. The index cards would reduce that issue. Next, collecting the cards and sorting shows the expectation that all students should be participating. This is a difficulty in class often, to get all students on board at the same time. Third, there is immediate feedback in terms of success and the problem solving process. Finally, going through the problem together allows the discourse that I also have difficulty with maintaining in the classroom. Over time, students will learn how the enter the conversation and contribute their ideas and strategies to the problem solving process.
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    • 27 Jan 2015 11:41 AM | Deleted user
      Sorry about the typo.....students will learn how to enter the conversation.........
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    • 23 Dec 2019 6:34 AM | okok
      Great teaching strategy. Happy to see it coming to the forefront - I used it way back when. Liked that the teacher was collecting data to validate that the strategy has been successful in her teaching. Teachers need to do more of this to validate that they are successful.

      https://locksmithphoenix.online/
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  • 01 Mar 2015 2:24 PM | Deleted user
    I like the idea of "my favorite no." My biggest concern would be singling out lower performing students over and over. My students have a wide ranges of abilities, so I would have to make certain that my students with higher understanding are also examples of "my favorite no" as well. I want to avoid one group correcting the other groups work.
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