Introduction A parent volunteer program, modeled after the Art Docent Program, to support 3rd, 4th & 5th grade teachers in
leading small groups of students to practice math problem solving strategies. Ten or twelve 1-hour sessions
meets during class time once every 2 weeks beginning in November and ending in early April.
Primary Goals for Students- Empower—A variety of strategies are presented in each Math Docent session. Students will practice using these strategies and techniques to solve math problems. Practice problems are based on the “The Problem Solver—Activities for Learning Problem-Solving Strategies”for Grades 3-5 (as recommended/approved by Argonaut faculty).
- Encourage—Students will build confidence by trying out new techniques, and not giving up because they perceive math is “too hard”.
- Engage/Excite—Since this is not a graded session, students will have fun, learn different approaches to problem solving, and spark interests.
- Expectation—Raise awareness on using math (operations/computations) to solveeveryday problems. Students often wonder: “When will I ever use math in real life?”
BenefitsSmall Groups and Parent Support
- Small student groups benefit from a Docent to guide and mentor them through problem solving. This parent-supported opportunity shows students the importance of math.
Team-work - Students can share their ideas and techniques--providing a checks-and-balance process to achieving the solutions.
Communications Skills - Students are required to show how they got their solution. This skill will be handy for future assessment tests that accommodate partial credit scoring for written work even when the final answer is incorrect. Students will also present their solution(s) to their group or classmates.
Practice to Gain Experience - Knowing “how to”mechanics to problem solving isn’t enough. Practice helps students recognize how/where to begin solving the problem and follow-through by checking that their solution makes sense.
Volunteer Roles and ResponsibilitiesIn order for this program to be successful, there must be a high-level of parent participation and commitment for all sessions. The goal is to have the same group of parents working together in the same classroom. Ideallyto have a core group of 8 parents (at least 5 to work in classroom, plus 3 backup) Lead Room Docent (one per class) - Recruit parents and maintain a list of Docents for your class.
- Recruit session Presenter(s) for your class.
- Coordinate and schedule Presenter(s) and Docents for all sessions.
- Be a liaison to work with the teacher and class Docents to get/give feedback on what works and be flexible to make improvements to meet your classroom needs.
Session Presenter (at least one needed per class) - Using the class white board, give no more than 10-15 minute presentation to entire class on the strategy or topic of the session. Includes giving a sample problem-solving demonstration.
- The Presenter role may rotate between 1 or 2 different Docents within the class.
- Facilitate the 15-minute wrap-up at the end of the hour by asking different groups to present their solution. It is important that students have "closure" on the practice problems. Use this opportunity to compare/contrast different problem-solving approaches and learn from common practices or pitfalls.
Math Docent (at least 5 needed per class) - Become familiar with the math problem solving strategies (the 4-step Method and each session's problem-solving strategies)
- Become familiar with the practice problems assigned in your session.
- Guide and mentor your group(s) during the problem solving sessions.
- Be responsible to show up for all your assigned sessions. If you cannot make it, contact your Lead Room Docent to find another parent to fill-in.
3rd/4rth/5th Grade Materials Administrator (one volunteer needed per grade level) - Verify the number of students in your assigned grade.
- Make enough double-sided paper copies of Student handouts for your assigned grade.
- Deliver Student handouts to each class in your assigned grade prior to each session.
FAQsWhat will students do during the Math Docent hour? - Beginning 10-15 minutes: The class is presented a strategy or topic along with a demonstration problem.
- 30 minutes: Students break into small groups to work on a set of practice problems pertaining to the session strategy/topic.
- 15 minutes Wrap-up: Student groups can volunteer to present their solution to the class.
What does a Math Docent do?
Parents can volunteer for any of the following jobs: - Lead Room Docent: Responsible for coordinating and scheduling your classroom Math Docents. Make sure a Presenter is lined up for each session and ensure enough Docents are available at all your session dates. Be a liaison between your teacher and Docents.
- Session Presenter: Responsible for giving the 10-15 minute presentation on the session strategy/topic and also facilitate the 15-minute wrap-up at the end of the hour. This duty can be shared among one or two parents.
- Math Docent: Assigned to at least one or more groups of students, responsible for guiding your groups in solving the session practice problems. Ask probing questions, give helpful hints, make sure they show their work on paper, remind them to use the 4-step problem-solving method when they get stuck.
What is the 4-step problem-solving method?
The 4-step method is a systematic approach that can be sued to solve any math problem. - FIND OUT what the problem means and what question you must answer to solve it
- CHOOSE A STRATEGY that will help solve the problem.
- SOLVE IT by working through the problem until you find the answer to the question, using the strategy that you selected.
- LOOK BACK by re-reading the problem and check to see if your answer makes sense.
Do I have to be a "math whiz" to be a Math Docent? All parents who have enthusiasm and interest in math are needed and welcomed to participate. Session presenter materials and practice problems (along with solutions) are emailed to you at least 1 week prior to each session. Technical resources are available to you if you have questions on the practice problems. Will there be training? A general purpose session will be held at the beginning of the school year. (Date is TBA) It will share tips on how to make a Math Docent presentation (if you have volunteered to be your classroom's Presenter) and techniques to engage the students in problem-solving. The goal is to help guide the students without giving too many hints to the final solution. What day and time will I need to be at school? Mr. Chapman is committed to working with the faculty to set aside 1 hour for the Math Docent Program. The scheduled day and time will be determined by each teacher's curriculum schedule. Working parents' schedules will also be taken into consideration (for example by selecting Thursday or Friday at 9 a.m.-10 a.m. or 8:45-9:45). How can I sign-up for the Math Docent Program?
- Fill-in the Math Docent Volunteers form (included with Monday News) and drop off in the Math Docent folder located in the school office.
- Sign-up on Back-to-School night in your classroom.
What is Math Olympiads?
Math Olympiads is another program at Argonaut for 4thand 5thgrade students whose participation is optional. Students attend Math Olympiad coaching sessions after school for preparation of 5 national contests administered monthly from November to March. Contests are taken during the lunch period. Each contest consists of five non-routine problems and every problem requires careful mathematical thinking and has a time limit. Calculators are not permitted and each student, working alone, scores 1 point for each correct answer. What is the difference between Math Olympiads and Math Docent? The Math Docent program is for all 3rd, 4th, and 5thgrade students and focuses on using strategies and applying math operations to solve everyday problems. Students work in small groups along with a parent Docent to practice different approaches to solving the problem. Math Docent problems are not graded and students can use calculators for routine calculations. What does the teacher do during the Math Docent session? The teacher will be monitoring the progress of the students and help with classroom discipline. The teacher will also work together with the Docents on feedback for grouping students, practice problems, encouraging students, etc. Who do I contact if I have questions about the Math Docent Program?
Contact either Greg Spirakis at
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or SankhyaGhirnikarat
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3rd Grade Math Docent MaterialsClick Solutions, Presenter or Students to view and download materials
Fourth Grade Math Docent MaterialsClick Solutions, Presenter or Students to view and download materials
Fifth Grade Math Docent MaterialsClick Solutions, Presenter or Students to view and download materials
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