Tammy McMorrow, a dedicated first-grade teacher in Idaho with 31 years of experience, delves into the transformative power of Building Thinking Classrooms. She shares her journey since discovering this innovative method in 2021, detailing the remarkable growth in her young students as engaged mathematicians. The discussion covers the challenges of adapting practices for primary grades, the importance of trust, and inspiring student engagement. Listeners will also learn about Tammy's own podcast, where she highlights stories from her classroom.
Tammy McMorrow emphasizes the transformative impact of Building Thinking Classrooms, leading to unexpected academic growth in her first-grade students.
She highlights the need for flexible teaching strategies tailored to young learners, fostering collaboration and a deeper engagement with math concepts.
Deep dives
Tammy McMorrow's Background and Passion for Teaching
Tammy McMorrow, a seasoned educator from Idaho with over 30 years of experience, shares her deep-seated passion for teaching and learning. She primarily teaches first grade and balances her profession with hobbies such as reading, singing, and kickboxing, which she finds beneficial for both physical and mental health. Engaging in kickboxing serves as a stress reliever after long days in the classroom, illustrating her belief in the importance of self-care for teachers. Her dedication to building thinking classrooms has significantly influenced her teaching methodology and fueled her enthusiasm for implementing innovative educational practices.
Discovering the Building Thinking Classrooms Approach
After discovering the book 'Building Thinking Classrooms' on a teacher group, Tammy felt an immediate connection to its transformative concepts. She recognized the need for a change in her approach to math education, as previous methods had not engaged her students effectively. The book provided her with both inspiration and practical strategies, allowing her to initiate a shift that she describes as a 'yellow brick road' leading toward her teaching goals. By embracing the notion of problem-solving and critical thinking for her first graders, she found the framework necessary to guide her students beyond mere mimicry of learned behaviors.
Surprising Student Successes and Growth
Tammy shares her experience of unexpected student successes as she began implementing the thinking classroom model, particularly highlighting a student she initially feared would struggle with collaborative tasks. Contrary to her apprehensions, this student thrived in the new environment, showcasing growth and adaptability. This experience reinforced the belief that encouraging thinking and collaboration can lead to surprising outcomes as students become liberated to express their thoughts. Additionally, as her students engaged in standardized testing, their willingness to attempt problems they'd never been explicitly taught reflected a foundational shift in their approach to math as a subject.
Adapting Practices for Young Learners
Tammy discusses the importance of modifying certain classroom practices to cater specifically to first-grade students, such as the consolidation process, which she adjusted to a sitting format to reduce chaos. She emphasizes the practice of 'thin slicing,' which her students love and find engaging, allowing them to gradually develop mathematical thinking skills without realizing the increasing complexity of the tasks. Additionally, she employs sentence stems and collaborative strategies to help her students articulate their thinking and facilitate smoother interactions during peer work. This flexible, responsive teaching style is critical for nurturing young learners and ensuring they feel empowered in their mathematical journey.
In this episode, Kyle and Maegan welcome Tammy McMorrow (@TammyMcMorrow / @tammymcmorrow.bsky.social) to discuss her experiences with Building Thinking Classrooms. Tammy shares her journey from discovering the transformative BTC approach in 2021 to implementing it with her first-grade students in Idaho. She talks about the impact of creating a Thinking Classroom including the surprising gains her students have made as mathematicians. The conversation addresses the challenges of managing young learners, adapting BTC practices for primary grades, and the importance of embracing the messy and magical aspects of teaching. Tammy also shares her insights on the thin-slicing technique, the importance of trust in students, and how BTC has changed her approach to student engagement. Listeners will also hear about Tammy's podcast, Little Minds Big Thinkers, where she shares stories from her classroom and interviews with fellow educators.
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