Abstract: How can we determine if students truly “understand” the ideas they are taught? Have you ever asked a student why something is true, and the student replies with “Because you told us so”? This workshop will discuss the method of “Dialogue” as a way to counteract those types of responses. In a Dialogue, students are required to teach the class certain topics, and in their preparation to teach, students learn to think about the “whys” of topics. This method will work for all classes, and most especially math classes.In a Dialogue, more than simply memorizing material, students are required to delve deeply into the content and be prepared to answer questions while teaching. This causes students to become more invested in daily lessons because they realize they must really know the material later. Similarly, students are more concerned with teaching each other during daily lessons so they can practice before the actual day of the Dialogue. This creates a caring and rigorous class culture in which students are more concerned with understanding material rather than achieving high grades.
This session will expose participants to the specific details of not only the benefits of incorporating Dialogues in their classroom but also to the ways to effectively implement them into their classroom.
Sandy Schinetsky is currently in her 6th year of teaching at the Regents School of Austin, following a seven-year tenure as a junior high mathematics teacher in the Louisiana public school system. Prior to her current role, she was recognized as Teacher of the Year in 2011. Schinetsky is presently pursuing a doctoral degree in Mathematics Education from Texas State University. She holds both a master of education and bachelor degrees from Louisiana State University.
At Regents, Schinetsky has taught a variety of courses including Algebra I, Geometry, and Precalculus. She has been an active participant in the SCL and ACCS National Conferences each summer since 2019. In 2020, she had the honor of presenting at both the SCL and ACCS National Conferences on the topic of mathematics harknesses. The following year, in 2021, she served as the Facilitator of Math and Science for the SCL National Conference.
