I had a unique opportunity in my math intervention group. I was working with three 5th graders. Today's concept: rounding decimals. No matter how many times we worked through a problem, the kids kept mixing up the steps…or forgetting one altogether. The perennial teacher issue: how to break down the problem so a kid can really ‘get’ it. That’s when I had my “A-ha!” moment. Lola. It was too easy. I gave the kids a problem to work on while I tapped out a Work System I titled: Rounding Decimals—5th Grade. I sent it to the kids on Lola, wondering if it would be helpful. Just one of the kids, Etai, is a regular Lola user. I knew he'd know what to do, but wondered if the others would only become more confused. Only one way to find out...
Etai was excited to use Lola. To my surprise, he began explaining how Lola works and suddenly, HE had become the teacher. With the support of Lola, he walked the other kids through the problem, step by step. They were getting it! The kids used the Work System to do the rest of the problems. Broken down into a step-by-step process that was tangible for them, they left that morning with a firm grasp of how to round a decimal. I guess you could say that was their “A-ha!” moment, but I learned something else: Lola can be used for anything that's made easier when broken down into smaller steps. I'm already wondering how else I might use it in my classroom. Stay tuned!