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    David Langford
    President, Langford International, Inc.

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    Beth Chinderle
    Elementary Math Curriculum Specialist
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    Abby LaFevers
    Elementary Science Curriculum Specialist

Elementary/Primary Group

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This group is for Quality Learning issues concerning primary/elementary teachers, students and administrators. Quality Learning is having a huge impact on learning, behavior and classroom management. Share your examples and get ideas.

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Capacity Matrices in the Elementary Classroom (8 posts)

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  • Avatar Image David Langford said 1 year, 6 months ago:

    I am steadily posting more and more examples in the documents section. Take a look and let me know what you think.

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  • Avatar Image David Langford said 1 year, 6 months ago:

    I want to introduce Beth Chinderle. Beth is the Math Curriculum Specialist for the Leander Independent School District, Leander, Texas. Beth has adopted Capacity Matrices in Elementary Math. Many of her matrices have been uploaded to the document section here. Beth will you please, as a path of introduction, give an overview of what you do and how Capacity Matrices have been implemented in Elementary Math.

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  • Avatar Image Beth Chinderle said 1 year, 6 months ago:

    Hello! 3 years ago, we began a journey in our district to structure our curriculum using backward design by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins. As we developed Essential Units of Study around big ideas, key understandings, essential questions, and what the students should know and do, the next step was to think about how to put the curriculum in the hands of the students. What a better way than to use a capacity matrix? This became a tool that allowed students to take ownership of the curriculum and also a tool for teachers to use as they intentionally plan for the different levels of understanding. Our math team has worked hard to create Capacity Matrices for all of our Essential Units of Study, Kindergarten through 5th grade. Currently, teachers in our district are beginning to use them for planning and with their students as a formative assessment tool and a piece of their student data notebook. We look forward to collaborating and receiving feedback as we continue on the Quality Learning journey! Please feel free to ask questions and share ideas!

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  • Avatar Image Stephen Learmonth said 1 year, 6 months ago:

    David, I’m having a problem downloading the two papers on capacity matrices. When I open them up all I am getting is code for the webpage. Do you have any solutions please?

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  • Avatar Image David Langford said 1 year, 6 months ago:

    Hi Beth,

    If anyone is interested in Backward Design I have posted a couple of links to PDF overviews in this section. This is the same concept as Idealized Redesign by Dr. Russell Akoff. I have also posted a Link to Akoff’s paper. The first origins of this thinking, that I know of, was with the Alcoa Corporation in the late 50′s. We use the term Imagineering (Tool Time Book). Imagine what would be perfect then re-engineer backward to understand what to do today. Students get this at all levels.

    Example: Imagine you can’t wait to come to school to learn fractions, you love fractions, you know fractions upside down and backwards. What would we need to do every day, so that you would have this love and insight for fractions? Sometimes kids will say “that’s not possible.” This is the psychology of the problem. If you have been taught to hate something, it is difficult to think how to love it. If you keep turning to students and saying, “but if it was possible what would we be doing differently every day.” They will eventually start to tell you, then when you do it, they start to realize you are serious and give you even better feedback.

    So right you are, the Capacity Matrix concept was created with this type of thinking. (See Beth’s examples in this document section.)

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  • Avatar Image Peter Rawitsch said 1 year, 6 months ago:

    I am a 1st grade teacher in Glenmont, NY. I heard David speak at The Leader In Me Global Education Summit this summer. He inspired me to set up Data Notebooks with my students this year. The students are taking more ownership of their learning. I started with simple graphs where they can measure their weekly progress with reading words, spelling words, and math facts. Now I am ready to help them assess their reading comprehension skills, mathematical thinking, and writing process. I like the Capacity Matrices that include the Information, Knowledge, Know-how, and Wisdom columns. I would love to hear from anyone who has done this with reading and writing.

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  • Avatar Image David Langford said 1 year, 6 months ago:

    Peter, if you check the documents in this section you will see Information Texts this is a great example in Language Arts. I have also uploaded other examples for Letter Writing during the School Holidays, Pen License(handwriting) and Speaking.

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  • Avatar Image David Langford said 1 year, 6 months ago:

    Peter, I have uploaded another great Capacity Matrix Template from the great folks in Leander, TX. This is an example of getting poetry concepts in the hands of students.

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