As the sweet math coach at my school knows, there is no part of my instruction that I tinker with more than math. I'm constantly finding her in the hallway to announce that I tried out a new resource or that I think I've finally solved the issue of off-task behavior during math time (spoiler alert: I haven't). For the coming year, I'm trying Guided Math to structure and differentiate my math instruction. In the gallery above I've linked some of the blog posts guiding (ha!) my thinking as I plan for this new format. I'm planning on a version of the Daily 3, as described originally by Gail Boushey, and as adapted by Catherine Reed (The Brownbag Teacher). The table below gives a rough sketch of how I'm planning to schedule my daily math block once Guided Math is up and running. So, why Guided Math? Click through to read about the two driving reasons. 1. Differentiation. It is both possible and necessary for all students to master math skills, but different students will master things at different rates. It's my job to help them all understand all of the concepts, especially the ones they find confusing. It's also my job not to let them get bored out of their gourds when things are easy peasy. Guided Math addresses this problem in a few ways. First, guided practice will happen with more guidance, at the teacher table. This past year I spent a larger percentage of math time doing whole-group guided practice, but that meant that some superstars would solve the practice problem and write their names in bubble letters and start an argument with the person next to them in the time it took other friends to copy what I'd put on the board. In a guided math environment, the speedsters can be grouped together to do more complicated guided practice; those who are struggling can get more attention and more scaffolded materials. Second, by making room for daily, structured practice in the form of games, it allows me as the teacher to target certain skills for review by certain sub-groups. In the past I've made a collection of simple math games available to early finishers--but they chose for themselves what to play, and only students who finished the day's worksheet got to engage in that review. In this structure I can lable certain games for, say, the blue group to play, based on my formative assessment of their needs. 2. Responsiveness to Developmental Needs Although I've taught primary grades for my entire career, and have grown to absolutely love it, I focused on upper elementary and middle school when I was training to become a teacher. That has meant a steep learning curve as discover what learning modes work best for five, six, and seven year-olds. Children at these ages need repeated, concrete experiences to solidify their understanding-- NOT worksheets. They, like all learners, need the chance to explain and discuss their learning. I will admit right here and right now that I have not always responded to these needs in my instruction. I have been guilty of implementing a "play by yourself" rule when partner games got too noisy. I have given three pages (THREE!!) of math problems to squirmy little friends and expected them to remain focused on them for as long as it took to finish. Because they needed the practice, I justified to myself. Because how else could I check whether they understood? By putting students in smaller groups for any given component of our math block, I'll be able to use more hands-on materials with them, both at the teacher station and in the game stations. By spending only a clearly-defined amount on each station, I may be able to make the (short) worksheet time, now a worksheet center, less daunting. And by incorporating centers and transitions, rather than just an un-interrupted block of worksheet time, I will hopefully be able to keep students' brains more engaged with math for more time. I have a lot of planning left to do before I'm ready to implement guided math in September, and I plan to blog about it. I want to:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI'm Ms. Howland. I teach first grade in Spanish and English in a transitional bilingual model. Click any photo to learn more!
Searching?
All
|