Positive Early Childhood Learning Environment
When I first started teaching Math three years ago I never understood why a student would look bored, distracted or even yawn in a Math class even though he mentioned Math was his favorite subject during the student introduction process. I was so consumed with the goal for the class, the need to finish what I had aimed to do in the 45 minutes that I was completely oblivious to the possibility that I might become the reason for a student disliking his favorite subject. Fortunately for me, I had a very experienced teacher working in my school who told me that there was a wide variance in the abilities of the students in the class that I taught. She advised me to use different activities for the varying groups so that I could keep them engaged and interested. Following her advice helped me achieve noticeable success because I didn’t see any yawning faces anymore. However I felt overwhelmed with the process of differentiating. I can clearly understand now that this feeling came from the fact that I did not understand how best to differentiate. Julie Stern in her article in Edutopia quite aptly mentions how I misunderstood the whole process –
“Many teachers feel overwhelmed if you mention the words "differentiated instruction." In fact, I was one of those teachers. However, I have since learned that DI is not:
Creating an individual plan for each of my students
Keeping students in stagnant groups based on data from the beginning of the year
Teaching only the lower-level students and letting the higher-level students teach themselves
Instead, as stated in an ASCD infographic, differentiated instruction is when:
Students can be in groups based on skills, interests, readiness, or by choice
There is a "purposeful use of flexible grouping" while keeping the lesson's goals in mind
Teachers are "teaching up" and holding students to high standards
Three years hence, thanks to my Teach Now program, I have received a wealth of knowledge on differentiation and the power of this tool, not only by reading and researching but seeing firsthand the value of using it in a classroom. Having learnt through research and having practiced differentiation in the classroom, I have realized that the most important tool to effectively differentiate content and enhance learning is to pre-assess content knowledge and a student’s ability to apply this knowledge correctly. Equally important is to have a plan and activities ready for the possible groups that may emerge after an assessment.
In this blog post, I am using the pre-assessment data provided in the following worksheet:
The subject area I am suggesting activities for is Math. The groups that have emerged following a pre-assessment that was conducted on grade 5 students to test their knowledge of multiplication using two and three digit multipliers are:
Group 1 - 7 students are above grade level. Of these 7, 2 are ELL students, 2 have IEPs and there are 3 students with special needs.
Group 2 - 3 students are below grade level. Of these, 2 have IEPs and 2 are special needs students.
Group 3 - 10 students are on grade level. Of these there are 3 ELL, 2 IEP and 2 special needs students.
The activities that will be used to differentiate learning for each of these groups are:
Group 1:
Word Problems:
These students are above grade level and will therefore be given a task to solve challenging word problems such as this.
Josefina’s cat, Whiskers, climbed into a tree and was too scared to come down. Her dad climbed up a ladder to bring down Whiskers. If Josefina’s dad had to climb up 15 ladder steps and the steps are 32 centimeters apart, how high up did Whiskers go?
This problem can be attempted by the 2 ELL students too. In order to support the two ELL students, the teacher reminds them to draw a picture of the situation. She then points out the important vocabulary "climbed up", "ladder", "ladder steps", "centimeters apart" and shows these diagrammatically. The students then solve the problem.
Another way to do this would be to create pairs or groups where each member in the group can play to their strengths. For example - Imogene is wheelchair bound but she is neither an ELL student nor a student with an IEP. She can be paired with Alfredo an ELL student. Imogene then explains the word problem vocabulary with diagrams to Alfredo who can then solve the problems successfully.
Multiplication Methods:
Here the teacher explains three different ways to multiply. Box Method, Lattice and Traditional. The students then choose the best method to solve questions. These methods are represented pictorially and therefore are useful for both ELL and Special Needs students.
Monitoring and Tracking Progress:
Progress for these students can be tracked by using Exit Tickets with 2 word problems.
Students could be given sheets of paper to demonstrate the method of multiplication they find the simplest.
The students could be paired together to create word problems for their partner and then solve questions formulated by the partner.
Group 2:
These students are below grade level and will have to be first supported by the teacher through direct instruction and then an independent activity. I would recommend reteaching these students in three steps:
First, play a multiplication game with Dominoes to quickly go over some tables. This will help the student with Dyscalculia too because this is a hands on activity.
Second, have the students use arrays to model multiplication sentences. Once you are sure that they have understood the concept of the multiplicand and the multiplier, then explain with step 3.
Third, use the partial products method with the ones, tens and hundreds line to show multiplication. Have students practice a few questions.
This group has a student who is blind and re-teaching can be done using braille as detailed in this website Multiplication using Braille
Monitoring and Tracking Progress:
Progress for these students can be monitored using exit tickets and using a grab bag quiz with multiplication questions. Students demonstrate their understanding by solving the question given in the quiz.
Group 3:
These are students who are on grade level and know how to multiply using the traditional method. They can be challenged with a set of word problems where their ability to apply multiplication concepts can be tested. Problems should be mixed up with Addition problems. They can be given Multiplication task cards such as these:
The ELL students in this group can follow the same steps as the ELL students in group 1 which includes an explanation of vocabulary and diagrammatic representation of the word problems.
Monitoring and Tracking Progress:
The students' understanding and ability to apply concepts can be tested by using a self assessment poster where the student describes himself/herself as a "novice," "apprentice," "practitioner," and "expert." Based on the students' self assessment steps can be taken to either re-teach, provide alternative support or assess understanding.
No matter what the activity or the concept, it is always a good idea to have students reflect on a few things:
What did I like best about this activity?
What is it that I found most difficult?
What would help me understand this concept better?
Did I practice enough to develop confidence in this area?
Reflection and introspection are great tools for both teachers and students.
References:
Stern, Julie. (2015, March 30). Enhancing Learning Through Differentiated Technology. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/enhanced-learning-through-differentiated-technology-julie-stern
Robertson, Kristina. Math Instruction for English Language Learners. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/math-instruction-english-language-learners
Curtis, Jeannie. (2017, August 2).Teaching with the Box Method for Multiplication. Retrieved from http://www.elementarymathconsultant.com/teaching-box-method-multiplication/
Eber, Alison. (2012, April 16). Management & Mentoring Monday - Assessing Student Work. Retrieved from http://eberopolis.blogspot.com/2012/04/management-mentoring-monday-assessing.html?m=1
Comments