Math {Chapter NINE Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

Math was never my strong subject in school. After reading the chapter, I think that I did have a deficient semantic memory. I had an AWFUL time memorizing anything mathematical {especially those dang multiplication facts}. It was difficult for me to solve the problems mentally or quickly because I would have to go back and think through all the steps...one...at...a...time. I drove my poor mother crazy when doing homework!

Now that I am a teacher, I find math more fun. I like to teach math, but it is not my favorite. The strategies that I learn toward are so NOT from a text book. My math experience taught me that hands-on, real world strategies are best. I want my students to solve problems creatively. I realize, however, that students HAVE to be able to solve problems using just paper and pencil...this is, after all, how they will be assessed. So the big questions...How can I provide a balance of hands-on and paper pencil problem solving instruction? How can my assessments be authentic AND prepare them for district and state tests?

Through trainings offered through our district and some independent research, I think I am getting better at teaching math. Here are some strategies that I find effective in my classroom:

Small Group Teaching {M&M Groups}
I give a pretest at the beginning of each math unit that I teach. This data that I collect from the tests helps me to divide the students up into 3 groups: ones who get it, ones who almost have it, and ones who need intensive instruction. I find that this helps me keep all my students engaged, excited, and enriched through the content. I call this time M&M Groups because it's math, and I use MAP data to help me place kids in groups as well. They rotate through the following 15 minute rotations {you can download the signs, laminate them, and then glue a magnet on the back for your own center rotations}:

work with the teacher {enrich, reteach, remediation} 

math games to practice the skills we are learning

independent practice of the skill at their seat

Here are the signs for the math groups {manatees=need intensive instruction, monkeys=almost there, then macaws=get it...ready for harder stuff} 

SMART board & Computers

Students can also work on a skill at the SMART board. I use it as both whole class teaching and games during M&M Groups. We also go to the computer lab once a week just for math. There are SO MANY amazing websites out there for students to practice math!

Group Work
I use a lot of collaborative group work during math. This helps them generate strategies, share ideas, and learn from each other.  

{generating strategies to figure out how much candy corn is in the container}

{creating a coin bubble map to describe the penny}

Interactive Math

I also love for students to get up to work problems. Any reason to get out of their seat is always fun! They can build a human clock, walk around the room to solve problems I've taped on the walls, or measure things in the classroom with rulers or non-standard units.

{comparing numbers}

What I Do Wrong...

I think that a large part of what I do wrong when teaching math is tied directly to the pacing of the curriculum. Too many times, I have to move on to the next unit of study way before some of my students have mastered the unit before.

Also, after reading the chapter I realized that there are a lot of strategies that I have heard of before, know to do, yet I don't do them consistently. Here are some ideas that I found and think might work for my students:

• I want my students to use manipulatives more and allow those who struggle to use them often. I saw at a training one time how to make counters with pipe cleaners and beads. These would really help my students who have a deficient semantic memory {like I did}. 
• I also want to use highlighters more when solving problems. I could have a color to stand for addition strategies and a color to stand for subtraction strategies. This would help them to use correct problem solving strategies.
• Design a problem-solving strategy appropriate for second graders that will teach them to self regulate. I found one that I like from another blog I read called Second Grade Shenanigans. It's called PSA, and it's a little bit more simplistic than the ones in the text. Basically, students P-identify the problem, S-identify a strategy, and then A-answer and check. Click here to read more about it.   

How I'm Going to Fix It...

I love the CRA {concrete, representational, abstract} sequence for direct instruction. I think that this method would help me, as the teacher, to not introduce the next step too quickly. Once I see that the students understand the concept concretely, only then will I move on to the representation step.

I also want to figure out a way that I can slow down the pacing for my students who are not ready to move on to new content. I think that I could keep old games from previous units available, too, so that students can go back and use strategies that we have already learned. I could also provide a review time during the first 10 minutes of math class. This would allow time to review content we have already learned and review the steps that we use to solve certain problems.

Assistive Technology {Chapter 13 Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

During one of my first years teaching, I had a student who used a form of assistive technology. If I remember correctly, he had a learning disability in writing. He had a machine that he would use that he could type into instead of having to write with a pencil onto paper. I remember that he had LOTS of trouble with this machine, and I really couldn't figure it out either. He did a lot of frustrated growls and fist shaking at the gadget {and I think I did, too}. Boy, would I love to go back in time to just sit in my classroom during those first years...I bet I would get TONS of laughs.

Since then, I have not had any students with a documented need {in their IEP} for any assistive technology. I use technology in my classroom, however, to assist students in many ways.

SMART board
I have a SMART board in my classroom. We use it every day. I use it a lot for whole class instruction. Smart Exchange is a website that offers tons of free lessons and resources that can be downloaded for instant classroom use. I also use the SMART board for word study and math games. The games prove to be a great strategy to use while I am teaching a small group because I can see exactly what is going on from any point in my classroom! A SMART board is an excellent tool to use for students with learning disabilities because it enables them to interact with the content through tactile manipulation and movement.

{we nicknamed our SMART board "Smarty Pants"}

Flip Camera 
I received a flip camera two years ago as part of a grant that I wrote for Donor's Chose. I use this camera to record students performing in reader's theater, presenting information as a group, or presenting reports and poems individually to the class. The Flip camera is an excellent tool to use for students with disabilities because it creates a motivational tool for them to participate with their group. It also helps them to go back and see themselves after their presentation or part is finished. 


MAP testing and Odyssey
One of the BIGGEST assessment tools that we use at my school is the MAP test {Measure of Academic Progress}. I love this test because it takes students from where they are at the beginning of the year, and then shows me how they grow throughout the course of the school year. Paper-pencil reading comprehension tests are so difficult for my students who have learning disabilities or perform below grade level. The MAP test, however, shows me that my struggling learners have indeed learned something. 


This year, I have started to use the Odyssey program. It links directly to the scores that students have made on the MAP test. I can pull up each child's page and see which areas they need to work on in reading and math. Odyssey will then provide computerized instruction, reinforcement, and games on the material that the children need extra practice with. 


What I Do Wrong...
There are two BIG issues with technology: time and money. There has to be money for the technology to be purchased, and then there has to be time for me as the teacher to be trained to become a proficient user of the technology. Unfortunately, the budget in my school district has been so tight these past few years. Our computer lab teacher was taken out and replaced with an assistant. We have two computer labs, but I have to be the one to sign up for a time slot and develop the lessons to teach. I have no classroom computers for the students to use. Anything that I want to learn or implement has to be researched and developed on my own.

How I'm Going to Fix It...
My school does seem to be turning around economically. I think that in any budget, however, that teachers need to be creative when utilizing technology. I have learned to think about what I have, rather that about what I do not. For example, I use my smart phone {such as an iPhone or Droid} in my classroom to snap and upload pictures and videos. I can then email them to myself and then upload them to my webpage. I also have found so many AMAZING and FREE websites out there for my students to use. The great thing about these sites is that they are all perfect for differentiating instruction. Here are a few of my {and my student's} favorites:

Fun 4 the Brain

IXL Math

Starfall

Spelling City

I also have a ton of websites already bookmarked on my school webpage. Just click here.

It does take time to search for websites, to explore them to see if they are appropriate, and to train ourselves and our students. Truthfully, however, I believe that it is necessary. Teachers HAVE to stay current for the sake of our students who come to us as digital natives in a techno world.