With less time to teach more, the pressures of standardized testing and evaluations based on student performance, there has never before been a more stressful time for teachers than the present state of education. This creates a problem in our current classrooms where reading takes precedence over all, math gets what is left over and science and social studies....wait, what are those again?
When there is no time teachers are "lead to emphasize procedural fluency over conceptual understanding and to use worksheets rather than problem-solving activities." (Sammons, 2010) This has never been more true as it is today when teachers feel like they need quantity over quality. The need for enough points to float a grade overrides the chance for authentic learning.
Since we can't change everything we'd like to change, we ought to focus on the things we can control. So how do we buy more time in math class without "robbing Peter to pay Paul"? Here are a few tips.
* Assessment
formative, summative, formal and informal
"Much [of this formative] assessment occurs through the observation of students as they work and through conversations with them as they discuss their work." (Sammons, 2010).
There are great graphic organizers for teachers who want to make note of their observations of students while they work. This type of formative assessment saves time for many reasons. Teachers aren't grading papers. Teachers aren't making copies. Students aren't working with more than 1-2 math stories. Basically, less is more.
* Small group
Group discussions give teachers the chance to stop student misconceptions before they become habits. Because of the nature of small groups, a teacher can see a mistake and address it immediately. Bad habits take longer to break than teaching good ones! Small groups discussions also give those quieter students the chance to speak up, giving the teacher more accurate data on what they know and can do.
* Quality over quantity
Students don't need to spend 30 minutes completing a worksheet with 20 math problems. They need to spend 15 minutes working through 1-2 problem-solving situations with the teacher and a few peers, which is much more valuable. Teachers could reclaim some time in the classroom if they were able to do a few authentic problems with the students.
Discussion Questions:
Q1: What are the other students doing while you are working with a group? Is your current plan effective? If not, what could be changed to fix it?
Q2: What types of manipulatives do you use with your small groups? Have you ever considered using "Take Home" bags for students to use with an activity at home?
Q3: What are you currently preparing to use with your guided math groups?
Q4: What are you continuing to do?
Q5: What are you going to stop doing?
For next week:
Read chapters 6 & 7. Then we'll be done! Remember to that the final project is to record yourself teaching a guided math lesson (either whole group or small) for your reflection. My suggestion is to record the one you feel less comfortable with so you can work on it!
See you next Friday!
