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In today's world, an increasing number of people are connected through smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other electronics.  In order to engage with students who have grown up in this increasingly technologically advanced world, teachers must be willing to let go of our own comfort levels in order to provide instruction that helps the students grow in the very world we live in (Hubbel, Kuhn, & Pitler, 2012). For mathematics teachers, it is easy to fall into the trap of lecture and note-taking every day as it can be argued that students need to see the process for problem solving.  While it may be necessary at times to teach in this manner, often times there are subtle ways to enhance lessons with the integration of technology.

Many educational websites provide tools for the integration of technology through online games. For example, Kahoot is a free game-based learning platform for teachers of all grade levels. Specifically, Kahoot can be a great tool for reviewing material at the end of a unit. Kahoot allows the teacher to create multiple choice questions. The questions can include equations, pictures, graphs, and other visuals. (Teachers can also choose from Kahoots previously created by others to use). Students either use the app or go to kahoot.it using their smartphones, iPads, tablets, or laptops. Once all students are logged in, students compete to finish each question. Kahoot allows students to see their ranking after each question and shows when students have a streak of correct answers. Kahoot provides the right touch of a competitive atmosphere while motivating students to do better. Additionally, students get excited when being able to use their phones in class!

References:

Pitler, H., Kuhn, M., & Hubbell, E. R. (2012). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works. Alexandria, Va: ASCD
Salazar, Francisco. (2015, October 23).  Ms. Irma Molina's 6th Grade Math Class Playing Kahoot! [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8YWsjur-Vc

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Ms. Irma Molina's 6th grade Math class playing Kahoot!

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There are many unique and fun instructional strategies that can be implemented into the classroom.  With all the unique strategies, it is easy to forget basic beneficial ones.  Giving students opportunities to do homework and/or practice in class provides "students with opportunity to deepen their understanding and skills relative to presented content" (Marzano, 2000).  Furthermore, providing students with more opportunity to practice allows the teacher more opportunities to check for understanding.  Although, implementing practice is an easy instructional strategy to implement, it is most beneficial when done properly.  Homework and practice should not be seen as busywork, but should reflect the objective of the lesson (Killian).

One way to implement more practice in a High School Math classroom is to begin class time by working through a couple of examples.  Once examples have been worked through, students can be allotted a certain amount of time to work through similar problems on their own while the teacher walks around to offer help as needed.  This is a great way for the teacher to see where students are making the most mistakes and allows the mistakes to be corrected from the beginning of the learning process.  The teacher may then go to the board to perform a couple more examples and tie the lesson together.

References:
Killian, S. (n.d.). Top 10 Evidence Based Teaching Strategies: for Those Who Care About Student Results. The Australian Society for Evidence Based Teaching.

Marzano, Robert J. TEN Effective Research-Based Instructional Strategies [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://dept-wp.nmsu.edu/coestem/files/2013/07/research_based_strategies.pdf

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It is good to be flexible when implementing the instructional strategy of cooperative learning as there are many different ways that students may be grouped as well as tasks that can be performed. Cooperative learning (group work) allows students to build relationships with their peers through the mixing of students with various levels of ability and having them work together to reach a common goal. Group work can be exceptionally beneficial when used correctly, but when overused or used incorrectly it is ineffective (Marzano, 2000).

Timed Pair Share is one of many methods that can be used to get students working together.  In this cooperative learning strategy, students are paired up and each partner is given time to share information with the other.  Once their time is up, the other partner has a chance to share. This could be a great strategy in a High School Math class when going through word problems. Students could be put into pairs and given a word problem.  Once students have been given problem, partner A could be given 1-2 minutes to discuss their ideas for solving the problem.  After the time is up, partner B could then be given the same amount of time to discuss their ideas. This allows students to think through the solving process in a more relaxed environment while also giving students the opportunity to lead and teach their partner.

References:
Clowes, G. (2011). The Essential 5: A Starting Point for Kagan Cooperative Learning. Retrieved from https://www.kaganonline.com
The Cooperative Learner (2016, March 31). Timed Pair Share [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFvSAMuscB4&feature=youtu.be

Killian, S. (n.d.). Top 10 Evidence Based Teaching Strategies: for Those Who Care About Student Results. The Australian Society for Evidence Based Teaching.

Marzano, Robert J. TEN Effective Research-Based Instructional Strategies [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://dept-wp.nmsu.edu/coestem/files/2013/07/research_based_strategies.pdf

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This is a brief explanation of how to use the Timed Pair Share cooperative learning structure.

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Research studies show that increasing the amount of vocabulary that is taught greatly benefits student achievement.  In order to see grand results when incorporating vocabulary as an instructional strategy, specific approaches are necessary (Marzano, 2000).  For many content areas building in vocabulary may not require as much thought.  However, in mathematics, it is easy to get wrapped up in the equations and solving that necessary vocabulary is either forgotten or it is assumed the students already know it.

While there are multiple ways for vocabulary to be incorporated into a High School Math classroom, a specific example would be the use of an interactive word wall.  A word wall allows the teacher and students freedom in the way the word wall is used as different games and activities could be performed utilizing the word wall. When using a word wall, words will be added to the wall (which is visible to all students in the classroom) as students learn them. To enhance student involvement, students could be asked to add the words including the definition of the word, example of the use of the word, and a visual representation to help them remember the word. The word wall can then be referred back to throughout lessons so that students are able to see the connections between units and are encouraged in having familiarity with necessary vocabulary.

References:
Marzano, Robert J. TEN Effective Research-Based Instructional Strategies [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://dept-wp.nmsu.edu/coestem/files/2013/07/research_based_strategies.pdf

Pearse, M. (2016, April 1). 10 Ideas for Vocabulary Instruction in Math. Retrieved from Corwin Connect: corwin-connect.com

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Giving students appropriate and timely feedback allows students to know how well they are performing the task given to them.  Feedback allows students to have time to increase their understanding of the content before it is too late.  Feedback can also be encouraging as it allows to see students what areas of the content they are really grasping and performing well in.  There are many benefits to giving students adequate feedback as "providing specific feedback related to learning objectives is one of the most effective strategies to increase student achievement" (Marzano, 2000).

As with many instructional strategies, there are countless ways to implement providing feedback in a High School Math classroom. The teacher can provide a short quiz that is quickly graded as the student turns them in. If it is at the beginning of class, students can be handed the quizzes back to see the mistakes they made.  Students may correct mistakes and may ask the teacher for help.  This also allows the teacher to see which problems students are struggling with the most so that they can lead a discussion with the whole class.  The same process could take place if the quiz was given at the end of class (the teacher would simply hand back quizzes the next day).  Questioning more and allowing more practice time are other ways to provide students with feedback.

References:
Killian, S. (n.d.). Top 10 Evidence Based Teaching Strategies: for Those Who Care About Student Results. The Australian Society for Evidence Based Teaching.

Marzano, Robert J. TEN Effective Research-Based Instructional Strategies [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://dept-wp.nmsu.edu/coestem/files/2013/07/research_based_strategies.pdf

Wiggins, Grant (2017, Oct 31). 13 Concrete Examples of Better Feedback for Learning [Blog post] Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/13-examples-of-better-feedback-for-learning/