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NCTM Differentiated instruction to schools implement math rotations

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NCTM Differentiated instruction to schools implement math rotations

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Teacher-Initiated Differentiation - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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Two classrooms become models for their large, urban district.

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Research on 6th grade mathematics small group instruction

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Research on 6th grade mathematics small group instruction

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Describes students feedback on effective groups

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Possible Factors to consider when reporting data

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Possible Factors to consider when reporting data

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How do I compare their growth accuratley when it will be covering new mathematical concepts not the same as we have learned in the data from not using math rotations and small group instruction?
Do I include special education student in this since they are not always in the room for mathematics? Not sure I would be able to gather all the data on theses students due to the hours they are pulled out.

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Little parent involvement
Limited teacher training
Lack of appropriate materials for implementing Everyday Mathematics
Below grade level expectation in the fall.

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The effects of small group instruction on the implementation of Everyday Mathematics

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Research into the effectiveness of mathematics education by the Institute of Education Sciences in 2010 ( Slavin, Lake, and Groff) found that programs that are designed to change daily instructional practices and implement differentiating instruction strategies are most effective. Their research also discovered that small group instruction and cooperative learning have a significant impact on student achievement.

Because small group instruction is a highly effective differentiating instruction strategy it is widely used in elementary classrooms. Teachers who already use this strategy know that successful implementation doesn't happen overnight. The work involved in preparing students to operate within a small group instruction model takes time and patience. But the work will pay off!
As you prepare to use small group instruction in your classroom remember to:

1. Work on building stamina

Small group instruction, when implemented effectively, requires students to work independently when not with the teacher. The stamina for this type of independent work doesn't happen immediately. Take time at the beginning of the school year to build student stamina though progressively increasing the amount of time they spend in small group instruction.

2. Establish strong management routines

Working with students to establish strong management routines is just as important as building stamina. Students should know and understand your expectations for small group instruction and independent work including material management, work completion procedures, and methods for requesting help. Taking the time to establish and practice these routines will pay off with highly engaged learners.

3. Use frequent formative assessment

One of the most important characteristics of small group instruction is using assessment wisely. Ongoing assessment is one of the greatest assets to differentiating instruction strategies. It allows you to know, in real time, what students have mastered and what they are still struggling with. It also provides information on how you can adapt grouping to best meet the needs of all learners. Forget about assessment as a cumbersome task. Asking a group of students to complete a math problem on white boards and then making note of their strategies and solutions is an example of a quick and easy assessment.

4. Know who needs you most

Make sure you use your assessment data to know who needs the most teacher time and who has already reached mastery and can extend their learning independently. This doesn't mean you won't ever meet with your mastery students, it simply means they may not spend as much time in direct instruction. After struggling students complete a lesson with the teacher, they may work on an assessment based computer program.

DreamBox Learning offers engaging computer based activities that correlate with the Common Core State Standards. These activities are designed to meet the needs of learners and align with the classroom curriculum.They provide an additional mode of learning and a proven way to implement differentiating instruction strategies.
What are some other tips to implementing small group instruction?

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Small Group Instruction as a Differentiating Instruction Strategy: 4 Tips to Remember - DreamBox Learning

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Research into the effectiveness of mathematics education by the Institute of Education Sciences in 2010 (Slavin, Lake, and Groff) found that programs that are designed to change daily instructional practices and implement differentiating instruction strategies are most effective. Their research...Read more ›

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1. Small group instruction
2. Independent practice/peer practice
3. Fact fluency (Games and web tools)*Multiplication.com
4. Math with Technology (Frontrow)

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Everyday Mathematics Unit Test
NWEA
Informative Exit Slips

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Article on two schools that implement math rotations

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Article on two schools that implement math rotations

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Differentiate Instruction
Meet with lowest level group first work towards highest
Informative Assessment to use flexible groups and modify instruction
Collaboration is key
Student led learning instead of teacher led
Students need to hear and learn from other students

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Teacher blog

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If you know me, you know I am in loooove with Daily 5! Ever since incorporating it into my classroom last year, I have loved seeing the variety of skills and strategies my students are working on each and every day. I also love that the segments are short, so we all stay motivated and the energy for learning stays high.

I have been wanting to redo how I teach math for a while. As a student, I truly adore mathematics, but as a teacher, I was getting bored. Our district was looking into several programs to adopt and I was piloting Everyday Mathematics. It was definitely a change from our old textbook, but I liked how it mixed things up and spiraled around to keep kids fresh on many math concepts.

The district ended up choosing Math Expressions ( Please share your experience if you use this!) and this decision allowed me to stop teaching Everyday Mathematics "with fidelity" and monkey around with starting Guided Math/Math Rotations/Small Group Math/Math Centers/etc. for the remainder of this year.

I.am.in.love!

I know there are many ways of doing this, so I am just sharing what I have been trying and what works so far with my schedule. Some of my greatest inspirations are Elizabeth from Fun in 4B and Dana from 3rd Grade Gridiron. I also have TONS of wonderful links with pictures on my Math Pinterest board-- there are so many inspirational teachers out there :) :)

First up, the 3-4 rotations that I use:

1. Teacher Time- spent with me on the rug in a small group, ability-based for the unit, learning a new concept.

2. Lesson Work- practicing the new skill from Teacher Time (usually book work or a worksheet) independently at their table spot.

3. Math Centers- this has been using some of my Word Work Centers as well as my Winter Math Centers.

4. Fact Practice- this is the "I'm Done" center for those students who finish Lesson Work early. I also have Fact Practice as a choice for Math Centers. Some days students don't get to this at all, but I'm ok with that since Xtra Math is a part of our Star Homework each night.

Because of time constraints, I could only divide up my class into three groups, so that really limited my use of the cute M-A-T-H or B-U-I-L-D centers that are out there. I just couldn't imagine trying to have super-short Teacher Times or trying to spread one lesson across two days :( With three groups, I am able to meet with kids for 15-20ish minutes and that seems to be just right :)

I also tried to keep things aligned with how I do Daily 5 in my class. Because that is so successful, I knew it would be easy for my kids (and, to be honest, on me!) if we started it off the same and ran our math time the same, using some of the same activities as well as the same lingo (like Teacher Time).

I began by making an anchor chart of the four rotations as a class:

We then practiced the bottom two rotations over the course of a few days. Because I started this mid-year, it was very easy to build stamina. I started by dividing the kids into two groups and they practiced either Fact Practice or Math Centers. We then reflected on what worked/what needed improving and tried again. I slowly added Teacher Time and then Lesson Work, so that by the end of the second week, we were in full swing.

To help things along, since the content does change much more often than in D5, I made small signs to hang on my side white board that listed either the learning target or question as well as the assignments and center choices for kids' reference:

You KNOW I have bookmarks with these rotations, right?! :)

Each student has one and it makes it easy for me to say "Picture 2" and they all know where to go. To learn how to make your own bookmarks from PDF pages, click HERE. To be honest, now that we have been doing this for a while, we don't need these anymore, but I love them just the same and, when our geometry unit is over soon I am going to me remixing the groups, so these will come in handy again soon :)

As with everything, the devil is in the details, so prepping is the key. I spent a looooooong time making sure the kids had activities and trying to account for "dead time"-- thus, the Fact Practice option. I also wanted to make materials accessible and easy to get to, so there wouldn't be any excuse for not getting started right away.

I am currently storing all of the centers and flash cards in my lovely, colorful cart I purchased from Joann's (50% off and free shipping coupon-- woo hoo!)

I will be back soon for more details on how I have been doing Math Centers-- we are using a Bingo Board similar to Word Work and it has worked out well so far.

Do you use Math Rotations or something like it? How's it going?

PS- I don't have these chevron signs on TpT yet, but is it something you all would be interested in? Let me know and I can get all of the colors together for use in your own classroom-- it's the same chevron as all of my other products HERE.

*UPDATE 2/18/13: These are now available for purchase in my TpT Store HERE. All 7 chevron colors are included for every slide as well as a plain background option. Be sure to download the Preview to see an example :) Thanks for such great feedback- I hope you enjoy using these in your class :) :)

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Why I NOW Love Teaching Math: Setting up Math Rotations

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If you know me, you know I am in loooove with Daily 5! Ever since incorporating it into my classroom last year, I have loved seeing the variety of skills and strategies my students are working on each and every day.

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manipulatives either virtual or concrete are benifical to students. Maybe add to a math rotation (tech time?)

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Does small group instruction assist all learners?
How does math rotations change students disposition towards math?

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Tips to set up effective work group

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Truly collaborative group work is complex and messy, so we have a few tips and tools to get students working interdependently.

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University of Chicago Everyday Math Research

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University of Chicago Everyday Math Research

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Research and Results - Efficacy Research - Everyday Mathematics

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The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of Everyday Mathematics manipulatives bear positively on student achievement. The results reveal that students using manipulatives improved their level of achievement, increased their understanding, and promoted a positive attitude to mathematical concepts they previously struggled with.

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10-15 Minute Mini Lesson
60 Minutes of Math Rotation Time(students will rotate through 4 centers)