Yes, last year I used math workshop in my classroom. 

I used the rotation model. I had 5 rotations. My groups also changed regularly. The students looked forward to this time every day. It was also my favorite time because I was able to meet with everyone. 

I loved that I was able to meet everyone almost every day. I knew exactly where they were and what they needed help with. Just like Kristi said, it is flexible, making it easy to pick up where we left off if something came up.  

Yes, I did. I noticed that the students were taking their time cleaning up and continuing to work when the timer went off. We stopped and practiced on cleaning up using a 30 second timer and rotating (Stand up, push in your chair, and rotate.) Another problem I encountered was students arguing. I originally had 4 groups, but made another to also help with this. I also put into place: Hand signals for “kid size problem” or “adult size problem.” If it was a kid size problem, students knew they needed to use some of Kelso’s choices to solve their problem. Also, Ask 3 before me—I had a light on at my back table that said ask 3 before me. The last one, the three B’s- don’t bother me unless you are barfing, bleeding or have a broken bone. (Didn’t think about fire, but that is an important one also.)

I believe the rotation model is best for me. I feel it meets the students’ needs the best because I am able to help them where they are struggling and see them on a regular basis. 

I have so much to say about Chapter 2 – Organization!  I will try to stay on topic though.  Organization tends to be where I feel things slide for me.  I start out very organized and as the year goes on, days get busier, and I get tired, less and less gets organized.  I feel the same way about my house!  

One key point that hit home for me, maybe because I’m decluttering at the moment at home, is to GET RID OF THE CLUTTER!  Remove things that do not have a purpose, use furniture creatively, and make more room.  This always seems to be a battle for me, though I think in the past few years I’ve gotten much better at it.  I have focused more on having defined small group spaces and whole group carpet areas to gather.  My desks have become the working areas.  It’s been commented on many times by admin and other teachers…well the people sitting here can’t see the board/screen/etc.  Well…true, but they don’t necessarily need to for the purpose of learning.  My teaching is done with my kids gathered around me and in groups.  Further, with my setup, my students know to get up and move if they cannot see.  I rarely have students take advantage of this as it is taught and practiced.  Bottom line – I love my desks on the perimeter of my room because I love the open spaces.  It allows me to see all students easily while I am working in small groups. 

The next point that I loved…”When you know WHAT you have to teach with, it makes it easier to think about HOW you teach.”  If you were with us last year, you know that Mat went through tons and tons of manipulatives.  I wonder…how much of this was just thrown in a storage closet somewhere?  How much is PURPOSEFULLY used?  I know that I had a ton of things on my storage shelf that were never used.  Why…no quick access, not sure what was covered in all that dust.  But I did use the manipulatlives that were stored in my room, in the tubs that I had created and knew exactly where they were and what was in them.  *The students did too.*  They knew where to get these things.  We have talked about housing all of these items in one common area and having a check out system so that we can get and use the items that will help our students in their learning.  Some manipulatives could stay with you all year, others you may need for a few weeks or a few months.  I think this is a GRAND idea!  To think…”Something as simple as storage can impact the EFFICIENCY of math workshop.” 

So how do we get there?  It sounds good…it sounds great…but how do we do it?  Consistency.  Consistently model and practice how to take out items for math workshop and how to clean up.  The more time you spend modeling at the beginning of the year, the easier it will make your math workshop time.  Students will know the expectations from the beginning and be held responsible for this.  

There are a couple of things I wish I had implemented within my classroom and I will be exploring and hoping to help some of you with.  The task menus…I love the Must Do, May Do idea for each station.  This ensures that students are working on current skills and then spiraling other skills.  I especially like the Talking Point Cards to encourage appropriate use of math vocabulary.  As we get into our Essential Standards and planning, I would love to help create these and store them on our Google Drive for us to use in our classrooms!  I also mentioned in one of our meetings that I would love to have a running file of good for you workstation activities…so if you have anything to share I would love a copy!  This will be a long term goal and will take collaboration…all of us working together to make the best collection of resources for our teachers and students! 

Have a fabulous day, friends! 

Chapter 3 – Managing Math Workshop 

 

Student behaviors are where I have the most worry during Math Workshop.  I will be honest – I have that fear of letting go of the control in my room and letting students work.  Of course, this is at the beginning and 99% of the students prove that they are capable of doing exactly what they need.  The key to making your vision a reality is practice, practice, practice.  Model expectations and give students the time to practice.  The more we do this at the beginning of the year, the less we have to go back to it throughout the year.  Students MUST know the expectations and you must follow through for Math Workshop to run the way you envision it. 

 

My biggest concerns about student accountability is simply that they won’t do it.  As I implemented MWS in my class for the first time, I learned a lot…fast.  My first huge mistake was assuming they would be given instructions and be able to do it.  Nope.  Students must have time to practice what you expect.  Spend the first month introducing stations and practicing how they should run.  Use this time to observe, model, and confer with small groups and practice accountability talks within this time.  This does not mean you cannot pull groups for targeted intervention.  You will be able to, but in order for your stations to be effective, use the time at the beginning of the year to train your students on what is expected. 

 

Implementing or revamping your Guided Math Workshop is a process. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!  I do not know a single teacher or administrator that would deny help when asked for!  We all want our peers to be successful.  Lean on each other to learn and grow!  Ask for resources, ask to watch someone else, ask for help.  Even if you don’t necessarily need help, per say, it is always great to see how others make it work…learn from your peers. 

Chapter 4 – Planning Math Workstations 

 

1.        Grouping students heterogeneously allows for flexibility within your small groups as well as allowing for peer tutoring to naturally occur.  Of course, this requires some strategic planning on your part.  Be sure to put some of your independent, stronger students with others that may need help.  Homogenous grouping allows for students to work within their stations at the same level.  They can be working on the same activity at the same level which allows for mathematical discussions to naturally happen.  The talking points will help these conversations.  I have grouped students both ways.  I prefer heterogeneous grouping because it does allow for the flexibility within my groups.  Doing this, I always try to make sure that I will still have an even number of students left in workstations after I pull my group to ensure games will work appropriately. 

2.       I have a lot of workstations that can be used already.  What I feel like they are missing are the differentiation piece.  I am realizing that I had a “one stop shop.” We’ve learned the material, reviewed the station, and so everyone should be capable of doing this…right?!?! Nope.  I need to make sure that each station is geared toward the needs of all students, not just the middle of the road.  I did add STEM Bins into my rotations last year and I enjoyed watching the students with that.  If you walk in, at a glance you may see what you think is play.  But when you listen to the conversations, students are discussing what does and doesn’t work and what they should try.  Stem Bins were new to me and are definitely worth keeping, but again, keep tweaking. 

3.       I wish we had more technology available within the classroom (iPads and such), but there are still so many things that students can do with the Chrome Books.  We need to move beyond using these just for IReady and allow students some time with exploring flipped learning lessons and other websites to enrich what we are doing in class. 

Chapter 5 – Math Workstation Tasks 

 

“Without effective Math Workstation tasks, successfully implementing Math Workshop is impossible.”  Best words in chapter 5.  Simply put…you can’t last minute say…oh no, I forgot to change/add workstation.  Let me grab something really quick.  

Just like your lessons are well thought out and planned, so should be your workstations.  This is one area where team collaboration truly shines.  Work together to come up with the best activities for all students.  In the end it is less work for everyone and you get a ton of great stations and ideas! 

 

1.        I have seen/used several of these tasks within my classroom.  Though as I said in Chapter 4, I have been missing the mark on the differentiation piece.  I love that these tasks give you ideas on how to differentiate and give the talking points to initiate mathematical conversations within student groups.  The modeling of this will be absolutely necessary in order for this to become effective within the classroom. 

 

2.       The tasks are made to encourage and support the independent thinking and learning of students.  By keeping activities in stations that spiral back to concepts already taught, these concepts become easier and easier for students to comprehend and use.  The more practice they have, the better mathematicians they will be. 

 

I do not want to start over with workstations.  I will definitely be creating the differentiation piece to add to my station bags as well as the Talking Points.  I know this will take some  time, but will hopefully help me, my students, and other teachers once it is complete. 

Chapter 6 – Implementing Math Workshop 

 

Chapter 6 is all about implementing math workshop.  The past couple of years I have used the 15 or 20 day approach to implementing.  There are several different versions of this floating around.  Use the one that works best for you.  The key is consistently modeling, practicing, and discussing what is happening.  Make anchor charts for students to refer back to and practice, practice, practice! 

1.       As I said, I currently use a similar implementation system.  I will continue to use one, whether it is this or another version.  I do know that I will spend more time on the practice and especially the discussion part…what went great, what needs more work, etc. And always hit the why.  Why did this work?  Why did it not?  This will begin the conversations that you want your students to be able to have while in stations when problems arise.  Talk it out rather than arguing, etc. 

 

2.       I have used the role play situations when our class is coming up with rules and expectations.  It has proven effective in that students do openly discuss what was great or not so great and how it could’ve been done better.  I hadn’t thought of using the same thing while implementing Math Workshop…but of course, it makes perfect sense!  So we will be adding this as well as making sure I have anchor charts for those students who need that visual reminder.  This should hit all 3 types of learning – auditory, visual, kinesthetic. 

 

3.       I truly believe that the most important steps in preparing students for math workshop work together: modeling, practicing, and debriefing.  I think the debriefing/discussion part often gets dropped off.  I would like to make sure that I am focusing on having these meetings afterwards to discuss what is happening in workstations. 

Chapter 7 – Your Turn! 

 

1.       The first steps to implementing math workshop are simply to have a plan!  I am a paper and pencil kind of person.  I’ve got to write/draw out every step and go through and check it off as I complete it.  At the beginning of the year, while you are implementing and getting to know your students, plan workstations that will review the skills that were required in the previous grade level.  This will not only give students meaningful practice, but will also give you valuable information on each student’s ability. (Formative assessments!) 

 

2.       There are lots of challenges you may come across.  This past year, I implemented just like I have in the past few years using the system that has worked – I called them Math Jobs.  This just did not work for my last group.  So I stayed one evening, scratched the entire process and started over.  Was it work? Yes.  Was it worth it? Yes.  I started over entirely with the implantation process, which put me further behind than I wanted.  But it was worth it because my students did know the expectations and we rarely had problems. 

 

3.       There are several levels of support within our building.  Of course, the closest supports you will have are your peers.  Talk, discuss, collaborate.  Come up with ideas and don’t be afraid to voice your opinion, even if it is not the desirable opinion.  If it comes up in your mind, it probably has in others and will mostly likely have some validity to it.  We have an amazing Admin team.  They will do whatever they can to make sure you have what you need to ensure success and will help with anything possible.  Another support available is online.  I am a member of several teacher groups that are always bouncing ideas off of one another.  Don’t be afraid to join in on conversations!  Use the help you have available to make your Math Workshop the most effective that it can be!