Equitable Opportunities

Image by:  Salvatore

I believe educators want the best for their students.  Teachers need to be able to utilize effective strategies to meet the needs of all students. Differentiated instruction, along with active student participation contribute to overall learning that occurs in an elementary classroom.  Most elementary teachers have around 25 + students in each classroom, ranging from below grade level achievement to gifted.  The strategy that I’m talking about in this post isn’t only for elementary classrooms. I’ve seen it utilized effectively at the middle and even high school levels.

It doesn’t take much time for teachers to find that some students are more willing to answer questions than others. Teachers are generally able to identify these students quickly.  These specific students are more likely to enthusiastically throw their hand in the air to answer a question that a teacher may pose. Experienced teachers understand that some students tend limit their own participation for a variety of reasons.  As an educator, I believe it’s important to allow all students an opportunity to contribute to the classroom.  I’ve found that utilizing equity sticks has improved student participation and learning in my classroom.  The sticks can also be used to group students for cooperative learning opportunities.  I have even used them for a math class, to teach probability concepts. For example: the likelihood that a particular student’s name will randomly be picked out of a jar.

One way to create and then utilize this strategy:

1.)  Grab your classroom roster and a package of large popsicle sticks.

2.)  Write/print out names on each stick.

3.)  Put all of the sticks into some type of jar


4.)  Pose a question and pick out a name.  The “winner” gets to answer the question.

Education and Flow Charts

Image by:  Sujin

Students often thrive when given responsibility.  Sometimes students even ask for responsibility in the classroom.  At every grade level student responsibility can be utilized to improve and contribute to the overall efficiency of a classroom.  Student jobs are often found in the elementary classroom.  The idea of assigning student jobs can be termed as assigning responsibility.  I prefer using the activity, My Job Your Job Our Job, but jobs in themselves are an interesting way to teach and encourage responsibility.  Unless explicitly told, students are often unaware of the quality of work that is acceptable during their student job activity.  Modeling and setting classroom expectations for all jobs is necessary to gradually release responsibility to the student.   Accountability and follow through are also necessary components.  Expectations are vital when gradually releasing responsibility to the student.  Students need to understand what is expected as soon as they enter a classroom. Including students in the creation of these expectations via a flow chart may encourage accountability on the students behalf.  I found this template to be useful in having a conversation about flow charts with my students.

For the past few years I’ve used a process flow chart to help guide my students in taking responsibility for their actions.  As soon as the students enter the room they are asked to follow an arrival flow chart.  Likewise, when students are asked to leave the classroom, they follow the dismissal flow chart.  The flow chart clearly explains what is expected as students arrive and leave the classroom.

When students understand these expectations, they are more willing to become accountable for their own actions relating to their arrival/dismissal from my classroom. I believe having an arrival and dismissal flow chart may improve classroom efficiency and productivity.  As a result of implementing the flow chart, I’m spending more time teaching for learning in the classroom rather than losing the first five minutes of class to social hour.  In any activity, modeling is vital, this is no exception.  During the first week of school my students actually self-assess their performance following the arrival/dismissal flow chart.  I’ve even used a plus/delta chart to help during this process.  After the “trial” period has ended, the students become comfortable with their new environment and proceed efficiently when an arrival/dismissal flow chart is utilized regularly.  Visual learners may appreciate how the flow chart is displayed in the classroom.  Using a flow chart might also be a way to introduce graphic organizers to the class.  Students can even create their own flow charts using graphic organizer templates.

ArrivalFlowChart

 DismissalChart1

 

I’ve had experiences working in a variety of teaching capacities.  Teachers have an enormous responsibility to improve student learning in the classroom.  When the teacher and students understand the expectations of each other, both parties benefit.  This could also be said about the community and teacher.  I’ve found flow charts to be useful in other academic content areas, such as in math when explaining the problem solving process.  Process charts can also be used to clarify behavior expectations.  Utilizing process charts may enable students to become more responsible for their own actions in the classroom.

Shaving Cream and Math

Image by:  Salvatore

I’m always trying to find new ways to make math interesting and relevant. Generally, the more interested the students are in the instruction, the more willing they are to apply their learning.  This past week I used one common household item to teach my elementary math class about number lines.  I’m not the only teacher who has used this strategy in the classroom, but I’ve found encouraging results by doing so, that’s why I’m sharing.  I’ve provided a few pictures for those (like me) who need a visual representation before putting a strategy into practice.

Procedure

1.)  Have all the students clear their desks.  There shouldn’t be anything on the desks, including pencils, water bottles, etc.  During this time students get a little anxious in wondering what’s going to happen next.

2.)  The teacher takes out one or two bottles of shaving cream.   I used Babaso, available at the Dollar Tree.  This works much better than some of the more expensive shaving creams.

3.)  The teacher asks the students to predict how the class will be using the shaving cream to learn about math.  You might get some interesting responses with that question.  This may also gains student interest.

4.)  Go over the ground rules.  Everyone should roll up their sleeves, don’t fling the shaving cream at anyone in the class, don’t touch the shaving cream until directed, no one gets out of their seat, etc.

5.)  Go to each desk and spray a bit of shaving cream (4-5 seconds) in the middle of each desk.

6.)  Tell the students that they will be given a few minutes to “play” with the shaving cream.  Ask the students to make different types of polygons, rays, lines, etc. with the shaving cream.

7.)  The teacher models a few number lines on the whiteboard.  Students are asked to create their own number lines.  Ask the students to create multiple number lines.  Once a student creates a number line, the teacher reviews the work (could be a great opportunity to take a picture), gives the student a bit more shaving cream and then looks for another finished project.

8.)  At the end of this project there are a lot of sticky fingers.  The teacher hands out wet wipes or wet paper towels to the students.  The students clean their own desk and hands.

9.)  Before the students leave class, or sometime in the near future, the teacher asks the students to create three additional number lines (addition, subtraction, multiplication) on paper and turn their work into the teacher.

More Examples:

Shaving Cream and Math Ideas

Greenfield Exempt Schools

Mrs. Clayton’s Class Blog – Using Shaving Cream

Disclaimer (unfortunate but necessary) : The thoughts and opinions expressed in these pages are my own, and not necessarily the opinions of my employers.

Characteristics of a Teacher

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Image by Nuttakit

Early in my teaching career I had an administrator ask me an interesting question:

What characteristics do you value in a potential teacher?

This question was asked before interviewing a few candidates for an upper elementary grade level teaching position. From what I remember, my response primarily consisted of the candidate being able to follow the district’s protocols, the ability to create lesson plans, and handle classroom management.  Looking back now, my answers originated from what I learned during my undergraduate experience.  If I was going to answer the question now, my answer would be vastly different.

Three Characteristics:

1.)  Communication

The teacher should have solid communication skills.  These skills are important, not only for instruction delivery, but also in communicating expectations to the community.  Teachers need to be able to use technology to deliver updates and keep parents in the loop to what is happening in the classroom.  Often, non-communication may be perceived as not caring.  Trouble can brew from unbalanced expectations from the teacher or parent.

2.)  Collaboration

Working together with limited resources happens frequently in the education sector. Having the ability to collaboratively work within a grade level team, as well as a school team benefits an entire school.  Teachers who embrace the idea that not only are the students in their class valued, but the entire school is full of learners and all stakeholders are responsible for the students.

3.)  Focus on Student Learning

Teachers need to be able to understand their role in the student learning process.  Teachers play many roles in the classroom, but student learning should be the focal point.  Student achievement data, in a variety of forms can be helpful in driving instruction decisions.  Teachers who are able to analyze student data to make instructional decisions are extremely valuable.  Curriculum is only as good as the teacher who is utilizing the resource.  To meet students’ needs teachers need to be able to identify students’ academic learning needs and address how to utilize resources to meet the needs of each student in the classroom.  In order to ensure that students are learning at high levels, teachers need to be able to access practical professional development opportunities to improve their craft, therefore increasing student learning.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just a few key components that I find valuable.  21st century teachers need to be able to have a variety of skills that enable students to learn at optimal levels.

Differentiated Instruction

Image by Luigi Diamanti

As an educator, part of my job is to meet students’ academic needs.  Every educator, at one time or another, asks the question – how can I meet the needs of all the students that enter my classroom?  That’s a tough questions to answer, with multiple answers, depending on your philosophy of education.  To start, you need to understand the current skill level of your students.  You might want to give some type of pre-assessment to determine what type of skills that the students possess. A lot of vital data can be extracted by analyzing student assessment data.  Student assessment data can often drive school-wide instructional decisions.  Once assessment data has been collected and analyzed, you can begin to start to differentiate and individualize instruction.  Differentiated instruction is an educational buzz word that has been around for quite some time now.  What does it actually mean and isn’t it subjective?  Here are a few definitions:

“Differentiated instruction is a teaching theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms” – Carol Anne Tomlinson

Differentiating instruction ….”Maximize(s) each student’s growth by recognizing that students have different ways of learning, different interests, and different ways of responding to instruction”  – Diane Ravitch

“Rather than simply teaching to the middle by providing a single avenue for learning for all students in a class, teachers using differentiated instruction match tasks, activities, and assessments with their students’ interests, abilities, and learning preferences” Jennipher Willoughby

Throughout this post, I’m going to show one way to differentiate instruction in the classroom. Specifically, via a flexible grouping strategy.

After utilizing a pre-assessment, or some type of formative assessment, you can use the results to begin to group the students based on skill level.  Generally, different “flexible” groups are created based on the skill level of each student. Each group will work towards achieving or mastering specific skills related to the curriculum.  For example, one group might work on basic computation strategies related to practical application problems, another might practice critical thinking skills, and another group may complete enrichment projects related to statistics.  What each group works on should focus on improving students’ skills.  Student groups are fluid and can change throughout the school year as additional student data is collected.  Individuals in each group will set their own goals through a goal setting process.  By engaging in goal setting, students are given the opportunity to gain responsibility for their own learning.  Shifting some of the responsibility to the student gives ownership, therefore assisting in intrinsically motivating a student to achieve their goal.

This is only one form of differentiated instruction.  I’ve provided a list of resources on differentiated instruction below.

Disclaimer (unfortunate but necessary) : The thoughts and opinions expressed in these pages are my own, and not necessarily the opinions of my employers.

The Real Number Line

Image by Winnond

Approximately two weeks have passed since the new school year has started and I’m finding that the traditional number line (that many teachers have become accustomed to) needs an upgrade.  My math students are benefiting from the number line, but true understanding of numbers doesn’t come from a number line alone.  For the past seven years I’ve used a “typical” number line from -10 to 100 in my classroom.

Don’t get me wrong … the number line is helpful in teaching many number sense concepts.  In my opinion, the number line offers students a visual/spatial representation of the number system.  I  believe many numeracy concepts are built from understanding the system of numbers.  What is often missed, or not necessarily taught, while utilizing the number line are numbers that don’t fit the category of being whole.  For example, I generally don’t see pi or irrational numbers being part of a number line.

Recently I found a “Real Number Line” poster.  I was fortunate enough to find this poster and have utilized it to teach elementary students about the number system. I think it’s important to communicate that square roots, fractions, percentages, mixed numbers, etc.  should be included on a number line.

I actually created a practical follow up activity in response to this post here.

Instead of purchasing a poster, you could have the students create their own.  A few examples are found below:

4/25/12

I believe that Wolfram Alpha does an excellent job of emphasize the importance of a number line in the answer it provides.  The answer can be represented on a number line.  See the example below.

8/14/12

I’ve been reading How the Brain Learns Mathematics by David Sousa.

David emphasis the importance of the mental number line.  All humans have number sense.  For example:  studies indicate that the brain can decide that 60 is larger than 12, but it takes the brain a longer time to distinguish that 76 is less than 79.  It seems that when the digits are closer in value the response time of the human increased.  Visualizing many different forms of number lines would be beneficial and assist in developing better number sense skills at a young age.

 I thought this quote was beneficial:

“The increasing compression of numbers on our mental number line makes it more difficult to distinguish the larger of a pair of numbers as their value gets greater.  As a result the speed and accuracy with which we carry out calculations decrease as the numbers get larger”

 – David Sousa

Creating Classroom Rules

 Image by Federico Stevanin

It’s only been three days since school has started and so much has already taken place.  In reality, it  feels like three non-stop days of meetings and teaching.  Many teachers are recharging this weekend to begin again on Monday.  After reflecting on the last few days of school, I’m now starting to plan specific learning opportunities for next week.

Many community building activities were emphasized this past week.  My class created classroom rules during the first day of school.  This year I created the rules with my class and they are now posted on a bulletin board.  Most research that I’ve read indicates that when students are part of the creation of the rules, they are more willing to take ownership and model the rules in the classroom throughout the school year.

Here’s the rule creation process that I used this year:

  • Each student is given one Post-it note
  • The students are asked to not write their name on the Post-it
  • Each student writes down one rule that they think would benefit the classroom
  • I collect the Post-it notes and read each one to the class
  • If any student doesn’t agree with a rule they may communicate why it shouldn’t be a rule
  • The class “approves” each rule through consensus
  • After all of the rules have been read, the class starts to categorize the rules (since we can’t have 23 unique rules!)
  • After categorizing each Post-it, my classroom rules look like this:
Ground Rules
Respect Yourself and Others
Follow Procedures
Be Responsible
Do Your Personal Best
  • The rules are posted on a poster in the classroom
  • Students place their signature on the poster and then each individual Post-it note is placed around the poster (like a border)
  • I (and often students) refer to the poster to reinforce classroom expectations throughout the year
I’ve found that this callaborative activity encourages students to participate in creating a positive classroom environment.  It also provides students an opportunity to be responsible for creating the ground rules for the classroom. This activity gives students ownership and slightly shifts responsibility from the teacher to the student.  Detailed directions for this activity are located here.  Practical examples of this strategy can be found below.
The names in the above photo have been blurred.  Having students sign the rules  often encourages accountability.
Additional Resources:

My Job and Your Job – Community Builder

Image by Sheelamohan

No, I’m not talking about classroom jobs, like the all familiar paper passer, pencil sharpener … etc.  I’m talking about using the idea of jobs as a community builder.

The new school year is here.  I’m once again finding myself digging up lessons from the past.  For the past six years I’ve used an activity that always seems to generate student interest and builds a positive learning climate.  This activity can also be utilized and referenced at back to school night.  I’m referring to the activity My Job, Your Job, Our Job.  Here are my subjective steps to implement:

1.)  Pass out a Post-it note to each student in the classroom.  Ask the students to write down 2 – 3  sentences (or it can be just a few words) that describe their teacher’s job.  In other words, what is the teacher’s job?  Often, you’ll get a few surprised looks and then the students get busy writing down their ideas.  I try not to model too much during this, as I want the students’ original thoughts and ideas.  I then ask the students to place all of the Post-it notes under the “Teacher Job” category on the whiteboard. You can write out the answers or just use the Post-it notes, as it adds to the authenticity of the activity.

2.)  Follow step one, but instead of writing about the teacher’s jobs, the students will describe their job.


3.)  Students will describe their parents’ jobs at home (not their employment).  This may require a bit of modeling, as some of the answers may be way off base (although that may add value and humor to the activity).  I remember one student of mine a few years ago wrote down that her parents’ job was to provide health insurance for her.  The parents thought that was hilarious, especially coming from a second grade student.

4.)  In my opinion, the “Our Job” portion is extremely important and what I generally emphasize in class. I ask the students to think of a common goals that all participants (teacher, student, and parent) share.  I ask the students to write down their answers and the class starts to conclude that all stakeholders seem to be working together (for the success of the student).  This is a unique learning experience and also provides a critical foundation during the beginning of the year.

5.)  Optional – Take a digital picture of the poster that was created and show it to the parents during back to school night.

A few examples are below.

 

 

Or students can fill out their own individual sheet …


Additional Resources:  MCPS Baldrige and Word template for activity.

Math and Art

Image by Graur Codrin

 
I have found that students enjoy and often thrive when presented with a challenging real world problem (often outside of the textbook). This can be observed during a problem based learning activity.  When students come to the conclusion that their isn’t one specific right answer, they are more willing to communicate their ideas and opinions to one another. Many practical problems outside of the K-12 education realm have more than one “right” answer.  When students are faced with problems that have multiple solutions the class community asks questions that often spark additional questions.  Active learning often comes to fruition through these activities.  In fact, the #realmath hashtag provides practical resources / images related to math found in the real world.  I have provided one example of using math through art below.  This idea comes for a PD opportunity that I participated in last year.

1.)   Begin by showing a small section of a picture.  Ask students the questions below or add your own (my questions are based on an elementary classroom).  Attempt to stay away from yes or no questions as students offer their own perspectives.  If you ask a yes or no question, follow it up with a why.  You might want to tell the students that some of the images don’t fit like a puzzle, as some pieces were cropped at different zoom levels – this adds to the complexity of the activity. I keep a separate chart on the board to write down math vocabulary that is used during this class activity.  Keep in mind that each picture is displayed one at a time, generally in a presentation format.  You may want to randomly have students answer the questions below.

Picture one questions:

  • What do you see?
  • Does this picture remind you of anything?
  • Describe the polygons in the picture.  Where are they?
  • What type of math vocabulary can you use to describe this picture?
  • Why is one rectangle in the picture lighter?
  • Where/when do you think this picture was taken?

2.)  Now show a small section of another portion of the picture.  Follow the same guidelines as step one.

Picture two questions:

  • Using math vocabulary, what do you see?
  • Using fractions tell me more about this picture.  Where can fractions be found in this picture?
  • Where/when do you think this picture was taken?
  • What similarities can be found between this picture and the first picture

3.)  Now show another section of the picture.  Follow the same guidelines as step one.

Picture three questions:

  • How does this picture similar to the first picture?
  • Why are some of the flags horizontal?
  • What type of information do you think the builders needed to construct this building?
  • How tall do you think this building is?  Why?
  • Do you think the building in the very front of this picture is the tallest?  Why?
  • What direction do you think the sun is shining?  Why?
  • What part of the picture do you think is missing?
  • Where do you think this picture was taken?
4.)  Reveal the full picture

Picture four questions:

  • How accurate were your initial predictions?
  • What are the differences/similarities between pictures one, two, three and four?
  • What additional math terms can you use to describe items in this picture?
  • What materials would you need to construct a building like the one in the picture?
  • Why is there a reflection on the building on the right?
  • How could you estimate the height of the building in the center of this picture?
  • Optional -Reflect on today’s activity in your journal.  Describe your reaction and what you learned during this activity.
  • Optional –  Similar to this example, students could take pictures around the school and create their own presentations on finding math in art.  Students could be given a rubric and work in collaborative groups and present their findings to the class.

Of course feel free to modify or change any of the steps above to meet the needs of your specific students.  My example is only a general template.  I’ve used this in elementary classrooms to introduce specific topics.  You could use a variety of images for this project, or have students create / take pictures on their own.  What about using Escher’s artwork below? As you can see, there are a lot of possibilities.

 

 

update 12/29 – An additional resource – Mathematics Meets Photographs

Feedback … from students?

When are students asked for feedback? This often happens at the college level, but not so much during the K-12 experience.  I believe students, at all grade levels, need an opportunity to express their opinions and ideas in the classroom.

I would assume that most professionals in the education field would agree that when students feel safe in school they are more likely to learn and achieve at high levels.  Many teachers perceive the beginning of the school year as the starting point in building a collaborative environment for learning. Teachers will use a variety of methods to get to know their class.  Some teachers will utilize a puzzle strategy while others use collaborative games. Sometimes it’s a challenge to continually remind students that the classroom is a community (especially around breaks and near the end of the year!).  In my experience, I’ve found that plus/delta charts are a great tool to remind students that their input is valued. These types of charts are also utilized outside of the education realm, as seen here. I’ve found that at the very minimum, plus/delta charts are a valuable community building tool.  My practical steps to incorporate plus/delta charts in the classroom are outlined below.

1.)  Start out by drawing a chart with a + and a triangle near the top of  the writing surface

2.)  Ask the students for positive happenings in the classroom

The + represents the positive aspects of the class that the students enjoy.  The + could pertain to certain activities or projects that were assigned.  It could also represent class goals that have been achieved.  All of my examples below include “we” meaning the class.

Examples (more geared towards elementary):

+ The class was respectful during the field trip

+ We worked well in groups today

+ We enjoyed the music being played during independent work

+ We brought all of our supplies to class for the past month

3.)  Move on to the delta or negative aspects

The triangle represents items that the class needs help with.  For example, students might feel that talking when the teacher is talking is disruptive. Or students might comment that the class needs to become better at turning in assignments on time. The delta starts to become more of a problem solving piece if this process is used on a regular basis.

Examples (again, geared towards elementary):

– We were a little loud during line-up today

– We forgot to complete the homework

– We need to put more effort into our work

– We didn’t listen to the teacher’s directions before starting the assignment

4.)  Students can set goals based on the plus/delta chart.  

This can be accomplished by utilizing goal setting strategies.

If you read this far into this blog post then you probably want to see practical examples of plus/delta charts.  Here you go:


If you’re looking for a possible template to use, click here.

5.) (Optional)  Students reflect on what was discussed in class through a self-reflection journal activity.  The journal activity could actually be integrated into a language arts connection.

6.)  Hang up the plus/delta chart in the classroom as a reminder tool and refer to it as needed

After a debriefing session, I generally cover the old chart with a new chart.  Students are able to view what progress was made over time by comparing the two charts.  A chart is completed every month in some cases, but the time elapsed between charts really depends on the teacher’s preference.