Those Moments...

I had one of "those" moments last week. Those moments where you think to yourself "wow, this is really working. My kids are really succeeding. I am doing a good job!"

Let me back track. In January, I wrote a blog post about how I teach math this year (and every year from now on!) I teach math in 3 small groups; a remediation group, a middle group, and an enrichment group. The lesson's objectives are met in each group, but the activities and delivery vary, depending on the kids' needs.

Trust me when I say that teaching math this way is harder than the traditional way and requires me to be "on" the entire time. However, my kids are succeeding in a way that I have never seen before. The students needing remediation receive one-on-one or two-on-one help from myself and the special education teacher or assistant. The kids in my middle group get remediation or enrichment depending on the need. In fact, sometimes when I'm helping a student, students who grasp the concept readily are teaching it to students who need a little more help.  Finally, my enrichment group is challenged and excited every day.

Last week, I taught a lesson about factors. I knew that my enrichment group would grasp this concept immediately, so I took the lesson to the next level. Take a look at the video below!





     I love when I have "those" moments.

Math Differentiation!

I know what you are thinking..."yea, yea, this is a topic teachers are told about all the time." That is in fact, true. We can't be effective teachers without differentiating instruction! So naturally, I am always thinking of ways to meet all of my students' needs, which is no easy feat.

This year I teach my EveryDayMath lessons in a brand new way! Since EveryDayMath is built on the principal that we learn on a spiral (which we really do!!!), some lessons are meant to be introductory lessons. In other words, the same lesson will appear the next year and possibly the year after. The thought is, the more a child is exposed to a concept, the easier he or she will master it. (It's true, it's true!)

In order to make the most out of my lessons and to reach all learners, I teach EDM in rotations. I teach the lesson 3 times (I have 3 groups.) Each group gets what they need, so my lesson might differ from group to group. While I am teaching the main lesson, the other two groups are doing either math boxes, a review, or are on the computers.

The kids LOVE it. 

No one is being left behind. 

They are all getting teacher attention. 

They enjoy working in small groups. 

Below is a video I shot of a few students in one of my small groups.