Sunday, May 1, 2011

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.