Jan feb 2015

Jan feb 2015

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  Resources Flexible Grouping iskey to Tier1 RTI PODS: Pedagogy that is Outcome-based, Differentiated, and Student Centred Are you interested in trying to teach with Math PODS? Click here to see a video made by GSSD teachers who are masters at this type of instruction: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B wKqA1qY- aPdR2pWMjV0VDlVWmM/vie w?usp=sharing If you are viewing this newsletter in hard copy, go to my blog, www.blogs.gssd.ca/csmith/ and look under the tab “Math Pods” for a link to the video and other support. ”To prepare students for Algebra, the curriculum must simultaneously develop conceptual understanding, computational fluency, and problem-solving skills” –National Mathematics Advisory Panel What Do We Do When Students Don’t “Get It”? We work hard to ensure we address every learner in the room. We provide direct instruction, modelling, think-alouds, and pair talk. We represent in a variety of ways. We use manipulatives and involve students in constructing understanding. We provide opportunities for guided practice and feedback. We assess formatively, adjust our instruction, find other approaches, enrich, challenge, scaffold, and address gaps. And at the end of all this, there are and always will be some students who still need more. We know “slower and louder” isn’t the answer! But what is? We need time with individuals or small groups of students of like ability to address gaps in understanding. Teaching in PODS provides this opportunity within the classroom (Tier 1 RTI, which is just good, rich teaching and differentiating). If we pre-assess and group according to ability (some of the time!) we will have an opportunity at the teacher table to interview, scaffold, and strengthen understanding for students who aren’t understanding, as well as providing more challenging tasks for students who are ready. * Additional individual or small group support can be offered within or outside the classroom (Tier 2). Does your school have an RTI time block? Is there a way to create one for your learners who need extra help? Response to Intervention at Tier 1 refers to differentiated classroom instruction, (see first paragraph) where we try our best to meet the needs of diverse learners. This does not mean “individualized instruction”! …but it can mean grouping learners in various ways including like ability groups to better address student needs. Tier 2 RTI is intensive teaching targeted specifically to gaps in understanding of two fundamental abilities: literacy and numeracy, because these literacies are required for learning in other disciplines. Tier 2 interventions target small groups of learners, and may occur within the classroom and/or in special time blocks set aside outside the classroom but not in lieu of regular instruction. These interventions are very specific to filling gaps in understanding, and involve close teacher interaction with students. These are not time periods to finish in-class work, homework, or practice skills independently. It is also important to note that this is time in addition to regular core instruction. Tier 3 RTI would be adapted or modified learning for students on Individual Instructional Plans (IIP’s), and would involve diagnostic testing, Student Support Teachers and/or Special Education specialists.
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  Tier 2 MathInterventions: Math interventions focus specifically on number and pattern, as these are the basic understandings that support other areas and are required for success at the next level. It is recommended that for K-5 we focus on number: developing a sense of number, place value, composition of numbers, basic operations, computation, estimation, and automatic recall of facts (add’n, subtr’n, mult’n and div’n), and fluency of operation. For middle years, we focus on rational numbers (fractions). Students need a robust understanding of positive and negative fractions, fractions on a number line, they must be able to represent and compare fraction, decimal and related percents. They should encounter fractions in a variety of contexts, such as ratios, rates proportions, and probability. These are critical foundations of algebra. Tier 2 intervention, then, may focus on material not necessarily aligned with current classroom topics, but certainly material that is fundamental to understanding all subsequent topics, given the coherent and sequential nature of mathematics. Recommendations for math interventions: 1. Screen students (pre-assess/assess), identify at-risk learners, and provide interventions. Looking for diagnostics? You could use the Sask Common Math Assessments, which are organized by grade and outcome: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vhuy7f3ecngo90s/AAABYQcQGIO atsjKm24-6KE4a?dl=0 We are also have access to some diagnostics developed and generously shared by Saskatoon Public and Saskatoon Greater Catholic School Divisions: SPSD has pre and post diagnostics by grade, aligned with Sask Curriculum. SGCSD has a diagnostic that identifies a student’s level from Grade 1 to 9 of Sask Curriculum. All of these can be downloaded from my blog: http://blogs.gssd.ca/csmith/assessment-and-data/ 2. Interventions should focus intensely on whole numbers in K-5, and rational numbers in Gr 4-8. 3. Instruction during intervention should be explicit and systematic. During regular instruction we may skip around through math content to show the interconnectedness of skills (spiral curriculum). This approach may cause difficulty for students that are struggling to master a single concept or skill (Riccomini & Witzel, 2010). Provide models (exemplars) of well-worked problems, have students do think-alouds, provide guided practice and feedback. Use frequent reviews and summaries. 4. Help students recognize underlying structures when solving word problems. Possible Curriculum Supports for Tier 2 Math Interventions KeyMath is a diagnostic tool but also has teaching resources to target specific gaps in understanding. The resources include a teaching easel with good visuals. GSSD has key math resources available to SSTs. Leaps and Bounds http://www.nelsonschoolcentral.co m/cgi- bin/lansaweb?webapp=WBOOKSIT E+webrtn=booksite+F%28LW3ITE MCD%29=9780176351526 This resource was developed by Nelson and has input from Marian Small (strongly invested in having students construct mathematical knowledge). A few copies are available in the Anna Ingham Room Do The Math Is a curriculum intervention developed by Marilyn Burns, a respected researcher and writer of meaningful math curriculum. http://teacher.scholastic.com/produ cts/dothemath/ http://www.pearsoncanadaschool.co m/media/canada/numeracynets/Nu meracyNetsv1.html Note that GSSD does not endorse one resource over another at this point. Nothing replaces intervention by a teacher skilled in math!
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  5. Intervention teachersneed to be proficient in providing mathematical representations. They should be well versed in math instruction and have a thorough knowledge of curriculum, assessment, and child development. 6. Devote the first 10 minutes of each session on mastering basic facts with fluency. 7. Use rigorous monitoring of progress. 8. Incorporate motivational strategies, such as reward games or activities that still support learning mathematical concepts or develop procedural fluency. -National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (2009), U.S. Dept of Education, Institute of Education Sciences -Riccomini, J., &Witzel, B. (2010). Response to Intervention in Math. Thousand Oaks, CA. Corwin. “It is time for the debate regarding proficiency with whole-number computation and basic facts to end and time for teachers to devote instructional time to computational proficiency and automaticity of basic facts…these types of practice activities that build automaticity and proficiency…are an essential part of Tier 2 instructional supports for students lacking in these areas” -Ricommini & Witzel, (2010) Have a Mathy Valentine’s Day!! Web Resources: The Numberphile: This site has activities, graphs, software, ideas, support, demos and more for upper middle year to high school. There are resources for students, including a collection of math video sites (see “videos” tab). https://mathematicsforstudents. wordpress.com/videos/ Online practice: Check out this site for very organized online practice (virtual worksheets). This is from South Africa so you will need to correlate with our curriculum, but its pretty easy to go look around the site. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk /projects/mep/default.htm Have you checked out Estimation 180 yet? It’s a great web site for class starters, developing number sense, stimulating math dialogue, and its engaging because your class can look at reasoning from other students all around the world. Here’s a video that shows you highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=Rfpu42cS-6Y Another well-loved class starter activity is Quick Draw. This game-like activity develops spatial reasoning skills and math vocabulary: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages /787 . By the way, we have a copy in the Anna Ingham Library!! Resources for Tier 2 interventions in Mathematics: http://www.intensiveintervention.org/resources/sample- lessons-activities/mathematics A fun multiplication game (within this lesson plan) might make a good math station http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson- plans/discovering-math-computations.cfm Need a collection of quick games for practicing basic facts? http://www.mathfilefoldergames.com/ This site always has some free downloadables Math Playground: Free math games to help build proficiency, as well as tutorial videos http://www.mathplayground.com/ Great collection of practice and games: http://www.softschools.com/math/ Play Math, Love Math: https://mangahigh.com/en-us/ Mangahigh has a vatiety of games like Pemdas Blaster (Order of Op) and Algebra Meltdown.
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  Effective Strategies forMath Intervention: 1. Explicit, direct, systematic instruction. Each intervention session should recall and then build on content from the day before. Repetition is helpful (don’t let it become painful though! There are creative ways! Use cards, dice, games, technology—not worksheets!...but track carefully) 2. Practice of automatic recall of facts and quick computations. Procedural fluency is a skill that can be strengthened with practice, and once students improve in this area they will have more confidence in mathematics and will feel a sense of empowerment. This is a quick and easy way to develop improvement to reinforce a growth mindset. Students that don’t develop mental math/procedural fluency are disadvantaged as they move up through the grades. They will process slowly, and be operating on cognitive overload as their thinking is tied up applying strategies and basic computations rather than grasping more difficult, abstract concepts that are introduced in higher grades. 3. Think-alouds: Teacher models them so students can learn to think-aloud. The person doing the most (on- topic) talking in a classroom is doing the most learning! Students need to verbalize their thinking to consolidate ideas. Teachers need to know what a student is thinking in order to guide them or determine if they’re on the right track. 4. Providing exemplars or interleaving worked examples: Scaffold learning for students by leaving every second practice problem solved, with all steps shown. For these examples, students study the work. You may ask them to say or write a description of each step. Then they do the next problem on their own. 5. Summarizing and note taking: Students make summaries of instructions or content for themselves. 6. Specific, non-graded feedback: Providing students with specific verbal or written feedback on their work and progress that is not shadowed by a grade is one of the most effective learning tools. 7. Teach metacognitive strategies: Help students reflect on what helps them learn, what conditions are conducive to their learning, what growth have they experienced. 8. Teach vocabulary explicitly: Math is a language- and is symbol-rich. Students can’t express what they don’t know. We need to use word walls and continually refer to them, so students can articulate their learning, reasoning, and questions. References: Gregory, K., Cameraon, C. & Davies, A. (2000) Self-Assessment and goal Setting. Courtney, BC: Connections Publishing. Hattie, J. (2012). Visible Learning for Teachers. New York, NY Routledge. -National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (2009), U.S. Dept of Education, Institute of Education Sciences -Riccomini, J., &Witzel, B. (2010). Response to Intervention in Math. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
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  SUM conference May1-2 2015. Look for developments on smts website: http://smts.ca/ SPDU workshop Supporting Engagement in Mathematics (I recommend this! Its good!) April 21, 2015 Cheshire Homes 2903 Louise Street Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 9 -3:30 For More info https://www.stf.sk.ca/portal.jsp?Sy3uQUnbK9L2RmSZs02CjV3 Jh9YwRCfE60DNZzQih7Ls=F SPDU workshop When Johnny Can’t Multiply Developing a Learning Progression for Multiplication and Division February 26, 2015 McDowell Conference Room Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, Saskatoon 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. https://www.stf.sk.ca/portal.jsp?Sy3uQUnbK9L2RmSZs02CjV4uYDjOe9zOAX/ 7MW4wsuk4=F Metacognitive Strategies Some of our formative assessment focuses on how well students are picking up and mastering course material. Moving beyond content to understanding is the goal of UbD. A significant aspect of teaching students understanding is having then actively immersed in the learning process, by continually monitoring their learning, evaluating their performance, and being aware of what helps them learn. Only through an awareness of learning can students set goals for themselves. John Hattie lists Self Reflection and Goal Setting, Metacognitive Strategies, and Self-reported Grades as among the most effective classroom practices. Some formative assessment tasks focus more on helping students reflect on their learning in this way. It can be as simple as asking for a few reflections at the end of a lesson, unit, or task. Here are a few quick “exit cards” from Gegory, Cameron, and Davies (2000): A First: The easiest part was… The hardest part was… Date:______Signed________ One Word Web Card Exit Pass Two things I learned… -- -- One question I have -- Math Coach Blog: www.blogs.gs sd.ca/csmith/ smithersmath @gmail.com