math

Math Essentials for your Classroom

Math is one of the most important subjects to teach across the curriculum, and math can be one of the most difficult subjects to teach.  There is overwhelming evidence of this as we study standardized test scores from around the world.  I caught the end of a news segment tonight that was discussing the PISA, Program for International Student Assessment.  The exam was given to 15- year-old students from around the world.  The US came in 24th in Math with Shanghai coming in first in reading, math, and science.  Education seems to be a hot topic right now.  How can the US work to reform schools and create programs that create successful students?   There are many important topics being raised; however, change starts in your room.  I want to think about what teachers are currently doing to effectively teach math.   There are always going to be new strategies and methods for teaching math; but we can’t throw out everything.  There are some great math activities that are working for our students today.

Developing a strong number sense is critical.  With out spending a great deal of time teaching number sense, students can develop a strong foundation with all other math concepts are based on.  Use manipulatives, play number games, count everyday objects, and take advantage of calendar time.  All of these activities give kids the opportunity to work with numbers and develop numbers sense.

Time, money, and measurement are all also math concepts that should be taught early and often.  The more young students are exposed to these important mathematical concepts, the better they can understand them.  Practice is a key component to a strong program.  Worksheets that provide repeated practice have there place.  There should also time to work on problem solving skills as well as critical thinking activities.  While there are many strong programs, I think that supplemental materials are key.  As a classroom teacher, you know what your students need to practice.



Math Centers and Small Groups

Math centers are a great way to add differentiated instruction into your current math program.  Sometimes it is difficult to provide small group instruction during your math block.  I know when I first began teaching, I spent most of my time focusing on my literacy groups and did most of my math instruction as a whole group.  I would set up basic math centers but would never really elaborate on my math centers and make sure that they were meeting the needs of all of my learners.  I felt that my planning and prep time was limited.  While I knew that differentiated instruction was important, I did not know how to include it on a consistent basis during that time.

During my third year teaching, a new teammate introduced me to her routine for using math centers and small groups to provide more individualized instruction.   Once I discovered that planning and teaching with math centers was not as time consuming as I had once thought, I started including it into my  program.  Here are several things that I did to help me get started.

1. Start small – Math centers do not have to be elaborate.  In the beginning I set out a variety of manipulatives and blank pieces of paper.  I would have students create their own story problems and explore patterns.  At another center, I would have students complete a worksheet.  The other centers would include games, counting exercises, and flash cards drills.

2. Pull groups  -  When I was starting to change my math instruction, it took me awhile to get the math center routine down.  I wanted to monitor the learning stations in the beginning, so I would only pull one group a day. Once I was able to work with students and group them, I adjusted my lesson plans to fit the students’ needs.

3.  Remember to assign partner activities – As teachers, we regularly assign partner reading, but I would sometimes forget to assign partner activities during center time.  Students can learn so many things working together during instruction time.

These are just some things I did in my classroom when I began incorporating centers and group instruction into my math program.  Give it a try and see if it might work for you!