Let's make math easy for everyone!

Hello fellow teachers (candidates),

Today I'd like to delve into the topic of differentiation when it comes to math. We know that as teachers we really need to delve into this notion that we need to accommodate for all learners. Teachers run into this dilemma of how do we accommodate for all our students and make sure that everyone is thriving in some way.

How can we as teachers make sure that our strong students are challenged enough while our struggling students don't fall further behind? Good question! This is where differentiation becomes key. We as teachers need to focus on the fact that not all students learn the same or can keep up with each other but we need to offer incentives to keep going for those who struggle and challenges for those who need further enrichment. From the article I read in my class Differentiation Math Instruction I was able to narrow down 3 important rules when it comes to differentiating:

1.  Focus the instruction needed on key concepts. Learning and consolidation tasks must meet students in their zones of proximal development.
2. Use an instructional trajectory/landscape for planning. The trajectory/landscape is useful for mapping out a sequence of instruction and for describing where students are in that sequence.  It can only be created though if the key mathematical concepts are identified and understood in relation to the overall and specific curriculum expectations. 
3. Designing Open and Parallel Tasks. Open Tasks- giving students the opportunity to show their skills by giving them numbers that they can comfortably work with. They are still showing they know how to do the specific criteria but in their own capacity. This helps break up the task for students who find it difficult and asks them to do a few little bits at a time. Parallel Tasks- Focusing on same concept but addressing different levels of mathematical sophistication.  

I found a really cool video that I post here that helps to give 20 differentiated instructions strategies with examples. 

We also talked a lot about our ELL students. These students are becoming more prevalent in our classroom and we need to be aware that they have to go through many more steps when it comes to understanding math. They need to be able to get your instructions, translate into their language, figure out how they can solve it, translate it back into English, and then finally give the answer. This may seem that they don't know the answer right away like many students who can do mental math but in reality it just takes a little longer to help process everything. They need to make sure they understand your instructions as they are learning a new language and then be able to translate it back to you. My instructor gave us some really great tips in order to help our ELL students when it comes to math. They are as follows:

• Provide concrete examples, models, etc
• Simplify the language not the ideas
• Introduce new vocabulary with contextual support
• Have students keep a personal dictionary; can write definitions in both languages
• Non-verbal cues such as gestures and body language
• Give extra processing time
• Spend extra time to ensure they understand the problem
• Have them rewrite problems in their own words
• Do not over-correct mistakes
• When correcting, focus on one element that needs to be improved at a time
• Differentiate expectations
• Sit them beside other students who speak their first language
• Use role play, acting, etc when learning new vocabulary
• Have students talk about work and improve before being assessed

With all of these tips and tricks in mind we can really get a sense of how to help all the students in our classroom. You can develop your own tips and tricks but sometimes as new teachers we need a starting point. I know for myself these will definately be in the back of my mind.

That's all for now see you next week!