Real Strategies

This week was filled with ample examples of how teaching requires the implementation of well thought out plans that often use proven strategies (or best practices). While sometimes using a strategy I pull out of my pocket can be effective---I'm really learn that there are concrete skills and strategies to teaching. Previously during the daily math practice and mini-lessons with the first and second graders (at separate times) I felt like I was just using random strategies to review their 5-problem daily warm-ups. I would often feel overwhelmed and ineffective. The range of abilities and understandings, particularly among the first graders, was challenging and I felt like I was forcing students to understand a concept when they weren’t ready to learn it (or had the right foundation to actually learn it).

Thanks to a meeting with my professor, things began to change. One child, who did not seem to understand the abstractness of addition when a problem was written down, began to use teddy bear counters (I mean who wouldn't like math if you could count plastic multicolored teddy bears!). I noticed that I had simply been verbally introducing directions or following up with students without modeling what it should look like or taking the necessary time to make sure everyone knew what to do. With this particular child, I sat down with her first thing in the morning and we went through the first 4 problems together. I had colored the first addend blue and the second addend red so that she would know exactly which teddy bears to use for which number. Then I watched her do a problem or two on her own and eventually left her to do the rest of the problems by herself. It took her almost an entire hour to do the 30 problems (and I’m still not sure if doing 30 problems was necessary). When she walked over to me holding the finished worked, she had a smile that could have lit up an entire city. She was clearly proud. As a girl who rarely speaks or participates in class, this was wonderful to see. The rest of the day she contributed to class discussions. Next week, I need to continue to modify assignments for her because it seems clear that when she feels like she can do it, she becomes a more vibrant part of the classroom community. Finding ways for kids to be successful is important.

Many of the children were struggling with the one or two story problems—how to know what it’s asking (addition/subtraction). I began to first simplify the story problems by using single digit numbers and using more practical scenarios (using their names instead of the given names in the problem). The students quickly seemed more engaged. Toward the end of the week some of the students even wanted to start sharing their own problems. The strategy is working, but the students still seem to need lots of practice. I am struggling with how much I should use the story problems as an opportunity for them to practice their reading skills and how much I should just use the story problems to allow them to simply focus on their math skills. There is one girl in particular who has advanced math skills, but struggles with reading (so much she just skips the story problems). Right now, I’ve decided that kids, with my support, will read through the problem at least (following along with their finger) and then I’ll reread it and paraphrase it so that I can really see who understands the math concepts and who is just getting bogged down by the words. I’m not sure if this is right, though.

My final modification this week was learning the importance of introducing key vocabulary before a read aloud. Although it was beneficial for everyone, it was particularly noticeable for the English Language Learners. A student, who previous to this strategy left my read aloud to pick a book she knew, now quickly became engaged in my read aloud. I even gave a handful of students the job to remind me when we read the key words in the story. This brought kids who were previously less invested, more responsibility to pay attention. While making changes within the moment are important, reviewing and implementing best practices I’ve learned throughout my courses at MHC and within my pre-practicum placements makes me feel like this is actually teaching and not a remedial or tutoring session.