Skip to main content

Differentiating math in class

Alright. We've got a curriculum to cover. And I have to make sure I have fun teaching it too. Math can be tough to teach unless we have a thorough understanding of and passion for the subject. I did fairly well in Math until i went to high school. From there, everything went downhill.How do I make sure my students have a solid foundation in math before they reach the craggy shores of high school?!
Creating centres and stations in the classroom are a great way to go about it as it allows teachers to use the pre-assessment results to plan ahead and differentiate lessons.So far, judging by the reaction of the students and parents, I feel I am going in the right direction...yet there is always that niggling feeling that something could be done better.I don't believe in very detailed planning.We have to observe, record and then plan efficiently.Every one has a different style of teaching and planning. So the bottom line is get to know your objectives thoroughly, and then relax and enjoy the Math! It can be immensely fun. I have learned a lot in primary grade about things that were never really clarified when I was a kid. Isn't that really sad!
Visuals help me a lot to understand things. I found this presentation on Math stations and centres.

Math Stations

From works of Carol Ann Tomlinson.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Unravelling the inquiry cycle in a PYP class room

“ People can make choices to support the sustainability of the Earth’s energy resources .” Me to students : Does that make sense? Students to me : (after a while)...not really...  Their understanding of "energy" during the pre-assessment task also reflected a superficial knowledge of the term. And thus our unit of inquiry started. As I was browsing the net, I came across this picture prompt- a map, which I thought would serve as a great provocation. The annual energy consumption per person . Kids love guessing where countries are, so it was a great way to address some geography at this point.  I had also been reading Craig Dwyer's  post  which inspired me to change my inquiry cycle and use a simpler one. Wonder (while exploring)- Explore (while wondering)- Create (while reflecting)- Reflect (with subsequent wonderings). I was feeling more at ease now. The map allowed the students to make a lot of inferences based on patterns which slowly

Summative assessment- simple machines

The student task : to design a machine that would : a) pop a balloon b) lift a bucket of water c) ring a bell d) push a ball into a hole Criteria: They must must design a machine using atleast 2 simple machines. They have to use IT skills and upload their video on Youtube, generate the embed code and transfer same to blog. Their video must be clear and creative. Though some of these students may be struggling with the language, using correct scientific vocabulary ensures that their presentations are clearly understood.

Student Agency in a PYP classroom

http://www.teacherstakecharge.com/ We have just started our unit on Ancient Civilisations. My students had been complaining about their summative task for the last unit. They were experts on the human body systems and we had a "Hot Seat" session where they were asked a few questions. They found it boring after a while. Frankly, so did I. And so I decided to relinquish control of the IB planner to them...at least stages 3 and 4. I have never tried this before. I will be working on the " reflection stage" with them later on. What can I say! The past two days have been exciting, eventful, noisy and very, very fruitful. As they looked at the central idea and the lines of inquiry, the whole class brainstormed tuning-in activities in groups. As they spoke, I updated my planner (stage 4 - learning engagements) This is what they came up with: Play "Chinese Whispers" to see how messages from the past can change as they filter down to us. Watch”