Welcome back to my math blog! This week I will be discussing how to differentiate and accommodate for students varying learning needs in the classroom, using children's literature in the math classroom and a challenge I faced with creating a lesson plan.
Differentiating Teaching for Students
As
a future educator, it is crucial to be able to use differentiated teaching
styles to fit the needs of every student. This week in class I learned that
every student learns differently and has varying educational needs. It is
important to address these needs to help students be successful in their
educational journey and be able to reach their full potential. Some strategies
to help differentiate and accommodate all students in a math classroom that I
plan to use in my future classroom are:
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Provide the student with manipulatives. Manipulatives can be helpful when
introducing a new concept to help students in the discovery process or to
re-teach a past concept.
-
Provide the student with differentiated texts. These texts can have the same
key concepts, the vocabulary is simpler, the text is shorter and images can
also be provided. This will allow students to be more active participants in
the class.
-
Provide the student with assistive technology. If they have trouble writing or
speaking, allowing the student to answer questions with assistive technology
can be extremely beneficial.
-
If the student works better by collaborating, have the student team up with a
peer to do work while everyone else is working individually.
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Giving the student the choice to sit at a table instead of a desk or allowing
the student to work in a different room will allow the student to be more
comfortable in their learning environment.
Using Children's Literature in Math
Using
children's literature in math lessons can enhance learning in many ways. Math
becomes more interesting when a child can make a math connection in a story.
When students are reading or listening to a book, they learn to recognize that
math is used all around them. A few examples of how literature can enhance a
math lesson are that it can:
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Increase students’ level of interest
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Help build an intangible perception of math skills through pictures
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Promote critical thinking
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Promote the development of number sense
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Review a mathematical concept or specific skill in an engaging way
This
can be connected to our class this week because we read the children's book
"Spaghetti and Meatballs for All". This was my favourite part of the
week because it was an engaging and fun way to learn about measurement.
Challenges with Lesson Planning
Lesson
planning is an essential part of teaching but I found it difficult to create a
lesson plan for math because it was my first time attempting to make one. This
week we were expected to work on creating a lesson plan with a partner and I
found this the most challenging part of the week. A specific challenge that I
faced was coming up with a creative "minds on" activity. I found it
difficult to come up with an opening activity that connected to prior learning
and experiences that set the context for the lesson while also being fun and
engaging. I also wanted to ensure that it aligned with the action part of the
lesson. It took me a while to come up with the “minds on” activity that related
to the expectations of the lesson. Hopefully with more time and practice, it
will become easier for me to create lesson plans.
References
Amazon (2019). "Spaghetti and Meatballs for All". Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Spaghetti-Meatballs-Mathematical-Scholastic-Bookshelf/dp/1613837577
LD@School, (2018). "Differentiated Instruction". Retrieved from https://www.ldatschool.ca/differentiated-instruction/
My Care Space (2019). "Assistive Technology". Retrieved from https://mycarespace.com.au/resources/assistive-technology-and-the-ndis-what-can-i-buy
Small, M. (2013). Making math meaningful to Canadian students, K-8. Nelson Education.
Teachers Pay Teachers, (April, 2019). "Math Manipulatives." Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Manipulative-Labels-FREEBIE-2060331
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