My goal for Classroom Culture is to develop a welcoming environment where students feel comfortable being themselves and making mistakes. This can include making their thinking visible and sharing mistakes in their learning. Also, students can advocate for themselves but are also aware of other feelings and opinions. This can be seen in students’ input in curriculum options for classwork or projects and how they work with others throughout the year. To support this goal, I created a website to facilitate the culture created in the classroom. The website “Weekly Math Updates” showcases a variety of applications seen in the classroom. There are photos and videos that showcase student learning and engagement. Student-created classroom norms are also showcased for each course. Additionally, students support the creation of the website and share it with their families at home.
Differentiated instruction and assessment are near and dear to my heart. As a teacher of some of our youngest students, I don’t have a previous year’s teacher to discuss individual learning targets or supports that students need. I strive to provide students with opportunities to learn and interact with math content at their level while remaining engaged in classroom activities and collaboration with their peers. Often, I look at instruction and assessment at multiple levels. This directly connects with classroom culture as well. Using a UDL (Universal Design for Learning) lens, I can develop lessons and activities that allow for more diverse representations of learning.
Classroom Culture
(1) Coaches and reinforces peer-to-peer dynamics that are appropriate and constructive
In my current practice, students are expected to collaborate with preferred and non-preferred partners. Students learn to communicate with each other by sharing ideas and listening to each other. They learn the difference between true collaboration and dividing up the work. Rarely are students expected to use the “divide and conquer” method. Additionally, students are required to participate in peer review for projects. The expectation is students use the rubric to review a draft of the submitted project. Identify an area of strength and an area for growth. One area that I’d like to highlight is students’ collaboration in reviewing assessments. Once a student has completed an assessment, they are returned with highlighted errors. Students do not receive a score or any written feedback on their papers. These exist only on Canvas for later reflection. Students get into small groups and go through each problem ensuring that all students have a chance to correct errors and participate in peer teaching. This process highlights the strength of collaboration and reflection. When students are finished reviewing their assessments, feedback, and scores are released. In my future practice, I would like to be more intentional about teaching collaboration strategies and reinforcing them throughout the year. I would also like to partner with other teachers to reference their collaboration and peer review strategies.
(2) Communicates behavior expectations that are appropriate to class activities
Expectations are given verbally to students prior to independent, partner, or group activities begin. Expectations are also given on the board and in One Note. When a new type of activity is given, modeling of activities occurs. At the beginning of the trimester, students practice behavior expectations with activities that are not content focuses to provide in-depth learning of the behavior. When students receive their assessment back, they are expected to discuss highlights in a group environment.
(3) Develops a mutually respectful relationship with each student, instilling confidence that the teacher is invested in their success
Respect is earned. That is what adults often tell children, but it goes both ways. In order for students to learn, they must feel that they are respected, and their teacher believes in them. One of the challenges I face is allowing students to extend their success in math by pushing for advancement at a rapid pace while digging deep and slowing down to understand math at a deeper level.
Students with feelings of defeat and failure are also major parts of teaching math. Encouraging students while giving them feedback to improve can be challenging but rewarding. When I feel that I have reached students at a personal level, they begin to show their appreciation and gratitude through hand-made items, and cards and sharing their life stories.
(4) Demonstrates cultural competence by promoting inclusivity
To promote inclusivity, I frequently give students options for choice in their final products. For example, in Pre-Algebra, we have a project where students create a video-type presentation. The goal of the project is for students to use expressions and equations to convince people to participate in the United States Census. Some student products include creating a PowerPoint with a voice-over, recording themselves in a video, making a stop motion animation, or creating a cartoon animation. It can be challenging for students to have so much creative freedom when they have experienced a rigid schooling program or even cultural expectations from home. Embracing the culture at EPS and including the mission statements of thinking critically and innovating wisely, I encourage students to think about how they can push the boundaries of the project requirements. We have conversations about why people would need to know this information and why it matters in the grandeur of the world. Additionally, I want students to have a critical eye on their learning. We discussed how to make something interesting and appealing to others and what they would want to see if they were being told information. In the future, I plan to be more inclusive of students’ individual cultures by bringing that into lessons and projects in a more intentional manner. The video here reflects a student that was not comfortable showing their face or using their voice, so they created a cartoon.
(5) Designs and facilitates a classroom culture that promotes student preparedness, engagement, self-advocacy, perseverance, and collaboration
The Weekly Math Updates website is a place where students learning is showcased, and classroom culture is present for parents to see. The website features videos, photos, and a blurb to describe what students are doing in class. This forum allows parents to understand a little more about what we do. It also provides students with an opportunity to reflect on what was done. In the future, I plan to spend more time having students support the design of the website. They can work in pairs each week to update it as a special task. This also promotes student self-advocacy by having a hand in what is presented to their parents.
Differentiated Instruction & Assessment
(1) Considers and addresses each students learning profile
In my courses, students can accelerate the curriculum through enrichment opportunities. If enrichment is not enough, students are given an extension pathway. For example, a student in MF 5 knew most of the content but was missing fundamental information to be moved to Pre-Algebra. As a solution, I provide MF 6 content that directly connects to the content that is currently being learned in MF5. This gives the student the opportunity to learn and remain engaged. Additionally, students choose enrichment or regular path for homework, project, and problems during direct instruction. One area that I am currently developing is creating better course alignment for vertical articulation. The goal is to have courses that students move into at their level and have enrichment opportunities throughout the middle school math courses.
(2) Designs class activities and assignments that engage and accommodate for both individual students and a diverse group of learners
I take pride in students having choices in their learning. Students are given opportunities to work individually, in partnerships, and in groups. This can be presented in-class activities and homework. Students working on inquiry and investigation activities have low-floor, high-ceiling options to meet them at their level. These activities are generally designed to be collaborative but there is an independent component when they connect prior knowledge to the current activity. Additionally, students reflect on what they learned at the end of the activity. When students are working on homework, they not only have a choice in which assignments they complete but how they complete them. Students are given digital and print versions of assignments as well as challenge or enrichment and regular homework options. Students are encouraged to talk to others about their learning, work collaboratively on homework, use peer teaching, and work independently. I plan to continue to develop activities that reach a diverse learning profile. I plan to continue to give students voice and choice in their work while pushing them to learn something new or engage in a new way.
(3) Builds in opportunities for each students to contribute during each class period
Students are given multiple ways to contribute to the class. Students can share out during direct instruction, share in small groups, or share their thinking on the whiteboards without using verbal communication. Sharing out direct instruction is the typical mode of classroom communication that students are used to. Encouraging students to share their thinking in small groups can be a challenge because they must learn to actively listen and have the confidence to share with non-preferred partners. Using whiteboard walls to share thinking gives introverted students a place to share by making their thinking visible.
(4) Provides alternative explanations of course concepts
Using a UDL framework, I want students to have multiple ways to access their content. This helps address the varied learning profiles in the classroom. Before direct instruction is given, students will have an exploration activity for them to engage and build their own intuition about the concepts. Occasionally, students learn to derive formulas and equations before being taught how to use and apply them. This provides a deeper level of understanding of the core concepts. When direct instruction occurs, students are given a choice in their notetaking. They are also given a few resources to use in and out of the classroom to review and support their assignment completion. Some of the regular resources that students have access to include:
- Students have a copy of the slides and can add their own examples and explanations.
- Students have textbook references for additional examples and practice.
- Students are given additional practice and video links, typically Khan Academy, to access after the lesson for further clarification.
Furthering my practice, I would like to include more notetaking strategies and explicitly teaching study skills. Often students are told to “study”, but they have no concept of what that means. Creating a skill set around notetaking and studying will only benefit students in the future.
(5) Adapts instruction based on formative assessment
Any time I get the opportunity to look at students’ work and provide them with feedback I collect data. I could see if students understood a lesson or a unit, what skills they are missing, and where they are excelling. Pre-tests are a great way for me to survey the level of the class before I begin a unit. This helps me decide what I need to teach and what can be reviewed. Additionally, I can support students when in a unit by looking at quizzes and homework. Small groups and one-on-one instruction occur for areas where students are struggling. If a large portion of the class is having difficulty, then a concept is retaught before moving forward. Students that have mastered the concepts are given enrichment assignments. In one instance, my Mathematical Foundations 6 class did poorly on a quiz on proportional relationships. Students received their quiz the following day. After reviewing the questions, students were placed into groups to investigate the same proportional relationship in 3 different ways. This allowed the students to understand how proportional relationships work without trying to understand new problems each time. From there, students created their own proportional relationships and explained them in small groups. Students in the groups could ask questions about what was being presented, giving the presenter more opportunities to think critically about what they were explaining.
Pedagogical Effectiveness
(1) Begins class sessions with a clear statement about the lesson’s objectives and place in the progression of the course.
Each day, students are presented with a screen to start the day. This includes the agenda, a warmup/do now to get students thinking about math, homework due, materials needed, and any upcoming reminders such as a quiz, test, or new homework. Once the lesson starts, students are presented with objectives for the day, and how the new learning connects to past information and future learning. The do now is always posted before class starts and students come in and begin working on it before class. These engage students in the lesson as a hook. Some of the preferred ones are math puzzles, which one doesn’t belong, and Nerdle.
(2) Designs and implements varied activities in each class period
Instructions for my courses come in a variety of formats, often dependent on student needs and their approach to content. For example, review content is typically a playlist or station rotation. A playlist works great for students working to practice their skills and work independently. Station rotation is useful when students are collaborating and need to talk through their understanding and application of the content. When new information is being presented, students often start with an inquiry activity. This type of investigation can be independent using manipulatives and other hands-on modeling. Sometimes students go through a series of questions using notice and wonder strategies to experiment with the information. This often leads students to derive a new formula, equation, or theorem to solve a problem.
(3) Brings each activity to closure effectively and transitions intentionally to subsequent activities
There is a significant amount of classroom behavior tools that I use to support students learning. Many of these include transitions and brain breaks. Students are given transition expectations before transitions occur. I make sure to have all the student’s attention before moving on to the next activity. I provide timers for students to self-monitor while giving regular interval reminders on time remaining in an activity. When students are struggling to focus, I do quick brain breaks. This can be individual or with others. Typically, I include brain breaks in their transitions. One example is creating birthday partners. Students stand in line in their birthday order without talking to communicate. Then the person next to them becomes their partner for the activity. One area I’d like to focus more on is providing a more reflective closing to class with an exit ticket as students prepare to leave. This can provide students with more intrapersonal communication. Additionally, I can use the exit tickets as another data point in my formative assessments.
(4) Ensures that students are using technological tools effectively
I provide students with a lot of technology tools and resources. My goal is to have students be comfortable with technology and use it appropriately. At the beginning of the year, I taught students to use digital tools specific to math. Additionally, students are taught to use school-wide tools in my math courses. Desmos is a specific math tool that students are taught to use. They are exposed to the graphing calculator through a variety of topics and activities. In the future, I would like to develop a technology continuum that reflects the diverse resources that EPS uses and apply it in an age-appropriate format for classroom use.
(5) Concludes class with a summary and clear tie-in to the next class
Currently, I spend the last 5 minutes of class reflecting on what we did and what we will do next time. This is also an opportunity for students to ask clarifying questions and share their thoughts. I ask students to restate their learning objectives and how it ties into the lesson or activity for the day. To improve my practice, I want to regularly include an exit ticket. Students can share key takeaways or solve a problem tied to the lesson. Overall, I would like to be more intentional about closing classes with a cool down or closing circle to be more inclusive.