Guided math in HS: Can it work?

Let me just get right to it and say, "Yes. It can work...and it does!"

I taught high school math for nearly 10 years. Because I graduated with a degree in PE, I actually had no classroom experience when I began. The only thing I knew to do was what my high school teachers did- work out problems on the overhead or on the board. There was a lot of I do, we do, you do. While teachers may need to complete examples for students who are learning new content, there needs to be much more. I quickly realized that I was wasting too much of my students' time. I was spending over half the class standing in front, working examples, giving examples, walking around, and reteaching. Every time I turned my back to write on the board certain students took the opportunity to do anything but pay attention. I was giving them the opportunity so they took advantage. My students were performing well on the end-of-year exams but the day-to-day was brutal.

When I became the go-to for learning/trying out new technology I discovered a mobile teaching device. It allowed me to walk about the room as I taught the lesson. I could control my computer and work examples on the board from anywhere in the room. This one tool accomplished a ton for me in terms of classroom management. I could teach from the back of the room and watch what every single student in the classroom was doing. They had no idea where I was standing or if I watching what they were doing. When students were off task I could walk over to them and correct their behavior without anyone else in the room knowing. Hence, minimizing disruptions. I utilized this approach for a while and soon realized that classroom management was the only significant benefit of this device. I was still wasting my students' time by spending half of the class giving examples, walking around and reteaching.

I finally realized that I needed a major change. Why should I spend so much time working examples only having to reteach half of the students, individually? I was working harder than my students. With the technology available, I began to brainstorm. I had several ideas but, to avoid a really long post, I will talk about what actually worked. There were software programs and websites that went along with our textbooks so I took complete advantage of them. I created a website to post assignments and information about my class. I also linked video tutorials, interactive practice, and other useful resources. My students came in each day, logged in, navigated to my website, found the date, and began their work. Some students had the ability to work their way through the assignments using only the specific resources they needed. Other students would go through every single resource and still need assistance. Because of this new environment, I was able to spend more one-on-one time with these students. At the same time, those not needing me were not having to sit through a 45 minute lecture that they probably did not need to begin with. Every student was able to move along at their own, individual pace. By the end of each day students were to complete an assessment on the day's topic/concept. This was graded each day and used to guide the class for the following day. Students performing well on the previous day would move on to the next assignment while the rest began the day with me in a small group (those who did well also had the option to join the group and attempt to improve their grade). I would reteach the material and re-assess each of them. They would then move on to the next assignment. Each day began and ended the same. What changed? The small group and who needed it. Each day the members of the group were determined by their performance the previous day. Each student would start in the same place and end in the same place. They would just take different paths to get there.

What about the students who didn't need you and/or finished their work early?

There was always a project due at the end of the marking period-research on a mathematician, creating 3-dimensional geometrical shapes and printing them using the 3D printer (they had to learn the software and how to print their objects as well), etc. These students were allowed to spend time working on these projects. They were also able to spend time working on test corrections, which I will talk more about later. Some students even chose to sit with others and offer help.

I also gave every student the option to correct every chapter test from the marking period for half credit on each corrected item. Each time we had a test it was returned to the students. They would then place it in their folder that was kept in the room. At the end of the marking period, all tests from that marking period were due with corrections. We would also spend a day in the media center for students to present their projects from the marking period.

Okay, this is getting a little long and if I don't stop it will become a book.

(If you want to know more send me an email)

To sum it up, I was able to provide individualized instruction for each of my students. Some had the ability to figure it out for themselves. They did. Some needed to be walked through each process. They got it. By the way, the end-of-the-year exams did not suffer.

As a technology coach with math experience I have been helping implement something similar at the high school I serve. Every Math I class in the building is being taught via stations/rotations this semester. The teachers have realized the need to spend more time planning, have done so, and have all been amazing. This has also taken the collaboration between these teachers to a whole new level. Students are receiving individualized instruction and some of them are seeing and feeling success in math for the first time.

In the next couple of weeks I will be taking middle school teachers to observe these high school Math I classes. We will then come up with an implementation plan for them.

I can hardly wait to see how these students perform at the end of this year!!