I was thinking of the skills I would need in order to be able to do that quickly and effectively. I would need to be able to recognize the need in my classroom and to be able to respond quickly(immediately!) to meet that need. I would need the skills and knowledge to be able to provide activities to meet student needs and I would need the ability to be able to differentiate for all levels of knowledge and ability within my classroom. And I would want to be able to do that without spending hours preparing a variety of lessons and activities for one week of math class. And, I would need to be able to do that on several basic concepts throughout the year.
Any ideas on how to accomplish this, in order to help students to fill these voids in their learning, without killing oneself with work?
3 comments:
I think a key might be effective assessment of where students are. I haven't found anything that has already been developed so my grade level team has worked together to try to come up with assessments for specific understandings like place value. Once we identify the students who are struggling with a concept we can plan for the differentiation. If it is something that a majority of students need help with the solution is easier. If just a few are "lost" then we usually work out something with a volunteer to provide additional practice. I agree that it is most challenging when the understandings are all over the place. Then we try to organize centers for enrichment and additional practice while others work at "grade level." It is easier to work with your grade level team because you can share the work of material preparation.
Our first grade team had a "Center Switch" where each of the classrooms covered one concept practice with a game or two designed to reinforce that skill. Classes switched every 15-20 minutes, the kids had a ball and didn't even seem to realize they were doing Math practice. It was really well organized by the teachers. Perhaps you could identify several skills that need more work for a lot of students and do that on a weekly or bi-monthly basis. Sometimes having another teacher review the skill helps the kids get it.
As a P.S. to Debbie's comment, the children were already familiar with the games, so there wasn't any angst or additional lesson necessary. It was a great motivator and brought in that important word "FUN". It's perfect for a Friday afternoon and getting kids moving.
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