As a Title I teacher, my job was to support students to be more successful in their classes. I worked with some of the best kids in the school, many of them appreciative of the focused small-group instruction.
One year, I was asked to work with a group of students identified as struggling in math. They were in danger of not meeting standards in math instruction and not passing the state math exam. I met with their teachers after school to gather more information about the kids.
These veteran teachers were happy to receive my support, but they insisted that I continue to teach from the math program they were using in class. Showing me the teacher's guide, one teacher uttered words I had heard many times before: “You’ll need to teach this to the students, but slower.”
The other teacher chimed in immediately, “Much slower.” And then she added a qualifier, “You don’t know how low these kids are.”
I might have taken offense to these statements, but I knew the teachers truly wanted success for their kids. Yet, their proposed intervention of just adjusting the speed of my teaching suggested to me that these “low” students hadn’t had the necessary math supports to be successful in their classrooms. This insight allowed me to plan some different strategies to set them up for success.
My approach was two-pronged: One, use differentiated instructional strategies; and two, establish positive relationships with my new students.
To help me differentiate instruction, I started each new unit with a self-created pre-assessment that matched the unit’s learning targets. This allowed me to learn each student’s strengths and areas that needed growth for that unit. Charting out this information provided a clear entry point into my instruction, both for whole group instruction and individual needs.
As much as possible, I followed the provided math program; I also allowed myself necessary detours to teach additional background content the students needed. For example, I learned that my students didn’t understand basic place value, a vital concept in math. I used supplemental activities from sources like Marilyn Burns’ Math Solutions and Mathematics… A Way of Thinking to build understanding and then returned to the book when ready.
Another approach involved using Thinking Maps, which became an invaluable tool for instruction. Thinking Maps graphically organize information to help students relate and remember content. As I taught, I filled in unit content using words and pictures on a giant Thinking Map I copied on poster paper for the wall. My students had the same map at their desks and filled in the information with me. We would revisit our Thinking Map daily in fun ways (for example, matching terms with Post-it notes definitions and races to see which team could fill in an empty copy of the Thinking Map the most accurately), which allowed for continuous content review.
Depending on the content, I used different teaching strategies, such as hands-on activities, connecting content to real life and flexible learning groups. While the structure of my math time was the same, what happened in that structure was based on the students’ needs.
In addition to making instructional adjustments, I established strong relationships with these students. Each day as my students worked on a warm-up activity, I would check in with them individually. During class, I would make sure to talk with each of them about something non-school related. I also connected with them outside of math class, either at lunch or at recess. This purposeful relationship building let my students know that I cared about them as people, not only as math students.
Over time, these young people and I made inroads into their learning. They achieved successful results on the state math test at the end of the year, and their teachers were happy with the intervention group. I was happy to have had the opportunity to work creatively with these students—without having to “go slower.”
Hiller is a mentor to first- and second-year teachers in Oregon and a member of the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board.