S.T.E.M. Highlights
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
What's new?
This week, we'd like to Highlight some teachers implementing high levels of differentiation in their blocks. While we know many teachers are using or are aware of what a rotational model looks like, you still may not know how OTHER people across the network are using this concept! See below for more on this.
- Surveys -
(Right) We had a fairly high rate of response for the surveys, so thankfully we didn't have to let the dogs out...
Rotational what?
Impactful? Yes!
Also, click here to view a video of Ms. Weber's small group rotation in-action!
"What changed from Unit 1 to Unit 2 that you think contributed to students' success?"
Ms. Weber: "The biggest change that was made from Unit 1- Unit 2 was that instead of doing whole group instruction, I switched to small group instruction. I was finding that whole group was taking too long and we were never getting to flexible grouping (centers). I switched over to small group instruction and centers about halfway through Unit 2 and saw a huge improvement on student success. I am able to tailor my instruction to meet the level of need in each of my groups. For example, my lower group needs some of the material broken down into smaller parts, where my higher group doesn't need as much of that. I teach the same lesson 3 times, but 3 different ways to match the needs of the group of students. I am able to see misconceptions easier with the small groups as well."
"What do your groupings look like, and what do other students do while your teaching the small group lesson?"
Ms. Weber: "I have broken my centers down into three groups- 1 group is with me getting the lesson, another group is completing a "math task" which is usually a hands-on activity to reinforce a skill we taught the previous day, or some additional practice if they need it; and the final group is working on their math OLP's (Dreambox, ST Math, and Reflex Math- we have not rolled Zearn out yet)."
"Any other changes made or actions taken that's led to students' growth?"
Ms. Weber: "The other change I made was adding more critical thinking questions to their math boards- where students are explaining why we do a specific skill, or looking at error analysis of a problem. I found this also to be helpful in students fulling understanding a topic."