Stepping into Teaching...A Classroom Worth Sharing

Inside the strong brick walls of this local school paints a simplistic picture of white hallways, old carpet, and a modest display of student work and, “Beginning of school,” displays. The hallways seem to go on forever, yet around each turn are classrooms full of new beginnings and tomorrow’s success. I see faces of diversity filling the seats while teachers, whose faces seem all too familiar to me, fill their minds with knowledge. The Resource room I am in this semester, is a classroom that separates students from their peers during reading, writing, and math, while also keeping the students connected, being just a few doors down from their general education classrooms. It is classroom that I see students excited to come to; and it is a classroom that focuses on instruction and learning rather than the flashiness of bulletin boards, themes, and posters. This pullout classroom has to be more. More than what the students can get in their general education rooms, and more instruction that can close the learning gap our students come in to these hallways with.

I have been in my internship going into the third week, and I can already see the struggles the students have in math. Math instruction is at the end of the day, and this reality in it’s own comes with elements the students must overcome (exhaustion, anxiousness, annoyance, etc.). This combined with innate difficulties towards mathematics makes for a long hour and fifteen minutes! The teacher tries to keep spirits up by reminding students of their number one job while in the classroom: to try! This message was written on the board after a pre-test that left two students in tears, a handful of empty test papers, and students giving up before they even get started on the lesson. This message has been up ever since, and it is a reference point that is used throughout all subjects and activities. I admire my teacher’s message, and will work hard to use it this semester in my lessons as well as in my own classes!

These, “Texas Math,” books are displayed proudly behind my teacher’s desk. They were intimidating at first sight, but after looking through the twenty plus books, supplemental materials, assessments, and games, I realized that this math curriculum being used offers many of the elements we are taught to include in our instruction of children with disabilities and differences. Differentiation is a big part of each lesson in this collection, as well as adaptations for students with language differences. My teacher has adapted the material itself, and only uses what works for her students. For example, after the negative experience most of the students had with the first pre-test given, she decided that she would no longer give a formal pre-test and only assess the students prior knowledge through informal observations during the lesson. Each lesson begins with a review of key concepts and skills that the students need, and she adjusts her instruction according to the students’ success or limitations during this time. This was an excellent example of making the curriculum work for a group of students. It was refreshing to see this first hand, and I am also looking forward to seeing how it continues to work throughout the semester.

In addition to the worksheets and activities presented in the curriculum being used, the students are given opportunities to explore mathematics using manipulatives. These are on an open shelf and are located in a kid-friendly area, which encourages the students to take advantage of them whenever they need. Inquiry-based activities are designed to use these manipulatives, and I enjoyed seeing students use them and include them in their strategies. From observing the students using these colorful cubes and squares, I also saw how their use prompted discussion as well as facilitate, “Ah Hah,” moments from the teacher and students. I would really like to see them used more consistently during the students’ warm-up activities, which I think would be a great opportunity for the students to explore and respond to word problems and other skills using ONLY the manipulatives. I think that would be getting the students to think on a different level than worksheets and other pencil activities do. I am wondering what other types of manipulatives can be used and applied to skills in math that are not computational and problem solving. I would be interested to explore those options more.

Vocabulary is very important to this Resource teacher! She does vocabulary warm-ups every day, which include a fun cheer or basketball dribbling of the words being used during the unit. I feel this is incredibly important for students with learning disabilities, as vocabulary can really strengthen your understanding of math. A student does not need to worry about knowing what the word problem or directions are asking, just how and why they are going to solve it. These vocabulary cards are included in the Texas Math curriculum she uses and when I saw them I fell in love with them and knew I had to post them! On the front is the vocabulary word in English and in Spanish. On the back is a picture describing the word and it’s definition. If it is read or taped for the student their use is appealing to multiple senses, and will help the student store the new knowledge faster! Not to mention, with the diversity present in our schools in Texas, the pairing of pictures with the definitions differentiates for our students in an effective way! I have to admit that the idea of a vocabulary focus in math is a fairly new idea for me, but I am seeing how important it is, and I am excited to be equipped with an easy teaching strategy to help our students succeed.

Small group instruction is a big part of my teacher’s resource room, and she utilizes this area of the classroom to provide scaffolding to students who are struggling. She identifies these students at the end of the lesson, and while the rest of the students move on to independent work, she pulls a few students to this table and provides additional instruction until she feels they are ready to be independent. This is an excellent example of flexibility and progress monitoring, both of which are critical elements of math instruction. With the use of paraprofessionals, and her trusty student intern, she is allowed this flexibility and can easily give students the attention they need. Within small group instruction the use of white boards are used to help the student demonstrate their work quickly, and provides the teacher with a fast and efficient way to check their work. It is easy for mistakes to be corrected, and they can make a quick visual organizer for the student to take back to their seats with them. The students love using white boards, and I like how it provides them a break from the standard paper and worksheets they are used to. White boards can be also be used during lectures for the students to copy down the teacher’s examples and follow along with. A place value lesson I observed really came alive using the white boards!

My teacher believes in celebrating the students’ victories, both big and small. She has a section on the wall where students can draw pictures of any type of victory they had recently and display it for everyone to celebrate. I really appreciate this vision because it not only makes the students acknowledge that victories come in all different shapes and sizes, but it also gives the students, who may not be used to having their work displayed on classroom walls, the opportunity to be proud of something for everyone to see. As I already told her, I plan on stealing this idea and applying it in whatever position I take on as a future educator.