I can remember sitting in my 5th grade mathematics class 25 year ago, listening to my teacher and exploring the mathematical concepts around me. Our tools were a chalkboard (the green one), an overhead projector, a typewriter, and an AM/FM radio with a tape cassette! Now, when you walk into my 5th grade math class, you will see a Smartboard, Chromebooks, iPads, iPods, android tablets, digital cameras, and computers. Oh what a difference two-and-a-half decades can make!
In my class, I use technology as an engagement tool to teach inquiry-based mathematics and to motivate and inspire my students to become digital citizens. During the week, I use the following inquiry methods to teach a particular concept: students working in cooperative learning groups, students observing and interacting with adults with relevant expertise, and students applying appropriate technology to extend and deepen their learning. My math block includes 30 minutes of math interventions and 80 minutes of guided math instruction where my students rotate through four math stations: small group instruction, automaticity, ST Math, and I-Ready. (ST Math and I-Ready are part of my blended-learning platform.) Let's explore these learning strategies in more detail so that you can incorporate them in your own classroom.
High-Tech, Low-Tech, and Blended
During small group instruction, I provide individualized instruction, incorporating the gradual release model with engagement tools such as Nearpod. Nearpod is a free interactive application that teachers can use with multiple devices to present a lesson. Teachers can upload pictures, videos, and music files; purchase lessons; and design and record lessons. Nearpod allows these small groups of students, working on iPods or iPads, to experience the lesson in multiple modalities. At any point, students can go back and reference the lesson, which is particularly helpful if they are absent. Students are also able to pause the presentation and take notes, share their work with their peers digitally, and communicate their skill progression with me as I am teaching a particular concept.
At the automaticity station, my students interact with low-tech devices, such as board games, file folders, and manipulatives. Students enjoy playing games—such as the Allowance Game, Trouble, Uno, and Bingo—that help build their automaticity with math concepts. Students use collaborative game play to practice previously learned skills, such as counting, factoring decimals, determining place value, solving problems, and building fluency.
ST Math and I-Ready learning stations are part of my classroom's blended-learning platform. Working on Chromebooks, students independently progress through the programs. I'm able to track students' progress in the programs, and I use the data to adjust my instructional practices and reteach skills my students did not master.
ST Math is a game-based instructional software program created by the Mind Research Institute. The ST in ST Math stands for spatial temporal. Learning in the spatial temporal part of the brain allows us to hold visual and mental representations in our short-term memory, which evolves over time and helps to build critical-thinking skills. I use this software to boost my students' math comprehension and proficiency through visual learning. For example, if I am teaching my students the order of operations for whole and small group instruction, they are practicing their skills with this concept when they log onto ST Math. My students take a pre- and post-assessment on the targeted skill so that I can track their progress, determine how each student is performing, and decide whether or not I need to reteach a lesson. ST Math is interactive, fun, and effective, and my students love the graphically rich animations that help them improve their mathematical reasoning skills.
Aligned with the Common Core State Standards, I-Ready is a diagnostic and instructional tool that I use for remediation. I-Ready is a great tool because it produces detailed reports that help me understand where my students are in their learning. It also allows students to practice technology-enhanced test items, which prepares them for similar questions on the PARCC test. With this tool, I am able to assign lessons and quizzes that match students' performance levels. For example, if a 5th grade student scores level 2 (2nd grade level) in measurement and data, I will assign that student an I-Ready lesson in that domain to track his progress.
The Difference
This system of technology helps my students to take responsibility for their learning, fosters collaboration, and teaches them to effectively work with the technology devices. I use these strategies daily with my students, and each day we learn something different and new. Implementing these strategies was no easy task, but with the support of parents and administrators, tools donated through Donors Choose campaigns, meaningful and engaging activities, consistent practice, and collaborative planning, my classroom is now a digitally integrated environment where students learn something new every day.
Our goal as educators is to create an atmosphere where all students can achieve their potential. In this fast-paced digital society, we need to shift our pedagogical practices to support the diverse learners in our classrooms. With the appropriate use of technology, we can make a difference in our students' lives.