Organizing Math Centers

I typically start my math block with a whole group mini-lesson. Then we break into groups during the rest of the math time.

How do we organize our math groups?

Most of our students need small group guidance on their math development daily. This can be a juggling act! Not only is it a challenge deciding what to do with these small math groups, but also, what do the rest of the students do while the teacher is occupied?

Here are some suggestions:

I use magnets to display these cards on my board. The names have magnets as well. (I change my groups frequently, depending on the topic I'm teaching and the needs of my students.) 

The above board represents how I might assign groups at the beginning of the school year. I would spend the first block of time teaching a game or two, and expectations for each center. The groups follow the cards vertically. Tanner's group would explore manipulatives first, while Bailey's group uses computers or tablets. Ethan's group has independent practice while Brian's group will play math games. Partners are usually assigned and are listed side by side. In the case of an odd amount of students, there will be a group of three.

At the beginning of the year, there is no "work with teacher" station. I use that time to circulate among my students, making sure they understand expectations and staying quietly focused on their assignments.

Once they've got the routine down,  the board might look more like this:

I'll be meeting with three of the four groups today. I'll find time to check in with the fourth group, but this is the group that needs less guidance. I'll only meet with them 2-3 times a week. I make sure to meet with my lowest group daily. I typically teach my groups a warm-up they can do without me, so I'll have a chance to make sure the other students settle into their centers.

As the year goes on, there are times when I need to assess individuals. 

My daily schedule might look something like this. I kept the one math group that really needed the guidance, but during the other 2 stations, I would pull individuals for assessment as needed. (You can see I used one of the blank cards for the group that needed time on that STEM project.)

If you're interested in these cards, just see the image below!

See the image below for information about organizing literacy centers.

How do you organize your math centers?

Five Hints to Help Avoid False Praise and Give Valuable Feedback

How do you feel about false praise? 

You know, when someone tells you that you've done a great job, when in your heart, you know you haven't?

 

 

One time, I was working hard with an exercise video when the instructor said, "Great job!"  I remember thinking... how does she know I'm doing a great job? I could be sitting here eating a bowl of potato chips, and that's not doing a good job!

I've also had people compliment me on things that I know weren't my best work. How do I feel about it?

Well, honestly, it makes me lose my trust in that person. And it frustrates me. I'm sure your students feel the same way. 

Students absolutely need feedback, and they need to develop self worth. But false praise is NOT the way to get there! 

Here are a few suggestions for avoiding praise and giving feedback that matters:

 

 

 1. Know your students! It's important that you know your students. Not only academically, but personally. Know what they feel good about and what they're sensitive about.

 

 2. Follow the "2 to 1" rule! This means, two compliments and one "you need to work on" item. Of course you wouldn't just say, "great job" or "you're awesome." Make sure they are genuine compliments, which shouldn't be tough to find. As long as you see any effort at all, that can be one of your compliments. It's also important that you always give them something specific to work on.

 

 3. Make sure your students know you! Let them know about the things you struggle with as well as your successes. When you make mistakes, let them see you model correcting mistakes. When you struggle with something, let them see you processing your way through the struggle.

4. Make sure your students trust you! This tip goes right along with #3, making sure they know you, but it goes beyond knowledge. Trust is something that must be earned, so this won't happen the first weeks of school. By the time the initial "get to know you" period is done, the students should absolutely know you can be trusted.

 

 5. Always, always, always be honest! If you tell the students they're good at something, and they know they're not, you've lost their trust. When you give information about something they need to work on, and it's honest, you'll gain their trust. And that's more valuable than anything!

Since feedback is such a valuable part of learning, I've written several other blog posts about feedback. Here are some links.

Giving Feedback!

 

 

Five Useful Tips and Tricks!

 

 

Give 'em a Shout Out!

 

The Importance of Failure

 

 

Ten Classroom Management Tips With the Brain in Mind

No Bathroom Comments!

Quick, Easy, Honest Feedback

 What kind of praise do you give in the classroom?

How do you keep it honest and genuine?

Ideas to Help Get the New School Year Started

Looking for ideas to start the new year? 

Every year, when the calendar turns to August, I start thinking about how I want to make the new school year the very best one yet! (Apologies to those who have already started this year... I'm sure you went through this in July, when people around here were just starting their vacation!)

I have a feeling I'm not alone in trying to "beat" last year's opening!

 

 

I have plenty of ideas to share, some are my own blog posts, and some are from my teacher/ blogger friends!

Here is a fun Math icebreaker by Brenda of Enjoy Teaching with Brenda Kovich!

 

 How to Make Back to School Math Fun

Here are some great suggestions for Back to School Night from Two Boys and a Dad!

  

5 Mistakes to Avoid at Back to School Night 

Building community is essential at the beginning of the school year. Here are some great ideas from Michelle of

Teaching Ideas for Those Who Love Teaching

  

 Five Ways to Build Community With Your Student

I've spent 40 years in the classroom, and have built up a whole lot of "tricks" up my sleeve! Here are some of my favorite blog posts from "Back to School" in years past:

One of my favorites: 5 "Must Dos" on the First Day of School.

Another favorite, having experienced plenty of "back to school" first days!

Six Things to Remember on the First Day of School!

 

For those of you who AREN'T interior decorators in your spare time:

My Not So Cute Classroom

 

I've made this promise as far back as I can recall. It helps them understand why they're there, and what they can do to make school a positive experience: My First Day of School Promise

This is a fabulous book to read on the first day, plus there's a freebie!

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain!

 

 There's a freebie with this post as well!

Helping Parents Help Their Children Be Successful

Speaking of freebies, here are ten, that will hopefully help you get started for the year:

Ten Freebies for Back to School

 

 

 

 I hope these links help you get organized and awesome! 

If they do, please pin for your friends to see!

Predictability and Novelty

Children will not learn until their needs are met. These are two of the most important needs of children:

 Predictability and Novelty.

Yes, I know what you're thinking, those words are opposites, how can a child need both?

Well, yes, they need each. 

They need a classroom that's predictable. This is a source of security for children. They need to know what to expect. They need to know what's coming up. They need routine.

 

The first month or so of school is when most classroom routines are established: entering the classroom, morning routines, lunch count, taking attendance, moving between classes, bathroom procedures, lunch procedure, dismissal, recess, and so on. Once these routines are established, the children feel secure in their routines, know what to expect and feel safe. Now the REAL teaching can begin!

For more ideas on teaching procedures, see this blog post: Tips for Teaching Procedures. 

The trouble with routine, is that it gets boring. They need a change of pace and new experiences. That's when novelty is needed.

Novelty is the way to shake things up! When boredom sets in, the brain tunes out, so it's the job of the teacher to keep things alive. 

Here are some ways to shake things up in the classroom:

Have a backwards day

Change the seating arrangement

Theme days or theme weeks

Create a new routine

Establish higher expectations

Swap classrooms with another teacher for the day

Rearrange or add to your classroom library

Ask your students for ideas

Here's a resource where you can establish a "safe" routine, raise expectations, and it changes every single day, so it never gets boring: Daily Questions for Team Building, Morning Meetings, and Daily Writing Prompts 

And by the way, it's not just children that have these two needs!

Ten Classroom Management Tips with the Brain in Mind

Science has done a whole lot of research lately, and I'm absolutely fascinated by it all. Most important, scientists have been coming to conclusions that most teachers already knew about. Now there's evidence to back it up!

Here are some brain based ideas to help keep them learning in your classroom:

1. Pick your battles!  Many kids struggle to behave at school. If we call them on every one of those misbehaviors, learning would never happen! It's important to choose which behaviors are most important to correct so that learning will happen.

2. Encourage failure! It's hard for so many kids, but as we know, failure is part of growing. It's important to make failure an every day part of the classroom. It's important that children see us fail, and we need to model what to do when failure happens. I often say things to my students such as, "Thank you for making that mistake! Now we all know how to work around this challenge!" (See this post: The Importance of Failure!)

3. Take care of your own needs! If you've ever gone on a plane, you've heard the "put your own oxygen mask on first, then assist children," speech. We can't help children if our own needs are compromised. Take care of yourself!

 

4. Model respectful, kind behavior! The best way to teach children to be respectful is to show them how to be respectful. When you are respectful and kind to children, you build a rapport with them, which makes them more likely to listen to what you have to say, and learn from you!

 

5. Be firm and consistent! Being respectful doesn't mean let them get away with inappropriate behaviors! It's important to speak firmly when unwanted behaviors happen, and remind them each time the unwanted behaviors return. No need to be nasty about it, but acknowledge it.

6. Be clear about expectations! As mentioned above, communicating appropriate behaviors is essential! If you don't communicate what you expect, they won't know what to do, and might show a variety of unexpected behaviors! See this post: Quick, Easy, Honest Feedback!)

7. Make sure you're working at the student's level! If the work is too hard for the child, the child will become frustrated and act out. If the work is too easy for the child, the child won't be learning a whole lot and could become restless. As teachers, we know what a balancing act it is to work all students at their own levels, but with a lot of tricks up your sleeve, it can be done!

 

8. Keep a sense of humor! Keeping a sense of humor in the classroom helps to keep a good rapport between teacher and student, and keeps them interested in what's going on in class. Plus, laughter is a great stress reliever! (See this post: Laughter is Truly the Best Medicine!)

9. Keep your lessons engaging!  No matter how smart the kiddos are, or how clever the materials might be, if you don't portray a positive energy for the subject matter, you'll be wasting your time! Teachers need to be entertainers, in addition to everything else they do!

10. Integrate the Arts! I can't even begin to tell you how much I've read about the connections between the arts and learning! I'm not just talking about letting them draw.(Although that's a good start!) Including music, movement, as well as the visual arts will help the learning happen in the classroom!

 

For more ideas on Classroom Management see here: Six Strategies for Success in School: A Classroom Management System and More)