{"id":16756,"date":"2018-11-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog?p=16756&preview=true&preview_id=16756"},"modified":"2018-11-26T16:49:33","modified_gmt":"2018-11-26T20:49:33","slug":"better-math-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/better-math-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Voice + choice = a better math classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h2>\n

Start by listening to students<\/h1>\n

\"an<\/a>Elizabeth Tarno asked her students for feedback about their math class at the end of 5th grade. Then she did something incredible: she completely redesigned her classroom to address what students asked for.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth teaches both 5th and 6th grade math (and science) at the Warren Elementary School. She spent her summer working to rethink her approach through the lens of personalization.<\/p>\n

The result? She turned her 6th grade math class into a self-paced course that came to be known as “Choose Your Own Adventure Math Class.” Students worked individually or in partners, used printed or digital materials, and took assessments only when they decided they were ready. They even created their own homework.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth listened, she personalized, and her students responded positively. By the end of the initial experiment, Elizabeth had thoughts on how to improve this new approach. But she was clear about one thing: “I’m not going back.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Guided by student voice<\/h2>\n

Elizabeth brought some students to the Middle Grades Conference in January 2018 to help her present her action research. She asked them to recount the type of feedback they had given her about 5th grade math. Here’s what they said:<\/p>\n

“What I was looking for was to move on when I needed to move on and work at my own pace, so if I didn\u2019t understand something, I could go back and do it again instead of having to go with the rest of the class.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I was looking for less talking and just more hands on because when Elizabeth was always talking, I\u2019d get in trouble a lot because I was just bored and it wasn\u2019t helping me at all.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I hate blah-blah days because they\u2019re talking and talking and talking and talking. Then eventually you start spacing out, and then for the end of the blah-blah when you\u2019re actually getting to explaining things, you\u2019re not listening.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I used to think: ugh, math. I\u2019m going to math class now.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let’s just pause to marvel at the courage required to ask your students to voice complaints in a public setting. In the first presentation ever delivered by this veteran teacher. Inspiring!<\/p>\n

We’ve all received harsh feedback from students. The difference here is that Elizabeth truly listened, examined her own practice and skill set, and then boldly redesigned her classroom.<\/p>\n

This risk-taking mindset that honors student experience is the first step toward personalized learning.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Elizabeth Tarno and Warren Elementary School students after presenting at the 2018 Middle Grades Conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A different teacher role<\/h2>\n

When I first met Elizabeth three years ago, she described herself as a “fairly traditional teacher.” At the Middle Grades Conference she told an educator audience a different story:<\/span><\/p>\n

My role as the teacher is to create a structure within which the kids can work. My job is to be the coach. They ask me questions. If they\u2019re feeling stuck and they\u2019re stuck with each other, they can turn to me. Sometimes I see that there\u2019s an area where they need a little bit more support. I go around and I kind of look over their shoulders, listen to their questions, hand back assessments. Sometimes it\u2019s one on one. Sometimes it\u2019s small <\/span>group. My job is to monitor progress, to make sure that they really are getting the learning that they need to be getting and to provide feedback for them so that the feedback is meaningful and that they can move forward in charge of their learning.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After the presentation, somebody in the audience asked how she keeps students motivated. Elizabeth simply smiled and nodded to her students. Even while presenting, Elizabeth’s first priority was listening.<\/p>\n

After each student had answered, Elizabeth added:<\/p>\n

I felt like that question was addressed to me as the teacher, but it\u2019s not up to me really anymore, and that was the purpose really of this project. It\u2019s to set up a system where it wasn\u2019t about me driving them. It was about them driving themselves.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This could be the mantra of personalized learning. It’s not about me, it’s about them.<\/p>\n

An abundance of choice<\/span><\/h2>\n

Elizabeth tried to provide as much choice as possible in the initial stages of the experiment. In many cases she adjusted these choices based on what she learned.<\/p>\n