Unit 1: Introduction to Teaching Math Intervention

Return to: Emily McAlpine's Portfolio Page, Teaching Middle School Mathematics Intervention (AIS)

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Overview

Unit 1 will act as an introduction to topics that will be addressed throughout the mini-course and it will be broken up into two lessons and a final reflection. Please note that you will dive deeper into these topics in future units.

Lesson 1.1: Important Features of Instruction

Objective

Recognize the importance of incorporating certain features into instruction designed for math intervention.

Background/Context

This lesson will focus on three important features of instruction for Math Intervention; Formative Assessment, Feedback, and Data Usage. These topics will be addressed again in the mini-course, so this lesson is meant to build upon your background knowledge and understanding. Additionally, these are not the only features that should be incorporated into intervention lessons and others will be addressed throughout the mini-course.

Introduction

The topics mentioned above should be embedded within any instruction, however, they bring an additional layer of importance and challenges to those teaching intervention courses. It is important to note that while these may be discussed as separate entities, they all work in tandem with each other, as you will come to recognize.

Formative Assessment

Unlike summative assessments, formative assessments are typically conducted during instruction and can help instructors make important decisions about whether or not their instruction has been effective and how to respond as a result of those decisions. These assessments can come in a variety of formats, including small quizzes and classroom discussions. For formative assessments to be truly beneficial to both teachers and students, it is critical that feedback is provided and data is collected.

Feedback

Instructor feedback is essential to student learning and growth, especially in intervention classes. For feedback to be effective, it should be provided to the student immediately, or as quickly as possible. This feedback can be provided in a variety of formats, including written and oral. As you will see in Unit 2, feedback can also aid students in monitoring their own progress and practicing self-reflection.

Data Usage

Collecting, analyzing, and using data has become a huge part of our jobs as teachers. Intervention teachers are often faced with vast amounts of unorganized data and tasked with collecting and presenting more data throughout the school year. Given that students in intervention classes are not typically in the same place with respect to their individual gaps and needs, it can be a real challenge to organize and make meaningful use of that data. Formative assessment data can be extremely useful in these settings and can help to construct feedback for students and drive future instruction.

Read and Discuss

Directions: Please read the following articles about formative assessment, feedback, and data usage. You will then respond to discussion questions related to the articles. In addition to building your understanding of how and why these features should be incorporated into your instruction, also consider how they can work together to support student learning and growth.

Article 1: Five "Key Strategies" for Effective Formative Assessment

Article 2: Giving Good Quality Feedback

Article 3 (choose one or both): 3 Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching and/or Data-Driven Decision Making in Education

Discuss

Please respond to the prompts at the following Padlet. You do not need to respond to every question, see the Directions under the first prompt. Responses will be anonymous, however, I encourage you to read the responses posed by others.

Lesson 1.2: Supportive Technology Platforms

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Objective

Identify technology platforms that can be used to support instruction and student learning.

Background/Context

As you have likely experienced or read about in the previous articles, there are a variety of technology platforms that can be used to support student learning, data collection and management, and instruction. This lesson will focus on platforms that are all-encompassing of these, however, you will later explore other platforms that provide resources and activities for intervention lessons.

Introduction

It is not always the case that intervention teachers have the freedom to choose which platform(s) they use in their classroom. For example, when I taught AIS Math, my school had invested in a specific program and I was instructed to use this program for a spectrum of things including diagnostic testing, personalized instruction, and data collection. If you are given a choice of platforms, try to choose one that incorporates all of these features, to avoid the need for multiple platforms.

Important Note: I feel strongly, and research agrees, that these platforms should not be used as a replacement for instruction or the teacher. They should be used to support instruction and student learning, and it is important that teachers and students do not become reliant on any single platform.

Explore and Identify

You will now explore a few commonly used platforms for math intervention classes. Note that this list is not all-encompassing and there may be other options out there. Every platform provided supports math instruction at the middle school level, however, only some platforms accommodate additional grade levels and subjects.

The first link is the platform I used while teaching AIS Math. This platform was used for diagnostic testing in Math and English for all students in Grades 5-8 in the district. The other features were most commonly utilized by intervention teachers/students.

Directions: As you explore, take note of the main features offered and consider the pros and cons in comparing each platform. After reviewing each, identify one or two platforms you feel would be the most beneficial to you and your students.

Platforms

iReady - https://www.curriculumassociates.com/programs/i-ready-learning

IXL - https://www.ixl.com/membership/teachers

Khan Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/teachers

DreamBox - https://www.dreambox.com/teacher/dreambox-in-your-classroom#dreambox-district

MobyMax - https://www.mobymax.com/

Prodigy - https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/teachers/

Unit 1 Reflection

Directions: In your reflection journal, please address the following questions and anything else you would like to make note of from this unit.

• How do the platform(s) you identified in Lesson 1.2 support the 3 features of instruction covered in Lesson 1.1?
• (Current Teachers) Was there anything you learned in this unit that has motivated you to change how you structure your lessons or classroom?

References

Alber, R. (2017, March 2). 3 Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-student-data-inform-teaching-rebecca-alber.

(2019, December 11). Data-Driven Decision Making in Education. School of Education Online Programs. https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/data-driven-decision-making-in-education/.

(n.d.). DreamBox in your classroom. DreamBox; DreamBox Learning. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.dreambox.com/teacher/dreambox-in-your-classroom#dreambox-district.

(n.d.). i-Ready Learning. i-Ready; Curriculum Associates. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.curriculumassociates.com/programs/i-ready-learning.

(n.d.). IXL for classrooms. IXL; IXL Learning. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.ixl.com/membership/teachers.

(n.d.). Khan Academy for teachers. Khan Academy. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.khanacademy.org/teachers.

McConlogue, T. (2020). Giving Good Quality Feedback. In Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education: A Guide for Teachers (pp. 118–134). UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv13xprqb.13.

(n.d.). Teachers. Prodigy. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/teachers/.

William, D. (2007) Five “Key Strategies” for Effective Formative Assessment. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Research brief. 1-4.