Without Walls

Without Walls

by Andrea Gray

As a classroom teacher, one of the most difficult aspects of the job was to meet the needs of the range of children in my class. Children don’t grow and develop at the same rate-but it would be so much easier if they did. As one teacher trying to meet the needs of many, I felt frustrated. As one teacher trying to reach 30 individuals it felt like I was swimming against the tide. I made a few attempts to ease the problem but none of the approaches – or their outcomes – satisfied me.

Earlier, two teachers in my building had opened the movable curtain between their rooms making one classroom large enough to accommodate two classes complete with two teachers and an intern teacher, lowering the student to teacher ratio to 20 to one. Hardly ideal but much better than what I had. Under their arrangement, all 50 or so students were corralled on the carpet for whole group instruction. Suddenly the teacher to student ratio jumped to one to 50 or so. As I passed by this class daily I began to dream of the possibilities embedded in this arrangement.

What if, I wondered, students could be grouped by their needs? Those who got it on the first try could be sent off to test their wings with gentle nudging when needed. Those who needed a little extra push could have their hands held for a bit longer and then set free to explore the topic through learning opportunities that fit their stage in the learning continuum. Students who needed the greatest amount of support could get the backing needed in order to grasp the concept at hand. What if each of the three adults that served the students in the double classroom was responsible for a group? The notion of breaking one large group into three flexible groups that were centered on students’ needs made sense. Three groups, three approaches, one objective. Just the thought made me giddy.

Three groups, three approaches,

one objective. Just the thought made me giddy.

Permission to form another “double wide” (two classrooms converted into one) was granted. A young, talented and enthusiastic teacher was recruited; an intern teacher secured and our version of a “double wide” began to take shape. The summer before school started we mapped out our approach. Jeannine, my partner teacher, would take the lead on reading and social studies and I would take charge of math and science. Our intern, Ed, would support both subjects. When Jeannine led the whole group in reading I would support her efforts via small group remediation or extension or monitoring as needed.

She returned that favor when I led the class. Ed was on call as needed. When it came time for students to hone their new skills through guided or independent practice we split off into three groups and planned activities to suit the students’ needs. We spent time discussing how the groups would be formed and the activities that would best suit each set of students. In doing so, we came to know not only our students’ strengths and weaknesses but also our own as well. Jeannine fared much better than I when it came to working with the most needy students.

I discovered I enjoyed working with students who were capable of defining their own direction. Some students preferred to manipulate objects while others learned best through writing. Once in a while we set up three activities and let the students choose where they fit best – just for fun! What we had dreamed of was taking shape.

Our students did well academically and socially and became comfortable with the variety of learning activities. Roughly 70% of our students left our class reading on grade level. Our students routinely scored above the district average on benchmark assessments. They did just as well by those measurable targets. They read often and without being asked to do so. They played math games during lunch and recess. They looked out for each other. There was little down time and few learning minutes were lost to dealing with discipline.

They worked so well together that sometimes Jeannine, Ed, and I felt like bystanders as we watched the students solve problems on their own. It wasn’t perfect but at times it was pretty close.

They worked so well together that sometimes

Jeannine, Ed, and I felt like bystanders as we watched the students solve problems on their own.

After two years we went our separate ways. Jeannine moved on to another school and I took a position as a teacher leader. Ed left education altogether. For those two years we worked together to bring as much of the curriculum to our students as we were able to do through teamwork. A flexible approach to student grouping and the delivery of instructional opportunities allowed us to meet more student needs than we would have as solo acts.

Andrea Gray teaches at Taggart Elementary School. Andrea joined the Philadelphia Writing Project as a teacher consultant in 2009.