Action Plan

The strategies outlined in this action plan were implemented January 2021 - March 2021. The calendar for my action research can be found HERE.

Implementation

A Guided Math Model was implemented within the math instructional block each day. During the implementation, place value, comparisons and data were taught.

Students:

explored different methods to find solutions and find patterns and relationships in numbers.
solved real-world problems involving addition and subtraction in situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart and comparing.
organized and represented a data set with up to three categories.
asked and answered questions about data sets.

Each day a whole group mini-lesson was taught from 1:15-1:35 PM. Stations and small group instruction took place from 1:35-2:35 PM. On Wednesdays, only small group instruction and station work took place due to a shortened schedule. Flexible grouping was used on Wednesdays to allow students to hear from peers at various levels.

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, skill and ability grouping was used. I used MAP data to help me group students by skill and ability. During station time, students met with me, which allowed me to make the daily content appropriate for their learning abilities, drawing on data and responsive practices to meet individual needs. For example, I used math talk and modeled responses to provide students structure for explaining mathematical reasoning in small groups.

Math talk and modeled responses were used frequently throughout my action research. Above is an example of how modeled responses were used to help students process through their thinking. I would ask a question after an activity and then provided students a model for their response. Before students responded in a group or with a partner, I did a teacher think aloud and responded to the question using the model.

A Day in Guided Math

The three main components of the guided math model emphasized in this action research were a whole group mini-lesson, small group instruction, and work stations. Work stations included independent work, math games and technology. Technology included the use of Exact Path, Osmo, Xtra Math, and other applications. My small group instruction varied on different groupings of students. I grouped the students three different ways (skills, ability, and flexible grouping) throughout the time of my study.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday rotations.

How Did this Study Meet Student Needs?

I selected guided math because students demonstrated a need for individualized math instruction. As growing mathematicians, students must confidently and accurately solve and identify naked numbers/computations (i.e. 10-7), explain their mathematical thinking, and connect problems to real-life situations. Sometimes students learn best from peers, rather than the teacher. I implemented guided math because research states that when students work in small groups, it helps students make sense of mathematics.

Culturally Responsive Teaching

In all math groups, students were given equal access to manipulatives, writing utensils, and teacher help. Students were put into differentiated groups based on their abilities, skills and strengths. Students were put into groups once a week based on varying levels of skills and abilities to allow all students to share their voice and hear from each other. All students answered questions at their instructional level and had the problem presented to them with access to manipulatives so they could explain their mathematical thinking.

I selected problems that were both appropriate with their mathematical level and connected to their personal lives. When we were working on adding and subtracting in story problems, I used student names and topics that they were interested in to relate to them. I have a student in my class who enjoys cars, so during his group I used cars in a story problem. When we were comparing data, I used categories that related to all students. One day we graphed how many students have a birthday in each month. We also grouped and analyzed data on how many siblings students have. By relating the content to students' lives, this allowed for culturally responsive teaching and deepened the level of engagement in our classroom.

Differentiation to Meet Student Needs

By using the guided math model, I was able to foster equity, accessibility, and multiple perspectives in my classroom. My classroom had a variety of math skills, so by using a differentiated model I was able to meet all of my students’ skill levels. The structure of guided math allowed me to apply differentiated instructional practices. Ability groups were formed based on the data collected during observations and assessments. Pre and post test scores, observations during whole group instruction, and exit tickets aided in the decision of ability groupings.

The above picture shows the differentiation in XtraMath goals students were working on achieving. Green means that the student has mastered the fact correctly and quickly. Yellow means the student answers correctly, but not quickly. Grey means the student has not answered that fact quickly or reliably. White means the student is not yet practicing this fact. Student 3 has mastered addition and has moved on to subtraction.

To the right is a picture of a completed bar graph that a student completed. The task was to count the tallies of each, then color in a bar for each category and finally pick two of the categories to compare. The purpose of this assignment was to see if students could accurately count tallies and then use that number to create a bar graph and interpret the data.

During small group instruction, I adapted the content to meet student needs appropriately through multiple modes. Support (in the form of verbal scaffolds or feedback), games, manipulatives and math talk strategies were used in each group setting. Games were also used during station time. The independent worksheets used the same content, but the number of questions, type of questions, and expectations changed based on each students’ ability. The worksheets were from our curriculum student books. One group did the worksheets independently, while the two groups got support from me on one side and support from the math paraprofessional on the other side and another group did half with me and half independently.

Students set individual goals daily. Daily goals were created around content. Goals ranged from creating graphs and interpreting data, to being fluent in basic math facts. Students created their own bar graphs and interpreted the data on Seesaw using comparing words such as more or fewer. Students were able to pick which two data points they wanted to compare. XtraMath was used to help students develop quick recall and automaticity of their basic math tests. Students took a placement test on XtraMath to develop a unique set of facts for them to practice. A matrix was provided for students to see which facts they knew and which they still needed to learn. The goal was for students to turn the whole matrix from grey to green by learning all the facts. To break the larger goal down, students first needed to master addition and then we set a new goal of mastering subtraction.

Collaboration with Stakeholders

Throughout the study, I continuously collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to transform student learning. These internal and external stakeholders provided me with a plethora of information to shape the action plan for this study. Without these particular stakeholders, I would not have been able to successfully implement the components of the Guided Math Model to its fullest extent.

Internal Stakeholders

I collaborated with my building math specialist to plan “just right” lessons for each small group. We explored curriculum materials to determine the appropriate level of intervention or scaffolding needed for students. In addition, the math specialist and her paraprofessional provided instructional support in the classroom during whole group mini-lessons and station time. My building administrators provided me verbal praise and support throughout the entirety of my study.

I had substantial support and engagement with my CADRE Associate who helped me integrate and implement the guided math model. My associate provided an extra hand in accessing and collecting data to help tweak instructional content and strategies for each group.

External Stakeholders

Many of my CADRE colleagues researching guided math helped in collaboration of activities, lessons, assessments, data points, and overall structure. My professors helped me to better my action research by suggesting instructional strategies and provided me resources to research independently. I collaborated with the district math facilitator to seek guidance on the implementation of guided math in the classroom.

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