Math Differentiation

Math Resources

Best Practices for Gifted Learners in a Mathematics Classroom

(From the book Best Practices in Gifted Education by Ann Robinson, Bruce M. Shore and Donna L. Enerson)

1. Hold high expectations for all students and have them share the different ways they work through problems.
2. Include games, art and drama - Allow students to change words into formulae, express visual patterns in words, make written musical notation into variations of rhythm and pitch and solve problems using their own techniques.
3. Make time for puzzles
4. Compact students who have shown mastery of concepts through pretests.
5. Provide manipulatives other than pictures and diagrams.
6. Have gifted students work together to explain topics to each other then show their knowledge to the teacher through displays and knowledge fairs.
7. Offer students opportunities to participate in local, national and international mathematical competitions.

Differentiation Strategies

This strategy is from the book Teaching Gifted Kids in The Regular Classroom By Susan Winebrenner.

• At the beginning of each chapter or unit, pretest all students.
• Once you have the results, create 4 different groups
  1. Students who have little or no knowledge of the standards
  2. Students who have some knowledge of the standards
  3. Students who know 80% or more of the content
  4. Students who have mastered almost all of the upcoming content. With Group 4, use material from a higher grade. Work with another teacher to trade-off teaching these students.
• Create Math Achievement Teams for each chapter or unit. Each team should include representation from the 1s, 2s and 3s
• Meet separately with groups 1, 2 and 3. Each group will have a different assignment but will be learning the same general concept. Only the strategies and instructional level will be different.
• Students will work with their math achievement team to complete their individual assignment. Homework will come from their individual assignment so homework is already differentiated.
• Between 1/3 and 1/2 of the work that you give group 3 will be regular curriculum content. The rest should be extension activities.
• Groups 3s will not spend a lot of time helping others. They need to work on the extension activities. However these, activities will not be graded.
• To be fair, during regular intervals have the other students have opportunities to work on extension activities.

Book Suggestions

1. Passport To Learn - Projects To Challenge High-Potential Learners ByJacque Melin (This book is a great resource if you are looking for activities for students who finish early or as projects for students who pre-test out of units of study)
2. Differentiating Instructions With Menus-Math Grades 6-8 By Laurie E. Westphal
3. Taskmasters! Performance Tasks for High Ability Middle School Students - Math By Carolyn Stamm (This book is recommended by the Alabama Department of Education Gifted Coordinator)
4. Rigor and Engagement for Growing Minds - Strategies that Enable High-Ability Learners to Flourish in All Classrooms By Bertie Kingore (I have heard her speak and all her ideas are fabulous!)

Resources from the Alabama Department of Education Gifted Coordinator

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=113631

Resources from the National Society for the Gifted and Talented

http://www.nsgt.org/educational-resources/math/

Resources from Hoagies Gifted Education page

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/math.htm