What approaches allow for equitable access to learning?
“Mathematics is a subject that allows for precise thinking, but when that precise thinking is combined with creativity, flexibility, and multiplicity of ideas, the mathematics comes alive for people. Teachers can create such mathematical excitement in classrooms, with any task, by asking students for the different ways they see and can solve tasks and by encouraging discussion of different ways of seeing problems.” (Boaler, Mathematical Mindsets, 2015, p 59)
Considerations:
- provide ALL students with access to high quality numeracy experiences and high expectations for mathematics learning
- encouraging multiple ways for students to demonstrate their understanding
- student voice and choice
- inclusive practices, such as accommodations for written output and sensory/physical needs, and cultural responsiveness
- provide high level content to ALL students through parallel tasks, where the same learning standard is being addressed
- flexible groupings
- whole group: instruction and building community understanding
- small group: guided math, differentiation, explores
- individual: conferencing, interviews, explicit instruction, authentic practice
- “visibly random groupings”
- visual components, open tasks, multi-modality
Resources:
Provide ALL students with access to high quality numeracy experiences and high expectations for mathematics learning
Access_and_Equity.pdfNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Access and Equity in Mathematics Education Position Paper
How can we engage and support diverse learners in inclusive classrooms? Nicole, Linda, and Leyton explore these questions and offer classroom examples to help busy teachers develop communities where all students learn, focusing on the big ideas in education today.
Galileo Network
Encouraging multiple ways for students to demonstrate their understanding
Videos:
What is Visible Learning for Mathematics with John Hattie.
App-Mazing Math Through Visible Learning
Blogposts about Inclusive practices
An excerpt from her book on inclusive practices:
Flexible groupings
Targeted, Small Group Instruction
In response to student needs or interests, guided math groups allow students to focus on a specific concept or skill in to develop or expand further understanding.
Guided Small Group Instruction
Guided math provided a framework to suport teachers in differentiating math instruction. Strategies for whole-class and small-group instruction, as well as Math Workshop are explored.
Dr Nicki Newton's Guided Math in Action books provide teachers with support towards providing effective guided math lessons, scaffolding learning in small groups, and assessing student learning.
Math Workshop by Jennifer Lempp
Characteristics of MathWorkshop.pdfCharacteristics of Math Workshop
Math Workshop Model
Math Workshop_3 Buckets.pdfMath Workshop: 3 Buckets
Visible Random Groupings
Every student has something to add to the conversation, and so grouping should be random. Keeping the randomness visible allows students to know that they are all a valued part of the group. With regular random grouping, students are given an opportunity to work with a variety of people, and are exposed to different ways of thinking. If a student grouping doesn't work one day, chances are those students will be in a different group the next day. Along the way, students learn that random doesn't always feel that random.
