Middle school math classrooms are a hub of diverse learners, each with their own strengths, challenges, and learning styles. How can we possibly meet all of our students’ needs? Say hello to guided math – a student-centred teaching strategy that is your solution to small group instruction.
Guided math is a dedicated block of time during your math workshop where you meet with a small group of students. It’s the opportunity you’ve been longing for to provide targeted and individualized instruction, address specific learning needs, and foster a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
How do you get going with guided math? Here are 5 things for you to think about:
1. Guided Math Pre-Assessment
What have your students already shown you? Math workshop is review and practice in my math program. It’s not used at the beginning of a unit. Look back over your anecdotal observations and exit tickets from a previous lesson. Which students are getting there with a concept, which ones have got it, and which ones are already going beyond? This will help you to organize your math workshop groups accordingly.
2. Flexible Grouping
When forming groups for math workshop, always start with the students who would benefit the most from meeting with the teacher first. To be clear, I don’t put all the students who are “getting there” in one group. It’s not ability grouping but I do meet with the students who may need more support to complete the independent activities in the first two math workshop rotations. All the groups should have a variety of learners in them. They need each other!
3. Focused Mini-Lessons
Each rotation in Math Workshop is about 15-20 minutes so you need to pick a specific concept or skill to work on. Pull questions from your math textbook or other math resources for your guided math group.
I usually pick 6 questions, two from each category below:
- Getting There – questions that are usually in the concrete and representational phases with lots of manipulatives and tools to represent thinking. You may even want to go back a grade or two and pick questions from there.
- Got It – questions that would meet the standard of the curriculum; students may be representing their thinking more abstractly and using equation
- Going Beyond – questions that challenge students to apply what they’ve learned using formulas or more open-ended questions
4. Problem-Solving Partnerships
Here’s the trick…this is not necessarily an opportunity for direct instruction. Get your students to share their thinking with one another. If someone has a question, they should ask their peers. You are there to guide and nudge their thinking along.
5. Formative Assessment
When students are rotating to the next station, use this time to make notes on your students’ progress. Even if it’s just a +, checkmark, or – beside their name. This will help you to be responsive to your students when planning your next lesson.
If you’re excited about the idea of transforming your middle school math class but need to see exactly how guided math works, then click here to dive into a sample math workshop.
Want to unlock the full potential of your math workshops without spending hours crafting lesson plans and activities? Look no further – I’ve got you covered with this collection of “Done for You” math workshops.
I’m Lauren, from “From Math to Music” – your go-to person for all things Math and Classroom Community.
Being a middle-school teacher and a mom of 3, I know how hard it is for busy teachers to create resources that allow for deep thinking and build classroom community. That's why I love sharing tips and tricks that you can you use in your middle school classroom right this minute.
