teacher-led groups, sometimes based on grade level.all students learning content or being introduced to content at the same time.Typically, a multi-grade teacher organizes their classroom with the following structures: There are many resources within IM K–5 Math to support high-quality instruction within different instructional formats. On a ‘typical’ day, our math time would start out with some warm-ups, mental math, or group problem-solving/math challenges, then a brief lesson using some of the lesson activities, partner and individual work-time, and ending with a group share and discussion.” All of these games promoted and supported number talks and conversations, and the discussion of strategy and problem-solving skills….” Structuring the Multi-grade Classroom “IM centers and activities, plus games …were a regular part of our math time. Teachers may have to reorganize components, things will be different, but the success that can be experienced from facilitating effective student discourse can be experienced. An important component of IM K–12 Math is responding to student thinking, and we encourage teachers to keep that focus in a multi-grade-level group, even as we acknowledge that the lesson structure may be more fluid. Teachers in multi-grade classrooms employ flexible instruction structures and will need enriching options, hands-on resources, and engaging activities to continue and support the learning when students are not in discussions with their teacher. IM K–5 Math resources can support effective multi-grade learning environments. The teacher will need to have classroom management structures in place that allow them to discuss with students at one grade level while other students are engaged in math activities that they can do independently or in partnership with a peer. The multi-age classroom presents the challenge of how to provide the experience of rich classroom discourse to more than one grade at a time. I spent a lot of time encouraging students to listen and respond to each other during math discussions.” “We established early on that students learn just as much from each other as they do from me. The following quotes are from multi-grade pilot teachers. We believe students in any classroom, whether it contains a single grade or more than one, learn during their discussions with one another and in the whole-group discussions orchestrated by the teacher to summarize the content learning. Whether the teacher leading the learning is teaching in a conventional single-grade classroom or in a multi-grade classroom, the elements that distinguish our curriculum are the same: inviting students to the math, promoting deep study of concepts and procedures through solving problems and productive struggle, and consolidating understanding of mathematical ideas with teacher-led discussion. With IM, students become confident mathematicians through solving problems and participating in productive discussions led by teachers skilled in orchestrating those discussions. Our curriculum supports problem-based instruction and is aligned to the Common Core content and practice standards. The vision of Illustrative Mathematics is a world where all learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics. This blog is intended to share some of the strategies employed and difficulties experienced in the pilot years, and to also suggest some ideas for the multi-grade teacher to use in the year ahead. All teachers encounter students on varying levels in their classrooms and they work to meet their needs, but being charged with delivering content on two, or at times even three, different grade levels in math within the same classroom is an entirely stepped-up sort of challenge! During the alpha and beta pilots of IM K–5 Math we included schools with multi-grade classrooms and we know even more schools with multi-grade classes will be using IM K–5 Math in the 2021–22 school year. Teachers aren’t just essential workers they are also frequently miracle workers. How can a teacher in a multi-grade classroom provide this experience to more than one grade in the same room? The IM K–5 Math curriculum was designed to deliver high-quality grade-level content in this manner. Illustrative Mathematics believes that students can achieve success as mathematical thinkers by working through problems and consolidating their learning through classroom discussions and anchoring activities. By Jen Hawkins, IM Facilitator and IM K-5 Product Specialist
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