Why I Had to Modify Number Talks
I have many students who are afraid of arithmetic and who solve problems mechanically using whatever method they have been taught without thinking about what they are doing. After reading about number talks, I thought, “What a terrific way of introducing flexibility in problem solving!” “But, what do I do with an entire class of students with anxiety disorders?” If I ask them to multiply a pair of 2 digit numbers in their heads without using a pencil and paper, will they try it or will they shut down and refuse to try anything else in my classroom for the rest of the school year?
If I have only five (or two or three) students in a class, can I do number talks or will I get too few ideas to help students understand different approaches? Will I get enough different ideas to really help them see that there are different ways to do problems and they can use the one that makes most sense to them? More about my number talk experiences in a future blog post.
Why I Had to Modify Group Work
The consensus among people who educate teachers seems to be that it helps to have students work together in groups. I thought about some of the classes that I and my colleagues have taught. There was the really competitive class in which students would make fun of anyone who made a mistake. There was the class with the two noisy students who couldn’t be allowed near each other because they would hit each other with book bags and knock papers off each other’s desks. The third student was sensitive to loud sounds and kept asking to work outside by himself where things were quieter.
There were the classes of extremely distractible students who regularly got into conversations with each other and totally forgot the mathematics. (Of course I redirected them. It would only last for a minute or two.) There were the classes with a scapegoat who was put down by everyone else in the class if he even tried to participate in a conversation. How could I try group work if it subjected a student to bullying and harassment?
I go to conferences and ask other teachers how they handle similar problems. I have had other teachers tell me that I just need to get my students together to talk to each other to resolve the problems. I do see change and improved behavior for some of my students over a period of several years. I rarely see that type of change over a few weeks or a few months. If weekly group therapy and counseling can’t fix it in under a year, I don’t believe that I, as a mathematics teacher, can fix a destructive behavior pattern in under a year either. As a result, in some classes, I try to find ways to help my students share information without actually having to work together. More about that in another blog post.
When the Ability Gap is Too Large to Bridge
Current orthodoxy is that mathematics students should not be grouped by ability. Everyone should be in a class together. Since the range of abilities among my students is wider than in a typical classroom, I cringe at the thought. If I try problems with a low entry threshold and a high upper bound on what students can achieve, will I still be able to do group work that includes students who forget by the next day along with students who have more typical memories? What about grouping students who don’t understand whether they should multiply or divide two numbers to calculate take home pay with students who can read the same word problem and write an equation to describe the problem situation? Students at a 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade math level with students who can write and solve equations at an 8th grade level?
The students who forget by the next day are used to being embarrassed in mathematics classes and they are already in the habit of shutting down at the first idea they don’t understand. They would rather be accused of laziness than be accused of stupidity and stupid is how they see themselves. If I include them in groups working with more neurotypical students, will I destroy their confidence?
Do I Really Believe What the Experts Say?
I know that Jo Boaler grouped students of many levels together in her summer camp math program (If you haven’t taken her online Methods and Materials class, I highly recommend it.) On the other hand, I did see one child in her videos almost screaming with frustration after another student tried to explain something to her. I wonder how that particular child felt about mathematics by the end of the summer program? If I try the group work for my students without Jo Boaler’s experience and level of skill, will that work for my students? More about my experiences with one of Jo Boaler’s weeks of inspirational math in another blog post. (See www.youcubed.org for information about her week of inspirational math.) I do know that if even one student is lost in my class, I can’t just teach the others and allow that child to flounder. I need to reach every student as best I can.
Please Share Your Own Experiences and Ideas
I am hoping this blog will connect me to other teachers who work with special needs students. I want to share some of the things that worked for me. I am hoping that others of you will chime in and share what worked for you. I will be happy to share your ideas and stories with the world as well as my own. In fact, I will be happy to have you write a guest blog if you are willing to share your ideas and approaches.
If you have worked with special needs children and you have wondered whether information from the experts will work for your students, please share your doubts and questions. I get tired of being the only person at an NCTM or AMTNJ meeting that says,” Does that work when . . .?” and have everyone look at me as if they had never come across a similar situation.
For those of you who do not have a lot of experience with special needs students, I hope that I can supply some approaches that may be of use to you as well as an attitude check for you. Those students who never do homework, who try to skip school, who have an attitude about doing math (“When will I ever need this?) are doing their best. They are not necessarily careless or lazy, but they may have given up trying because they are so discouraged. It is our job to meet them where they are, not to write them off.