Teaching Strategies for Guided Math

I was tired of teaching to one big group, with everyone working on the same thing at the same time. And if I was feeling this way, I’m sure my elementary students were too.

Our team of teachers wanted to provide a more leveled approach to math to better serve every student. After analyzing data, we split the grade into three groups: those students needing extra help, those working on grade level, and those working above grade level (or those who identified as non-verbal gifted and talented). Elementary students could move between groups depending on what was best for them.

I was tasked with teaching the above-level math group. My teaching strategy was to give my students:

• The foundation of fourth grade math that the curriculum called for
• A chance to explore concepts above the fourth grade standards

My standard elementary math period now starts with a short, whole-group mini-lesson focusing on a fourth-grade skill or concept. The rest of the time students work at different stations, exploring concepts at their own pace and getting exposed to different skills. I float between stations, facilitating mathematical discussion and guiding students through new math concepts.

When I first set up these stations I realized one flaw: all of the stations were digital, and most involved working individually. While I embrace technology in my classroom, students also need time with non-digital media too so they can explore ideas together. That’s where DynaMath perfectly fits into my teaching strategy.

DynaMath gives students a ‘break’ from digital content, and keeps their attention during independent work. Not only that, it provides them with important reading practice.

DynaMath is ideal for a guided math station due to the high-interest articles, on- and above-level math topics, and challenging content. But most importantly for me, the math skills are relevant because they are rooted in the “real world” outside the classroom. Students read and work together to answer the questions.

While my students can easily do numerical calculations, many of them struggle when they have to read complex word problems and sift through information.

But give students an article about Wreck-It Ralph, or Ariana Grande, and they’re much more likely to want to read and enthusiastically sift through the article to apply it to a math concept. When this happens, they develop skills they can transfer to the more mundane word problems that they will encounter on a test.

Sometimes, students encounter a skill in DynaMath they haven’t even seen yet, but they work together to find the answers. And when this happens, I know that my new teaching strategies are a success.