Is it me or the group?

As the students progress in groups I have come to notice that some groups progress through the lessons quicker than others. A teacher must continuously reflect and ask themselves the question when a group is not progressing quickly enough- Is it me or the group?

Below are some suggestions for either answer:

Group
-Not listening/Playing around/etc.
Try to ask yourself if you have set up routines and procedures for the classroom.  Entering the classroom, collecting supplies, exiting the classroom. Saying them at the beginning of the school year does not count, they need to be reminded. Have you taught them explicitly again and again. Ideally mastery at 80%.
-Have you gone over the STAR rules with your students. Are they visible and reviewed every day?
-Tardiness
is there a procedure in place to help address this issue(passes, buddy system, etc)

Me
-Do you have set procedures in place? (see group list)
-What factors are making you slow down/interruptions?( phone calls, distractors, etc)
-What can I do to control these distractors?


Regardless of the answer remember that we have a short amount of time to service these students and every minute counts in helping to close that gap. It is important to be reflective and try to determine any factors that may slow the group down so that they can be addressed and resolved.

Pacing or Racing- SRA Lesson Progression

As I reflect on the rest of this year I think about my life, my family and of course like any other teacher my career and students. I reflect on the SRA program and the struggle between lesson mastery and lesson progression. I know my kids are low, and may struggle with  completing the lessons in a timely manner, but I have to remember to keep moving them along in a "perky pace" so that I can eventually move them along to the next skill. The mathematician in me had to come up with a formula to determine how many lessons I should accomplish in a quarter. I created a bulletin board for all my groups. This was a great visual for myself and my students to help us determine if we were on the right pace. We even created a circle map(Thinking Maps school) to help us brainstorm how we could meet our goal.

It was all going well except for my most difficult struggling group. They were always behind and back two to three lessons compared to the other groups. I needed to progress them but not speed through the lessons. I really had to analyze the groups and determined that the reason for the slowing of the group was due to a few students. I decided to move through the lessons but pull those two students twice a week during recess and "firm up" their lacking skills within the lessons.

When working with students in the SRA program we have to remember that in order to catch them up we have to progress through the lessons at an adequate pace. It does feel like we are racing through the lessons but remember it is 90% review. Ultimately the true race that we  have is trying to have these students acquire the necessary skills to be successful in the mainstream classroom.

To Click or not to Click?....That is the question!

With all SRA materials they are a lot of signals that the teacher must remember to help facilitate the flow of the lesson. Some of them include the hand drop, pointing, and an auditory signal such as a clicker. I was hesitant at first about the clicker. I felt as though I was training a puppy instead of my students. I felt that having a dog clicker would be humiliating to the students and that they would hate me for it! I did not want to use the clicker, but again I had to remember that it was not about me, but about the kids and what they needed. 

So I went to PetSmart and bought a cute clicker for $4.99. The first day I used it the students were so excited and even wanted to click it.  I explained to them that the clicker was used to help them quickly realize when I needed a response from them. I told them that sometimes I would need them to be so focused on the facts/problems that their eyes would need to be focused on that rather than on me. So their if their eyes were busy then their ears would have to listen for the "click " to respond. They accepted the rationale and had no problem with it. I must admit I had more of an adjustment period than the students. 

The students enjoyed it and when we went over facts they would even want to take turns and try to click at a certain pace. They would even remind me (more like correct me) about when I was or was not using it. It was actually pretty funny. I would ask the students why they had not responded and they would say "You forgot to click". My students needed that structure and that auditory signal to chorally respond and at the same time give all of the students enough think time to answer correctly. So to answer the question of to click or not to click the answer is simple, whatever tool you use as a signal it has to be auditory and consistent in your campus so that the students familiarize themselves with it. 

It's not about ME.... It's what is best for students!

So I had no choice, I had to teach SRA. I had to find a happy place and make the program my own. Below I offer suggestions on how you can teach SRA with fidelity or any scripted program  while still making it your own. I was originally not a fan of SRA especially for math, but after seeing some of the structure and repetition and seeing student success in the skill eventually I had to give in and realize that the program was not about me, but about the students and how they learn. It was like the serenity prayer... I had to accept the things I cannot change, courage to accept the things I can and wisdom to know the difference; and reading from the scripted program is one of them! I could however have the courage to try to find new ways to incorporate some of me into the program, or classroom structure/routines. Below are some suggestions with examples.

1. Try to incorporate structures/concepts that the students/school uses-  Our school is a Thinking Maps school. I had to follow a certain set of rules. Instead of just listing them on chart paper, I incorporated them into a tree map. This was helpful for the students.

2. This is still your classroom! 
Try picking a theme or decor to make it about you and the kids. I came up with a Madagascar theme and each group had their team name such as Zebras, Penguins, etc. I put up progress charts of lesson progressions and each quarter I pick a different theme for the bulletin board. Make it meaningful and related to the students. Remember this is their learning space too.

3. The program is a effective as you mindset of it. 

Even though it is a scripted program you have to BELIEVE in it! I know this was hard for me at first but trust me once you see  your toughest group of fifth graders actually subtracting with regrouping on their own it is as if the heavens came down! This day will also come for your groups eventually! You just have to speak about the program positively in front of your students and colleagues and stay positive about it. Remember you are still a teacher just working with students that need a different  learning structure and repetition.

What??? I have to teach SRA??????

I have always had a love for mathematics. As a child I loved problem solving and mathematics. As I grew up I wanted others to learn to love mathematics. I became a teacher and after five years I thought I was making a mathematical difference in students lives and wanted to support additional students.  I decided to become a math interventionist but surprisingly did not realize how different it would be. My blog is about teaching mathematics with SRA and the emotional roller coaster journey I have experienced.

The reason I became a Math Interventionist was to help support additional students. The job description stated that interventionist would support both teachers and students in all the Tiers. I was so excited I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to work with others and at the same time work with children and provide them with best instruction. I was so excited to have such an opportunity. Finally after years of having such a reading driven system, math coaches and interventionist were coming back!

I obtained a position as a math interventionist at the ideal campus and I had great ideas as to how to support teachers with mathematics. But that all changed when I was told we were teaching SRA!!!! I was so disappointed I thought I knew what was best instruction and a scripted program was not it. I was soul searching thinking if I could somehow muster the strength  to teach a scripted program. I had no realistic alternative. Now what?