How are Action stations meeting the individual needs of your students?

Planning for diverse needs and interests is always challenging. In many cases you are exposing students to new experiences and thinking through careful planning and design. 


These are a few tips to follow to ensure you are meeting the needs of your students. 

• Planning carefully with the students in mind
• Reflecting on PMI at the end of the week on planning
• Math goals for maths and reinforcing learning through inquiry with equipment  taught at math time
• Challenge Board to get shared language happening and peer support, addresses hot spots in spelling and maths
• Reflection time is a powerful place to do this and carry out an expectation
• Focus question at start of week must address learning to learn and scaffold the learning throughout the week.
• Buddies for those who need it or work with a friend for a bit
• Ensuring they know what they want to get better at and they can verbalise it clearly and confidently 

High alert for the children who cannot self manage - student is taken to Action Stations Board asked to hand over their name tag as they cannot make choices for their learning, name tag is put up high on the board. This is for a very short time and student is kept with teacher during targeted teaching groups. They must make a good choice for their learning before going back to stations. 

What is an investigating book?

With a plea to reduce the amount of paper our children were using when practicing their learning I sifted through their extra stationary and handed out a line exercise book. We named it the investigating book

The children could use this book for any learning they liked.

The rules;

1. Can't use crayons, vivid's or felts that will go through paper
2. Must be respectful at all times
3. Must be used to explore, practice or design. 
4. Can't go home 0 just in case we forget to bring it back the next day causing stress for all parties
5. Teachers never mark them!

The children used it for designing their constructions, practicing their handwriting, learning their math goals, drawing and labelling diagrams, The ideas were endless. Some of their best work was done in this book. 

The fact that teachers never marked these books is what made them so powerful. The children could explore and take risks without being judged. 

We used a book that was not too large and had lines to support neatness and handwriting skill development. 

How do I teach children to use numeracy equipment?

To support children in learning their own number knowledge goals we have to empower them with the skills to use equipment. 

Throughout the inquiry process students will…

• -       ask more questions
• -       make conjectures
• -       plan and monitor their activity
• -       develop collaboration skills
• -       Identify when they need knowledge
• -       Ask the teacher for instruction
• -       Explain their reasoning
• -       Prove their results

Do it Daily

Pose the question….

How many ways can we make 10?

What is 10?

How can a number line help my learning?

How can a tens frame help my learning?

How can lego help my math thinking?

Record their ideas

Put their name to it so you can see who is sharing.  Give them ownership of their idea

Give them the equipment

Let them work on their own with a buddy or small group to explore opportunities for learning. Observe, listen and record what you hear. Math language, thinking, discourse, identify their next steps for scaffolding.

Regroup and discuss

Scaffold thinking to explore new ways of using equipment. Invite questions. Challenge them with another question.

Record new ideas

On the same page and first ideas. Display on class wall for referring back to.

Now they are ready to teach themselves their own math goals in number knowledge

This is a powerful way to not only scaffold children into using equipment but the children come up with such diverse ways I would never have thought of. 

I display these on the wall as a reference point for later teaching. It also informs parents of how children are learning especially if they come in as parent help. 

Children are never old enough for these skills to be developed. Showing your thinking in different ways is vital in all mathematical workings. 

 

How do I use Numeracy Visual Pathways

Purpose

• Provides a visual data wall for you providing appropriate timely child centred teaching
• Provides feedback and next steps parents can help with at home
• Provides current goals and next learning steps for each child
• Provides a pathway of learning (big picture) for children
• Ensures there are no gaps in learning of knowledge teaching or learning
• Aligns with Numeracy Project and National standards and testing
• Creates peer tutoring opportunities
• Creates opportunities to learn using equipment in their own way when they want to – not just math time
• Empowers children as learners
• Provides consistent language of math for children throughout school
• Creates opportunities for children to share their challenges, learning, thinking and achievements with pride

Class display

• A3 laminated pathway for knowledge only on wall in sequence
• Only display the stages your children are working at (space)
• Once you have gathered data you will know what stage they are working at for knowledge
• Put each child’s name on a math counter and blu tac it to the start of the stage they are working in creating the look of a board game.
• No children are to touch their name – only teacher decides if they can move up a block
• Children must pass through each step and never jump steps without providing evidence of their learning.

Daily

• Children work on their knowledge goal independently, with peers, using equipment every day while you are working intensive teaching strategy with group.
• Children are introduced to different ways to use equipment to achieve their goal through inquiry so it is child owned and child centered learning.

Routine may look like:

• Warm up – you tube song about counting back
• Pose a question – How can I learn to write numbers correctly, How can I get better at adding? What is a number line? What equipment will help me learn to skip count backwards?
• Children investigate, discuss, share, as teacher collects information from children and records on large paper poster for class. (list, mindmap) This can be reflected on later in the week with which is the best equipment for this job? What was the quickest strategy for this problem?
• Ask children what is your goal and send away to the number space. Children then work on math goals independently confident that they are focused. Intensive strategy teaching is done with groups
• Children share with you three ways they achieved a goal then you decide if they go up to next goal. This is important to do regularly otherwise they will lose interest. You need to value their work as much as you want them to.
• Sharing time at end of math session Teacher scaffolds by questioning.
• What was the tricky part?
• What equipment helped you today?
• Did someone else help you with your thinking?
• What will your next goal be?
• Can you think of another way to learn this or show your thinking?

How do I keep them thinking in the math space?

Challenge Board 
Pose a problem for all to solve.
Displays the variety of answers and encourages discussion using language of - justifying, reasoning, explaining, confirming or challenging ideas, thinking and understanding.

Shape Sorter

Great shape sorter! What treasures you could put in that basket. Important skill to move from 3D to 2D.

http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/2012/06/another-matching-game/

Scissor Cutting

Personalised Dice Maker

http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/personalized-paper-dice-coloring-page/



Puzzle Maker

http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/make-a-puzzle-coloring-page/

Bolts!

Match the bolt with the screw or the key to the lock. Brilliant for the boys.

Colour By Numbers

Awesome. Colour matching, colouring skills while matching numbers! Get the children to make their own.

http://theprincessandthetot.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Tot%20School

Mission Impossible

Got an unused space calling out for attention. This would be huge amounts of fun to help children learn self management and body awareness.

Marble Run

Shift it around to make different runs. I love the idea of being magnetic so you can change it around.

http://howtogiveandtake.blogspot.com/?zx=19a64ec8d04d9df9

Shape Monsters

WOW Art, Maths, Language development, the list goes on. They look awesome too!
http://www.houseofbabypiranha.com/2010/09/shape-monsters.html

Rock Art

How clever. Naturalist paradise. Kids can paint their picture over three rocks to make a puzzle for others to try or admire.

http://avidekiotthon.blogspot.com/2011/06/tengerparti-hangulat-dekoracio.html

3D construction

Simple yet extremely effective. Scraps of card slotted together to make 3D art!!

http://www.thechocolatemuffintree.com/2012/04/23-recycled-projects-for-earth-day.html

Sand art

Cornmeal on a black table surface. Great for writing numbers, words, picture planning, and experimenting with different tools for different patterns, textures and shapes

Number Stix

Love this idea for maths, art, fine motor skills and sharing opportunities

Constructions

These children have used different things to create stable buildings and tall structures. The language about strength, height, team work and problem solving is inspiring.

I would also like to try using cards, straws, to challenge their thinking further. If you have any ideas please share them with a comment below.

Sarias 3D Mask

At Action Stations mask making was an option the children were keen to do. However, when I put out photocopies of masks, Saria went that extra step and turned hers into a 3D mask. It was very clever because there was no lines or anyone to show her how to do that. She did it by herself and was very proud to share her thinking at reflection time. Clever investigating Saria. 

Newspaper Costumes

We have a new station designing and making our own costumes out of newspaper. A bit like wearable arts but done with only newspaper. They are very proud to model their learning for a photo shoot as well. 

Pulley's and Weights

A simple pulley system not only engaged concepts and thinking about weight and systems but also patience and team work. Providing a variety of things to pull up and down ignited lots of creativity in ways to use the pulley. The children told very interesting stories about what they were doing and why. A great way to integrate science and math into action stations.