REFLECTION

Impact on Student Learning

      Along with improving their math achievement, students grew in many other skills. Through the implementation of differentiated math, students learned how to better collaborate with their peers. Differentiated math provided students with the opportunity to work closely with their classmates. In small group, they would discuss ideas and approaches for problems and build understanding off of one another. This helped them improve their ability to elaborate on their thinking as well. It was much easier to have impactful discussion within the small group setting. While a small group was working together, the remainder of the class was improving their problem solving and independent work skills. Prior to my study, it was common for students to need assistance during work time because they were unable to read and work through activities. For example, at the beginning of each topic new packets and games were introduced with complete instructions where they were also given problem solving skills to use if they hit a wall and did not know how to proceed. I believe this helped not only in math, but in their school skills of working through problems and determining solutions to help work through it. Their stamina improved dramatically too. They were able to work for 15 minutes without needing attention or conversation with others. This growth, I feel, occurred both because of the structure of math groups and gradual growth as they continued later into kindergarten.

 

Impact on Current Teaching

      Although I learned a lot about how to implement change in my classroom, I also learned to better my planning, my ability to seek out enrichment/supplemental opportunities, how to become more aware of student attitudes, and strengthen my ability to identify needs. Prior to beginning my study, my math lessons consisted of getting curriculum math mats, utilizing curriculum website videos, and using scripts from the manual. I depended on the lessons provided with little or no deviation. When I began differentiated math, I started seeking activities to push my students and improve misconceptions that I used in my small group. I found worksheets that were at the appropriate level for students to complete independently and created and used games that aligned with previously taught concepts. By giving the climate survey, I become more aware of my students attitudes and feelings toward our classroom. This impacted my teaching because it made me more aware of student struggles that needed to be addressed. Some of the responses were hard to hear, but I believe they improved my instruction with those insights. Before my study I was able to observe and note students weaknesses or strengths, but my study gave me the tools to more specifically note needs and a scale on which to show the range of my students. I feel this was a major piece of differentiated math that impacted my instruction.

 

Impact on Professional Growth

      While completing my study, I grew professionally by communicating and collaborating with my peers in CADRE, professors, colleagues, and district staff. Collaboration was a big piece of my study. I discussed my study with my CADRE peers and we exchanged many ideas such as how we were collecting data. This helped to broaden my ideas and discover new ideas that might work well in my classroom. I utilized my professors who helped give me ideas used from past years and edited material I wrote. My CADRE associate helped implement my study by gathering data and co-teaching math with me. When she was able to be in my room, we would complete differentiated math in two groups, so students were able to receive instruction within an even more specific setting. All these factors impacted my professional growth because it taught me how to seek help and receive criticism in a useful growth-oriented mindset. For my study, I also sought out research to help determine how to go about my study. I had the idea of differentiated math based on the needs in my classroom, but research told me how to go about it and why. Obtaining research is a form of professional growth because it pushed me to implement research-based strategies to better my teaching. As a teaching professional, there will always be more research to learn from to help identify student needs.

 

What was Learned and What Questions Still Remain

      I learned that small group instruction for my kindergarteners impacted their learning and increased their math achievement. I also learned the process of implementing differentiated math into my daily routine. Going from whole group for an hour to dividing that into 4 different chunks was a process for both my students and me to smooth out. Looking back, I loved how much it has benefited their learning and I am a better teacher for it. Although the study is completed, I still had a few questions. The first math topic covered during the study was addition and I wondered if we began with a different topic, would it have been easier to implement. Addition was difficult for my students and made it more challenging to switch the format of math as well. I started my study at the end of January and I wonder if it would have been different results if I was able to start the study earlier in the year or if they would not have been ready and capable to complete small group math any earlier. We began reading groups around the middle of October, which benefited and helped the process run better when we began math groups, so if we hadn’t refined our reading group rotations, would math groups have been more challenging. Throughout the study, I had lots of assistance from my CADRE associate who brainstormed activities and games for each topic, as well as co-taught math when she was available. Without her guidance, having groups may have felt overwhelming or if I would have had to make the groups and time increments smaller to manage them without her.  

 

Change, Modify, or Refine for Future

      As I reflected back on the process, there were certain things I would change or modify if I could go back. When I first introduced differentiated math groups to my class, I had the groups and their stations on the whiteboard. This was a similar format to my reading groups, so I assumed it would be a quick transition. But when students were at games, I had three of the six go to games that I assigned and the remaining three went to Chromebooks. Since they were a part of the same group and I was just splitting them for that rotation, the board said they were all at games. This caused a lot of confusion and made it difficult to transition without me up at the board instructing students where to go. If I could go back, I would have created four groups, with fewer students per group, to allow them to remain together and rotate to packet, games, Chromebooks, and teacher more smoothly. Time is limited, but I believe this would have benefited my students and even allowed for smaller groups sizes.

 

Future Thinking, Behaving, and Interacting Impact

      Moving forward, my thinking will be more positive about the needs in my classroom. Instead of approaching needs with fear and anxiety about failing, I will make it an opportunity to grow and improve. In the future, I will seek new opportunities to create the best learning environment for my students. I want to operate with excitement to grow and instill in my students a learning passion. Interactions throughout my study allowed me to gain new perspectives and foster relationships, and I plan to continue to broaden my community of mentors and peers.

 

Impact on Future Teaching

      Performing action research will impact my future teaching because if I see a need in my classroom, I can implement action research to improve it. During the process, it was not as easy to recognize growth occurring, but now that it is completed, it is evident how differentiated math instruction has contributed to my students learning. In the future, I hope to become more confident at identifying a need and, not shying away from but, actively pursuing a change. The process is long, but the outcome has been worth it. I am much more comfortable now reaching out to others and seeking advice on how to improve. I am more assured in finding and utilizing research and making connections from them to determine how implementation can occur. I do not want to become stagnant or let my students be negatively impacted. Action research confirmed for me that research, and therefore my growth as a teacher, will never stop.