Norms & Values

As a teacher, I feel that my job is to work with students to co-construct a space in which students treat each other with respect, take academic and social risks, and push each other to think deeper. Rather than being positioned at the center of the classroom, I see myself as more of a facilitator who guides students in uncovering math concepts and exchanging ideas. In reality, my efforts to create this sort of space resulted in different outcomes in each of my classes.

When I first started working with each class, I prioritized getting to know my students. In my numeracy class, the starters for the first few weeks in September mostly asked students to write me something about themselves, ranging from their favorite food to the hardest struggle they’ve had to overcome. Each day students volunteered to share their answers and comment on each other’s responses. I wrote notes back to them each day in an effort to show them that I cared about what they had to say. When I took over my integrated math class in November, the students were deep in a unit on slope, and I didn’t want to backtrack (or what seemed like backtracking at the time) and take away class time to discuss their favorite foods without brining in some math. Instead, I found ways to relate the math to something in their lives, which allowed them to write to me about their mathematical thinking as well as their life outside of school. The pressure I put on myself to get through the curriculum in my integrated math class definitely negatively impacted the amount of time I spent getting to know them, whereas in numeracy the curriculum is much looser, so I felt like I could dedicate more time there. Going forward, I want to find a better balance between focusing on the math and focusing on my students’ lives outside of school.

In both of my classes, I emphasized showing each other respect by listening to each other and adding to each other’s ideas. If a student was sharing an idea and another student started to have a side conversation, I usually made a point of stopping the class and reminding them that they needed to listen to each other. To promote this sort of behavior, I asked students to repeat what another student had said or add onto it. If students asked me what another student just said, I deferred back to that student instead of repeating it for them. The same went for explanations; I often asked students to explain concepts to each other, rather than wait for me to come over and explain it. This showed my students that they needed to listen to each other, not just to me, and the classroom became a space in which collaboration was the norm.

My numeracy class embodied this much more than my integrated math class, for they were constantly feeding off each other or challenging each other. With that class, I could often step back completely and they would keep the conversation going. My students in my integrated math class were much less apt to speak in a whole-class discussion, so I found myself waiting a while for students to step up or cold-calling on students to speak. Overall, my numeracy students seemed much more willing than my integrated math students to take risks, which I think was a reflection of the level of comfort they felt with one another and with me. 

Equity & Access

To make these norms accessible to all my students, I took care to choose activities that had multiple entry points. Students in my classes could often begin the problem-solving process by using both mathematical and non-mathematical prior knowledge to interpret a scenario or think about a concept. I used low-stakes writing and talking to help students take note of their ideas, asking them to write down what they noticed and then share it with a partner. This eased students into activities and helped them focus on what they did know and see the value in that. 

To ensure that all students were challenged, especially when they were working on more skills-based activities, I provided tiered worksheets for students to choose from. Students who needed more practice could choose the lower tiered worksheets and work their way up, while students who needed more of a challenge could choose the higher tiered worksheets. By leaving the choice up to the students, I encouraged them to reflect on their own needs and take control of their education. No one needed to feel ashamed for taking a lower tiered sheet since they were doing what was right for them.