Academies & Institutes

5-day Math Intensive Academy

Using Graphic Organizers and Assessment Tools to Make Mathematics Content more Accessible to Struggling Students

Summary: This 5-day academy is designed to provide participants with instructional and assessment strategies that target struggling students in the content area of mathematics. The academy will focus on the strategic use of graphic organizers (both teacher-directed and student-directed arrangements) and assessment strategies that can be used to compliment existing programs and curriculum already in place.  Participants will be provided planning time to develop plans that incorporate the use of Graphic Organizers and Assessment Strategies for current and upcoming topics of instruction during each session. 

Tentative outline for the 5-days:
Days 1 and 2     
Focus:  Use of Graphic Organizers

Participants will learn to effectively use Graphic Organizers and be able to—

The intent is to also shift the focus when working with struggling students from basic skills instruction in isolation, to the instructional focus supported by the TEKS and the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000) includes teaching higher-level thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills that are embedded in real-world situations.  Participants will engage in activities that illustrate how and why Graphic Organizers are a valuable tool for assisting struggling students with basic mathematical procedures and mathematical problem solving. At the end of the session participants will be knowledgeable of the following: What is a Graphic Organizer? Why Use Graphic Organizers for Content Instruction?  What Are the Components of Graphic Organizers? How do I Use Graphic Organizers in My Classes?

Participants should bring and use resource and curriculum materials for day 2 to develop plans that incorporate the use of Graphic Organizers for current and upcoming topics of instruction and be prepared to collect student samples of work to bring to session 2 to share.

Days 3 and 4           
Focus: Assessment for Individual and Small Groups Tasks

Participants will participate in a Gallery Walk where artifacts will be shared during the morning.
Continue to work on use of graphic organizers

Assessing Individual Tasks Participants will explore the use of formative assessments and be provided with strategies designed to assist them with how to ascertain how students are progressing in their learning. Formative assessments to be explored include student demonstrations, written projects, and interviews between teacher and student. The intent is that these formative assessments not be used for grading purposes, but provide both teacher and student with valuable feedback about the student’s progress. The desired outcome is that participants use this information to make informed decisions about their teaching, such as adjusting the rate of instruction, assigning remedial activities, and planning alternative experiences.
Assessing Small Group Tasks Participants will become acquainted with research and activities that illustrate how to assess learning is inherently social and gain a better understanding of how collaborative learning provides social stimulation of mutual engagement.  This mutual exploration, meaning-making, and feedback often lead to better understanding on the part of students, and to the creation of new understanding as well.  Participants will become familiar with specific strategies assessment strategies including Guided Reciprocal Peer Questioning, Double Entry Journal, Send-A-Problem, Paired Annotations, and Focused Listing will be explored and illustrated.

Day 5
Participants will bring sample of student work to share and discuss in a small group setting.  What worked/did not work will be a facilitated discussion.  Participants will begin to make plans for future sue of strategies.

Self Reflection activities will be conducted as well as additional planning time to prepare for the next school year and use of the content and knowledge gained from the institute.

Some of the content from Day 5 will be adjusted based on the results of Days 3 and 4.

Beatrice Moore Luchin is an outstanding teacher who genuinely cares about children and is passionate about the teaching of mathematics. She has devoted her career to working with struggling students, especially in the area of mathematics. She is a past member of the Board of Directors for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and is the co-author of Algebra I, Algebra II, Mathematics Applications and Connections Courses 1, 2, and 3, and Helping Your Struggling Student Be More Successful in Mathematics (Grades 5-8).

Who Should Attend: Secondary Math Teachers, Lead Teachers, and Administrators.

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