EMILY DUPNICK

The ability of teachers to communicate and solve problems while working with the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of different disciplines.

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This principle is demonstrated by the ability to:

• set learning goals that reflect command of the subject matter

• design and implement instruction that develops students' conceptual understanding of core knowledge

• interact with learners, providing meaningful and strategic information

• improve learners' communication and quantitative skills through meaningful learning engagements

• model effective communication and problem solving

• use a variety of media and technology

• distinguish high quality educational materials

• write and speak with clarity

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Evidence #1: Math Stations

 

During my student teaching, I also helped teach math lessons with my mentor teacher. She had designed her classroom around mini-lessons with anchor charts and interactive notebooks and stations.  Students were taught a new skill during the 15-20 minute mini-lesson or reviewed a previously learned skill by taking notes and practicing the skill in their notebooks.

 

During station time, which lasted about 30 -40 minutes, students were placed in small groups and worked together to complete a task. Since stations were only 30 minutes, students did not rotate stations each day. Instead, they worked at one station and rotated to the next station the next day, so by the end of the week, students had rotated to each station. Please click on the files below to view sample rotation charts in which students change groups each rotation or they stay in the same groups each rotation. In my classroom, students were grouped heterogeneously, so the higher ability students could support the  struggling students. Also, other teachers or instructional assistants could float around to various stations as needed to assist students, but stations are designed to function without adult intervention. This may be a huge adjustment for students who have never experienced stations before, so it may be something that has to be gradually incorporated into the classroom schedule.

 

The five stations consisted of:

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1. Teacher Time

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At this station, students met with the teacher in either heterogeneous or homogeneous groups to work with the teacher on either a new skill or a skill that the class was struggling with. During this time, the teacher used individual whiteboards to show and work problems with the students. Also, this time was used for the teacher to assess each student's knowledge and understanding of a certain skill. Notes and next steps were recorded for each student on a checklist.

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2. Technology

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At this station, students worked independently or together as needed to complete computer-based tasks. These included various online math games to practice speed and accuracy.

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3. Fact Fluency

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At this station, students gathered at a small side table to practice their math facts, including multiplication and division. They practiced their facts through various cooperative learning games, such as bingo and puzzles. For one unit, they practiced finding equivalent fractions by playing a form of "Go Fish" in which they had to solve for and then ask their partner for the equivalent fraction of their card. Students were required to show any and all work they did to solve the problems and turn it into the tray at the end of station work for the teacher to review as a form of formative assessment.

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4. Independent

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This station was the only station in which students were not allowed to ask each other for help or talk to each other. During this time, students were tasked with an individual worksheet or other task to complete quietly and independently. These tasks and projects were always over a previously learned skill that students should have mastered. Student work would be submitted to the teacher to assess student comprehension.

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5. Problem Solving

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At this station, students worked together to solve  difficult word problems. They used a graphic organizer to solve the problem and organize their work. The sheet had boxes for given information, needed information, work space, and an answer box. Students rarely got through more than 1-2 problems each rotation, but they learned to think critically and use their math knowledge to solve contextual problems.

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Please view the attached video to see math stations in action. I am working at the first station, Fact Fluency, and we were  finding equivalent fractions by playing a version of the card game, "Go Fish", in which students asked for the equivalent fraction to the one they had in their hand. I was working with a student who was struggling with this concept, while the other two students played the game by themselves. The other stations were also working on fraction-related tasks because that was the current math unit when this video was recorded. (If you are having trouble viewing the video, please click here to view it on YouTube's website.)

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Evidence #2: Reading Strategies

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I created this website as a "literacy toolbox" to gather together a variety of reading strategies that I have found useful during tutoring sessions. I plan to refer to this "toolbox" in the future when I have my own classroom, so I can effectively teach my students to read critically and for meaning. These strategies can be taught as mini-lessons and part of a reading workshop in any elementary classroom. Please click on the image to visit the website.