How will implementing guided math in a kindergarten classroom work to meet the needs of students in a low-income, high-diversity school?

Seminar Title

How will implementing guided math in a kindergarten classroom work to meet the needs of students in a low-income, high-diversity school?

differentiation, diversity, developmentally appropriate practice

Kindergarten

1st Grade

Mathematics

Mathematics

Frustrated with a math curriculum that just doesn't quite meet the needs of your students? Looking for a better way to structure you math instructional time? Guided math may be the answer for you. My kindergarten students come to school with a vast array of different experiences and level of school readiness. Many of them are learning English for the first time. It has been a challenge to meet everyone’s needs during math time. As a result of my research, I have started implementing Guided math in my classroom, and it has changed our math time for the better. Guided math is a framework that involved both whole and small group instruction. My research and implementation of guided math is based around concepts of differentiation, developmentally appropriate practice, and student independence. My research is most prevalent for the primary age range of kindergarten through second grade, although intermediate elementary who have students who at varying levels may find it useful. If you are looking for an opportunity to share resources around guided math, come check out my session!

Kathryn Simacek St. Cloud Learning Community kasima16@smumn.edu Focus Question: How can I best implement guided math in my kindergarten classroom? The question guiding my research is as follows: How can I best meet the diverse needs of the students in my class during their math instructional time? A review of the literature revealed multiple different factors effecting student’s performance in math and early number acquisition and how best to address these challenges. As a result of my literature review, I decided that the best approach to meet all my student’s needs in math was to implement guided math during my math instructional time. Guided math includes elements of whole group and small group instruction. Through my research I have learned the importance of good math instruction at the kindergarten level, partially for children that may come from a low socioeconomic background. When I first began implementing guided math in my kindergarten classroom, I intended to use data from last school year compared to this school year to see if it was effective. I collected an number of different types of data. First I collected data on number recognition and counting from the very beginning of the school, to serve as a base line of where the children entered my classroom. Then I collected data in October and November in both number recognition and counting. Lastly, I collected data on student attitudes towards math. Data shows improvement, but is hard to compare years against each other. As a result of my desire to better meet my student's needs during our math instructional time, I have begun to implement guided math in my classroom. Student's attitudes about math have improved during this time. I am also better able to work with where each group of students is at, and better meet the needs of my students in math.