What was implemented?

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For my action research I implemented the Math Workshop Model. Math Workshop includes four main components: a focused mini lesson, guided group instruction (guided math), collaborative practice and independent practice. I implemented these four components of Math Workshop in my classroom to provide enrichment for my above level students, additional instruction and practice for my on-level students, and intervention for my students who were below grade level.

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Math Workshop allowed me to use the gradual release model of teaching - “I do, we do, you do.” All students started out each day with a whole group lesson that was taught by me for 15 minutes. This laid a foundation for each of my students. The mini-lesson provided time for me to give direct instructional modeling to all my students. I would then meet with three groups each day in a small group format. During this time I was able to target instruction based upon my students' needs. The students were placed into groups based off of their topic pre-tests. These groups were fluid based on student growth and knowledge of skills. If at any point I felt as though a student could benefit from moving up or down in a group, the groups changed. Students not engaged with me in small group were provided with tasks for either independent or partner work. Independent work most days was a worksheet to practice the skill and demonstrate accuracy of the lesson taught that day. When they were not at the teacher station or independently working, students were either at an iPad station or collaboratively working with math games. My research showed that when a student fully understands a concept they can transfer knowledge to new contexts, apply concepts to different situations and look at problems from varied perspectives. Math workshop was an ideal forum for my class of learners to be able to construct their own understanding of a math concept through interactions with the content.

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Why was it implemented?

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I decided to implement Math Workshop after looking at test scores, daily work and informal observations. My class showed a wide range of abilities. I had some students who were below grade level expectations, the majority at grade level, and a handful that were above. After I spent time reflecting, specifically on my Fall AIMSweb scores, I realized I needed to differentiate my math instruction. Another reason I wanted to do Math Workshop was because it is a structure that allowed me to create differentiation for my range of abilities. Not only did I want to differentiate for my on-level students and advanced students, but also my below grade level students that were falling behind. 

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When and how was it implemented?

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Math Workshop was implemented during the afternoon of the instructional day. I taught whole group from 1:15-1:30. Guided Math was then from 2:00-3:00. Guided Math is a structure in which students meet with the teacher in a small group and are engaged with math content that meets their specific learning needs. These small groups were determined by a pre test given at the beginning of every math topic. Using this data, I was able to group my students by need. These groups were very fluid depending on the math subject being taught. Meeting with small groups allowed me to provide instruction to all children where they entered math instruction, and take them to the next level when they were ready.  At this time I facilitated their learning through hands-on practice and guided instruction. The students who were not in my group were at the math games station cooperatively playing, completing extra practice on a worksheet/math mat, or working on the iPad on their math fact fluency. Each rotation lasted about 12 minutes. The students rotated from station to station when the timer went off. They were able to reference the math workshop board to help guide their transitions as needed. All the stations allowed students to develop confidence in their number sense and math fact fluency.

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What was the timeline?

I implemented my action plan from February 5th, 2018 to March 30th, 2018. The whole implementation was a total of seven weeks long.