Posts Tagged: Learner’s Bill of Rights

“We’re not allowed to use number sense.”

Go ahead and read the title of this blog again. I’ve been thinking about it for almost 24 hours. It’s what my 4th grader told me last night after dinner. He and his sisters were allowed to choose anything they wanted for dinner. They chose a famous chef’s ravioli concoctions.…

Application Menus

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” -Flora Whittemore “My basic principle is that you don’t make decisions because they are easy; you don’t make them because they are cheap; you don’t make them because they’re popular; you make them because they’re right.”…

Is differentiating instruction worth the effort?

How do I know differentiating instruction works? Will using small groups in the classroom really make a difference when they sit and listen to my lecture? What’s the big deal about Tabor Rotation? As one math supervisor put it, “Tabor Rotation changes everything. It helps students think.…

Teachers, Tailors, & Swimming Pools

“The only person who behaves sensibly is my tailor.  He takes my measure every time he sees me.  All the rest go on with their old measurements.” -George Bernard Shaw I was reminded of the importance of on-going assessment while watching my children swim at the neighborhood pool.…

Engagement Matters!

A friend, knowing how strongly I feel about the power of engaging students in a classroom, sent me a link to a news article. After reading the article, she said it sounded like my kind of classroom. The study, conducted with Canadian college students, compared a lecture format with an interactive format.…

A Sneak “Peek” at Small-Group, Differentiated Instruction

How can a teacher become more efficient in the classroom? How can our schools make the most of mathematical minutes? What does RtI (Response to Intervention) look like in a high school classroom? What does a week of small-group, differentiated instruction look like? Help! Elementary & secondary level teachers, administrators, leadership teams, departments, and districts are looking for good examples of small-group, differentiated instruction in mathematics.…

Pre-Asssessing, Gathering Information, Making Waves!

“Why go into something to test the waters ? Go into it to make waves.” Pre-Assessment and On-Going Assessment are some of the Essential Elements of the Tabor Rotation Framework. They’re also foundational components in a differentiated classroom. Whether you’re sophisticating your methods for assessing your students or just beginning to use on-going assessments, they’re a great place to begin a journey differentiating instruction in a classroom.…

A Tasty Serving of Small-Group Instruction

“For some reason, when you become a support to others, you become bigger than you are.” -Susan Jeffers, from “Feel the Fear…and Do It Anyway” This morning was spent filming parts of the new Tabor Rotation DVD Training Series. My cinematographer, Chris Shepherd [http://www.christophershepherd.net/], is amazingly creative and dedicated to making this an incredibly informative AND entertaining film.…

Forming Small Groups in Math

“How many students should be in a group?” The PGCPS website [http://www.pgcps.org/~elc/learning1.html] gives this simple and easy to understand description for small groups: Size The smallest group is two. The largest recommended is six. Generally, in smaller groups each member participates more, fewer social skills are required, and groups can work more quickly.…

Scheduling Remediation in Math

“Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions. ” Edgar Cayce Many educators, who have attended my workshops concerned with simplifying small-group, differentiated instruction in mathematics using the Tabor Rotation Framework, have submitted questions. Before the year is over, my goal is to respond to as many of these questions as possible.…