Blog - Page 5 of 19 - Glenna Tabor

Supporting Guided Math Using Tabor Rotation

Posted January 21, 2016 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Differentiated Instruction, Guided Math, Guided Math Instruction, Manipulatives, Math, Math Stations, Mathematics, Planning Effectively, Planning for Small Groups, Small Group Instruction, Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework.

How can I support the implementation of balanced, small-group, guided math instruction in my school?

How do I keep the momentum going after attending a Tabor Rotation Training?

How do I share my enthusiasm and expertise in an effective way?

These questions are asked quite frequently by teacher leaders, math coaches, administrators, and specialist who want to build the grass-roots movement of Tabor Rotation. These questions were also the catalyst for the creation of the Master Tabor Leader Institute: Igniting the Fire to Inspire.

A month later I met with the Master Tabor Leaders from one school. I was so impressed with the initiatives they began in their school and asked them to share their story.

A teacher’s perspective:

I am Kindergarten teacher in a large school district in Houston, Texas. Tabor Rotations Framework has been a part of my teaching for the past two years. I fell in love with Tabor Rotation the moment I heard about the framework in January, 2014. However, I did not fully implement everything until the following school year 2014-2015 and that’s when I began to see the powerful impact that small-group, guided instruction and math stations via Tabor Rotation.

My school was lucky enough to have Glenna Tabor mentor our school through the steps and procedures on how the 14 Essential Elements and 3 Phases of Tabor Rotation worked. She not only taught us about the framework and modeled the framework, but she fueled our fire for the framework. My students soared with their math concepts (over 90% passing), learned a variety of ways to complete problems, and became better prepared to think about the world. In fact, you can walk into my classroom right now during Tabor and my students will explain their roles, jobs, and the stations where they are currently working. Some doubt if this type of small-group, guided math works at the kindergarten level, but my students prove every day that it IS possible!

I am currently a presenter/host for “Tabor Check-Ins” at our school. Two of our school’s staff attended the Master Tabor Leader Institute in October, 2015. The Master Tabor Leader Institute is a full-day training of trainers in how to motivate, educate, inspire, and lead others in their school and district in the use of effective math instruction using Tabor Rotation.

The Tabor Check-Ins are designed to help teachers who just began or want to learn more about the framework to fully understand each essential element, how it all works, answer any questions, help with stations, and so much more. The Math Instructional Coach for our school and I have put together different meetings over some of the Essential Elements of Tabor Rotation such as Leadership Academy, Team Roles, and the Teacher Time Station.

During the “Tabor Check-Ins” we show, step-by-step how the element works and we demonstrate what it looks like. We also have a discussion about how teachers can use it in a variety of classrooms and at different levels. We have so much more planned to keep our teachers fired up and implementing Tabor successfully. In just a couple of meetings, I have seen teachers’ light bulbs going off and becoming brighter. I hope to keep this momentum going and deepen the teachers’ understanding and implementation of effective strategies throughout the year via this support tool.

Even though I have a full understanding of Tabor, I am always learning and perfecting the Essential Elements. I have gotten the awesome chance to work with Glenna Tabor side by side and grow with Tabor Rotations. She is my motivation and I strive to use that motivation to pass along to my teachers and students.

Like I tell all my teachers at my school, do not ever give up, Tabor works in many ways besides just Math. My students from both years learned how communities work by using the team roles as well as asking questions to get a full understanding. Tabor has changed me in so many ways. I hope it changes you just as much as it has for my students and my teachers.

A principal’s perspective:

Tabor Rotation has allowed our teachers to instruct using a mini- lesson format with the entire class along with math workstations that promote leadership skills, student engagement and rigorous thinking. While at the math stations, teachers are able to work with small groups of students targeting ALL levels in the classroom. As an administrator, I always enjoy entering the classrooms during Tabor Rotation. Students are engaged in different learning activities as groups, allowing teachers the time they need to work with ¼ of the class at the Teacher Time Station.

Phase 2 of Tabor Rotation—Rotation to the Stations gives me amazing opportunities to talk to groups of students to see what they are learning that day. It is a great way to assess whether students understand what they are learning that week. The Tabor Rotation Framework also provides a structure for our newer teachers to follow. Most importantly, when they use Tabor Rotation, teachers are able to focus on the strengths and areas of growth of the students in the classroom.

Having two Master Tabor Leaders on campus has been such an asset! They are able to work with their colleagues by giving ideas and being a soundboard for fellow teachers in the classroom. They have both led “Tabor Check-Ins” that help our teachers stay focused on their goals for Math. The Master Tabor Leaders also observe the implementation of Tabor Rotation. They are always positive and give feedback in a non-threatening, supportive way. I look forward to building our Math community while continuing to use the Tabor Rotation Framework.

Thanks for the inspiration and ideas, Shelby, Susan, and all the amazing teachers and students of Mendel!

Getting Started with Algebra Math Stations

Posted June 10, 2015 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Choice Boards, Classroom Management, Common Core State Standards, Differentiated Instruction, Engaging All Learners, Guided Math, Guided Math Instruction, Manipulatives, Math, Math Games, Math Stations, Mathematics, Middle School Math, Planning Effectively, Planning for Small Groups, Secondary Mathematics, Small Group Instruction, Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework, Uncategorized.

Are you an Algebra teacher who is wanting to begin using math stations, small groups, and guided instruction with your classes?

If you are, then I’m already impressed and the students you have this year will be, too!

Here are a few basic tips for implementing guided math instruction in a secondary classroom:

1. Study your next unit of instruction and give your students a pre-assessment of these concepts. Based on the pre-assessment results and other data, identify the most difficult concepts of the unit. List the reasons why they are most difficult for the students. These are the concepts you will emphasize in teacher-guided small groups and in stations.

2. Look at your scope and sequence. How many blocks or days of instruction do you have to teach the unit? How much time is needed for building the basics of the unit? Plot this into a skeleton long-range planning guide for the unit. This Sample Tabor Rotation, Block Schedule for Algebra I is for the unit on relationships between quantities and expressions.

In the Tabor Rotation Framework this Phase is called Phase 1: Setting the stage. In a secondary class, Phase 1 may be 1-6 blocks long depending on the level of difficulty of the concepts. However, teacher-guided small groups will occur during this time to provide the best venue for students learning and mastering concepts.

3. Plan for math stations. This is Phase 2 of the Tabor Rotation Framework–Varying the Modalities in which students learn. What concepts really need to have manipulatives and concrete experience for students to truly understand the concept? An activity for this concept will go in the Manipulatives Station. An example of this is Poly Pull, MCC9-12.A.APR.1.

What concepts could be practiced and mastered by playing a game? Algebra Bingo, MCC9-12.A.SSE.1a is wonderful game to play when beginning the Algebra unit on expressions.

What concept would be best taught by you to approximately 1/4 of the class at a time? This is the content for the Teacher Time Station when you guide students in learning that most difficult concept. The use of building blocks are great manipulatives to use for Teacher Time, Interpret Expressions, MCC.A.SSE.1.

Are there any concepts that the students need to review? These would go into the Technology/Application Station. An application activity such as Operationally Speaking, MCC9-12.A.SSE.1 is a great way for students to practice the language of operations they will encounter in word problems.

3. Identify any other unit concepts that would be better taught to a small group instead of the whole group. Plan for teacher-guided small groups to occur during a block of instruction. Schedule a teacher-guided session with all levels of students. The ones who have shown mastery of the concept will be met with for a shorter amount of time and their knowledge refined and extended. The approaching-level students will have 5-10 minutes of instruction depending on their needs and their attention spans.

4. Create choice boards for the rest of the class to use while you are teaching guided groups. My blog, What is the Rest of the Class Doing? is a wonderful source for creating these differentiated and engaging tools. There are attachments, links, and lots of resources.

5. Obtain basic games that can be placed in stations and used in choice boards. The 24 Game comes in the Algebra, Integers, and Variable versions to challenge your Algebra students. I also use the 24 Game single and double digit to provide practice in basic facts.

Albert’s Insomnia is another tool for composition of numbers and practice of basic facts.

I would also make sure I had the board game Equate in my classroom. It is played like Scrabble and engages the players in the creation of equations and expressions.

6. As you begin, think about why your are doing this and what your ultimate goal is for your students. Create some type of assessment tool to check for understanding and to provide for individual accountability. Passports are an excellent way to document student understanding. LEGO Logic Passport is a great example of this type of tool.

You can engage Algebra students by simply letting them illustrate problems with LEGO people. They LOVE it!!!

I hope this list provides you with a healthy beginning on your journey. By implementing teacher-guided instruction in your Algebra classroom, you are giving students more of the most valuable asset they can ever have–YOU!

Powerful Math Stations, MCC4.NBT.2 & MCC4.OA.4

Posted April 30, 2015 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Engaging All Learners, Guided Math, Guided Math Instruction, Manipulatives, Math, Math Activities, Math Games, Math Stations, Mathematics, Number Sense, Planning Effectively, Small Group Instruction, Small Groups, Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics, State Tests, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework, Thinking, Uncategorized.

What makes a powerful, rigorous, and relevant math station activity?

1. Identify the content standard.

One of the activities that uses building blocks to concretely explore a concept is the Math Common Core State Standard from fourth grade, MCC4.OA.1a: Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.

2. Research the way in which the standard will be assessed during high-stakes district and state testing.

Here is a sample of a word problem that assesses a student’s understanding of MCC4.OA.1.

Chris can go four miles on his bike. Jill can go seven times faster on her electric scooter. How fast can Jill go on her motorcycle? Which one would you rather ride and why?

I added the last question to provide a student with a connection to the problem and to raise the level of thinking about the problem. I train students to “add” these types of questions to word problems that may not have them so they care about the answer. Believe it or not, this truly helps the accuracy and on-task behavior of students.

3. Think about any pictures or graphics that would assist the student in solving these types of problems.

Most testing situations give students scratch paper of space on the testing booklet on which to draw pictures or make calculations. Thinking about what they can use whenever they encounter this type of problem will help form critical thinking habits.

4. Determine if there are any manipulatives, or other hands-on methods, that would offer students a concrete way to explore this concept.

For the problem above, students are given a set of lego-type building blocks and a building block base. They select a building block with four dots on it to represent the bicycle speed.

They then select seven more of the four-dot blocks to represent the speed of the motorcycle. If they simple count the dots on the seven blocks, they will know the speed of the motorcycle.

This would be a great activity for the Manipulative Station in the Tabor Rotation Framework!

5. Ask students to formulate a number sentence or equation to represent what they have created using blocks.

Students may write the following:

4 x 7 = SS (speed of scooter)

4 x 7 = 28 miles per hour

6. Develop a game in which students can practice using concrete manipulatives.

The components of a game to practice MCC4.OA.1 should include the concrete manipulatives AND the way the student will be assessed on this content standard.

For Operation Building Blocks, the students turn over a word problem and then try to be the first pair to create a way to solve the problem using building blocks.

7. Have students record their understanding of the concept in a math journal or on a passport.

This way a teacher can check to see if the student truly understands the concept. After completing this math station activity, a student might write the following:

My partner and I used a blue building block with 4 dots on it for the bike. We piled up 7 more for the scooter. When we counted all of the dots, there were 28. That’s how we knew how fast it could go.

8. Use the check for understanding to develop teacher-guided readiness groups or additional activites.

In the Tabor Rotation Framework, this Essential Element is called Clipboard Cruising. Being a constant observer and gathering information on a regular basis gives the teacher the opportunity to make changes in instruction to best meet the needs of students.

Ready to try some POWERFUL, EFFECTIVE, and FUN math stations??? Download these math station activities for using the four operations to solve problems Operation Building Blocks, MCC4.OA.1, finding all factor pairs of a number and multiples of those factors The Ants Go Marching, MCC4.OA.4; reading and writing multi-digit numbers using expanded form and then comparing them Excellently Expanded, MCC4.NBT.2 and The PV Challenge, MCC4.NBT.2.

I piloted these activities first at home with my high schoolers–a freshman and a senior. They said it was the most fun they had had all day while they were learning. Engagement, rigor, relevance, effectiveness, and fun…yep…look at what they created to live in their building blocks…

What Teachers Can do to Make Tabor Rotation Successful

Posted February 24, 2015 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Differentiated Instruction, Engaging All Learners, Guided Math, Guided Math Instruction, Leadership Capacity, Math, Math Stations, Mathematics, Planning Effectively, Planning for Small Groups, Small Group Instruction, Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework.

“Teaching is a calling, too. And, I’ve always thought that teachers, in their way, are holy- angels leading their flocks out of the darkness.” -Jeannette Walls, Half Broken Horses

In September of 2013, I began to work with a team of teachers who were looking for a way to provide better math instruction to their students. The entire team from this school attended a Tabor Rotation Institute and then immediately began to implement the Tabor Rotation Framework into their classrooms. They each saw growth after just 3 weeks of using Tabor Rotation.

One of these teachers, Leah Beidelman, dedicated herself to doing everything she could to ensure that ALL of her students were meeting or exceeding their potential. Her results? At the beginning of the year approximately 50% of her students were passing. She ended the year with 92% passing!

Due to her incredible success and phenomenal attitude, I asked Ms. Beidelman to share the top three things she would recommend to teachers as they begin to implement the Tabor Rotation Framework.

Ms. Beidelman guiding her small group of students at the Teacher Time Station

Top 3 Things a Teacher Can Do to Make Tabor Rotation Successful

1. Invest time, at least 2-3 weeks, to just introduce the stations, the procedures, and the roles of the Tabor Rotation Framework to the students and help them better understand all of their responsibilities. [You can be teaching mathematical concepts while teaching the framework.] I found that the more time I put into setting up each aspect and reinforcing my expectations, the more smoothly the rotations ran once we had implemented the first 2 phases of the Tabor Rotation.

2. Hold yourself accountable for holding a Leadership Academy every Monday. I found that sometimes, I would be unmotivated to hold the Leadership Academy or we would need to use Mondays to catch up on unfinished work. When I began to consistently pull my Leaders and Co-leaders each Monday for Leadership Academy, my Teacher Time Station interruptions decreased dramatically! The students were able to complete the station rotations with a greater amount of independence.

3. Use points to motivate each of the teams. When I first began implementing the stations, I was not giving out points. I found it to be too overwhelming. After observing my students complete the stations for about a month, I realized that many of them were still not following the expectations I had set (not cleaning up on time, not working as a team, playing with the math tools). I decided to implement the points into our rotations. The first day I began points, the students were much more willing and motivated to follow the expectations that had been set.

There were more things that helped to make the Tabor Rotation successful in my classroom, but these were really the top three. I’m thrilled with the results my students achieved, but some of the transformation will not be documented on a state or district test. My students are understanding mathematical concepts at a much deeper level than ever before! After implementing the framework, I also began to observe conversations and behaviors from the students that can be hard to teach them (responsibility, problem solving, teamwork, personal accountability).

“Tabor Rotation has changed the lives of many and has helped me to dream even bigger dreams! It has helped make the impossible possible for me and my students!” -Leah Beidelman, Teacher Extraordinaire

Stations at the primary level

Stations at the secondary level

“In large part, we are teachers precisely because we remember what it was like to be a student. Someone inspired us. Someone influenced us. Or someone hurt us. And we’ve channeled that joy (or pain) into our own unique philosophies on life and learning and we’re always looking for an opportunity to share them-with each other, our students, parents, or in our communities.” -Tucker Elliot

How Can a Skills Specialist Support Tabor Rotation?

Posted February 20, 2015 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Fundamentals of Differentiated Instruction, Leadership Capacity, Math, Planning Effectively, Planning for Small Groups, Small Group Instruction, Small Groups, Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework.

Part of the INCREDIBLE Tabor Team of Carter Academy

“Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen.” -Pete Carroll, Head Coach of the Seattle Seahawks

Since she has done an absolutely AMAZING job of supporting the teachers at Carter Academy in Aldine ISD, AND they have had amazing results, I posed this question to skills specialist Amanda Rodriguez. Ms. Rodriguez began her journey in Tabor Rotation in September, 2014.

“How can a skills specialist or resource teacher support Tabor Rotation?”

Here is her response. (Data to support the reasons why you should believe her are found on the NEWS & RESULTS page of this website.)

Top 5 Things a Specialist Can do to Support Tabor Rotation

1. Provide teachers with resources and ideas to create activities for the stations. Teachers are more successful and whiling to implement a new teaching model if they have support and believe that the framework will work. This year 92% of the math teachers in 1st-4th grade have successfully implemented the Tabor Rotation Framework. The top scores in our school are from those who implement all Three Phases of Tabor Rotation.

2. Observe teachers implementing each phase and give them feedback. The math skills specialists on our campus have observed 100% of the teachers who implement Tabor Rotation and have given the teachers feedback. If the teacher needs clarification on implementing an element the specialists are here to clarify or model the implementation of that element.

3. Help teachers plan collaboratively as a grade level. When a specialist is the facilitator it ensures that 100% of the teachers are sharing and helping in the collaboration process.

4. Model how to implement Tabor Rotation Phases if needed. 33% of our teachers who are implementing the Tabor Rotation Framework have had specialist in their rooms modeling how to implement the framework with their own students. This has been a huge aid in ensuring that teachers do not get frustrated if they do not understand where to begin.

5. Give the teachers opportunities to observe other teachers that are successfully implementing Tabor Rotation. 100% of the teachers who are implementing the Tabor Rotation Framework have observed other teachers who are successfully implementing the framework. This allows the teachers to see how other teachers put their own flair into implementing the framework but still keeping true to the 14 Essential Elements [of the Tabor Rotation Framework]. Skills Specialists have had to cover classrooms to allow teachers the opportunities to observe the implementation of Tabor Rotation in other classrooms.

Thank you you for your suggestions, Ms. Rodriguez! You and the entire Tabor Team of Carter Academy are changing students’ lives by supporting and changing teachers. Way to go!!!

“I’d like to say to all my fans out there, thanks for the support. And to all my doubters, thank you very much because you guys have also pushed me.” -Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter and widely regarded as the fastest person on earth

How to Prepare Students for High Stakes Tests

Posted February 8, 2015 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Assessment, Balanced Mathematics, Differentiated Instruction, Engaging All Learners, High Stakes Testing, Mathematics, Motivation, State Tests, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework.

“The world is full of people who have dreams of playing at Carnegie Hall, of running a marathon, and of owning their own business. The difference between the people who make it across the finish line and everyone else is one simple thing: an action plan.” -John Tesh

“You use math stations, small groups, and hands-on instruction, so…

What did you do to keep them engaged and sitting for 4 hours while they take the state test?

Even during the district math benchmark tests they slouch down in their seats or lay their heads down while they are working.”

I’m asked this question multiple times every year since the instructional method I share, the Tabor Rotation Framework, is focused on active student engagement and in-depth understanding instead of paper and pencil tasks. Many teachers who use Tabor Rotation asked me to share the information in my blog so others can use the ideas.

The first step is to think of training to take lengthy tests the same way you would for a marathon since it’s an academic marathon. Below are the rest of the steps I took that have proven to be extremely successful with each of my classes. I did this with them from the beginning of the school year, but if you consistently use these strategies until the state test date it should bring the similar results.

Steps for Success in Academic Marathons

Step 1: Have your students take a 30-minute assessment or complete a set of worksheets that are formatted in the same way as the state test.

Stop every 5 minutes and have the students conduct an attention check. I posted these questions around the room.

“Am I paying attention?”

“Am I on task?”

“What ways am I engaging with problems that I find boring?”

“What do I do when I don’t know a word?”

“What do I say inside my head to keep me going?”

“What is my reward for staying on task?”

Give your students a sticky note to place next to their papers and tell them to “pay” themselves to place a tally mark on the sheet for every 5 minutes they stay on task and work hard on the problems they are given. Each tally mark is worth $5.

At the end of the test my students added their “money” to their checking accounts. See M-Cubed: Meaningful Math Management on the FREE RESOURCES page of glennatabor.com.

Do this multiple times. If you are starting this academic marathon training at the beginning of the year, then this could be done once a week and incorporated into the formative assessments and checks for understanding you’re already conducting.

Celebrate their achievements in staying on task. (The same thing that runners and cyclists do after a training ride or run.) Conduct a Mathematician’s Circle and ask students to share their strategies for maintaining engagement and resolving any challenges in the problems. Post these cumulative lists, too.

Step 2: Do the same as above but extend the time checks to every 10 minutes and have students give themselves a tally mark that is worth $20 if they have stayed on task and worked hard. The amount of money increased because the time in between checks increased.

Step 3: Now give hour-long assessments (or as long as your class periods allow) and sets of worksheets. Continue with the 10-minute checks. Do this at least 2-3 times.

Reflect, and share strategies. Discuss what strategies worked best for each student and for each type of problem.

Celebrate their ability to stay on task, focused, and engaged for an entire hour! If an entire room of adults could do this we would be thrilled!

Step 4: Keep extending the time till your students have practiced up to 90-120 minutes with 10-minute checks. Have students put tally marks on a scratch sheet similar to the ones that are allowed in high-stake test situations instead of on sticky notes.

Continue reflecting, strategizing, and celebrating. REMEMBER that this is training for a marathon and “centering” your efforts always pays off in the final “run/ride.”

If your students are doing well with 10-minute checks and want to challenge themselves, for more money or course, have them conduct 15-minute checks as they take the longer tests. 15-minute tally marks could be worth $45.

Step 5: Reflect with your students on what their brain is doing. Your students will have now formed mental habits of mind that will extend into district and state-wide testing. They can’t use a sticky note on a test, but they can give themselves a check mark on a scratch sheet.

Step 6: Have your students to write about their journey and compile these into an electronic book or a slide show. Post this online and give parents and community members the link so they are aware of just how hard you and your students are working.

Congratulate and reward yourself! You care about your students and have changed their lives in more ways than you can imagine. Just ask them in 20 years…mine keep finding me on social media and recalling every moment they spent in my class…

“What I think a lot of great marathon runners do is envision crossing that finish line. Visualization is critical. But for me, I set a lot of little goals along the way to get my mind off that overwhelming goal of 26.2 miles. I know that I’ve got to get to 5, and 12, and 16, and then I celebrate those little victories along the way.” -Bill Rancic [Croation/American entrepreneur who was the first candidate hired by The Trump Organization at the end of the first season of The Apprentice.]

“If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.” -Emil Zatopek

Zatopek was nicknamed the “Czech Locomotive” and was the first athlete to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 meters in 1954. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods. He is the only person to win the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and marathon in the same Olympics.

How Can an Administrator Support Tabor Rotation?

Posted January 8, 2015 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Differentiated Instruction, Fundamentals of Differentiated Instruction, Guided Math Instruction, Planning Effectively, Planning for Small Groups, Small Group Instruction, Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics, Tabor Rotation, Tabor Rotation Institute, The Tabor Rotation Framework.

A group of highly engaged 4th graders in math stations at Jane Long Elementary School

“Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” -Thomas J. Watson, founder of IBM

“A leader is a dealer in hope.” -Napoleon Bonaparte

Since I’m not an administrator, I posed this question to principal Lorrie Kloss who began her journey in Tabor Rotation in May, 2014 and has seen ASTOUNDING results,

“How can an administrator support Tabor Rotation?”

Here was her response. (Data to support the reasons why you should believe her are found on the NEWS & RESULTS page of this website.)

The Top 5 Things an Administrator can do to Support Tabor

1. Facilitate Change
Initially, support your teachers in taking risks. Encourage them to try, while also letting them know you are very aware it will not be perfect! Hurdles will present themselves, and mistakes shall be made, however always be there to support them as they encounter struggle. Let them know that everyone will use this knowledge to be even better the next time around.

2. Select a Winning Team
Attend the initial Tabor Rotation Institute with a core group of staff who are handpicked. Choose wisely! These staff must be the ones who have leadership qualities, are open to change, and who are, first and foremost, teachers who make student learning their top priority.

3. Plan Strategically

Our school was fortunate enough to be able to attend Tabor Rotation training in May, which afforded our team the opportunity to meet together throughout the summer. Scheduling follow-up days with our core team was vital for the initial implementation push at the beginning of the school year. Throughout these trainings and the summer, we were able to identify resources and supplies we might need, and had the time to seek them out as well. In addition, our core team trained the remaining staff in our back- to-school professional development week. We also modeled for the staff what a guided math lesson with workstations and teacher time would look like.

It was during this time that I laid out my expectations to the staff on implementation, and that this was a part of our campus improvement plan. I also shared the data that showed the Tabor Rotation Framework worked with groups of students who matched our demographics and gave the staff reason to believe!

4. Ongoing Professional Development
Select on-site coaching dates, with Glenna Tabor, at the beginning of the school year for your staff. Attend these coaching sessions with your staff and support them fully! Further, arrange for continued support from Glenna Tabor whenever or however you can. Email Glenna questions; she will answer them! Sign up for web-based sessions with Glenna if time or funds are limited!

5. Support, Support, Support!
Last, ask lots of questions. Treat your faculty as though they are the experts. Celebrate their success and cry with them when they are frustrated. Ask them what they need and go find it. Schedule time for your teachers to watch model , plan together, and network with others for ongoing support.

Are these “top five things administrators can do to support Tabor Rotation” working for this principal and her school? Has it been worth all the time and energy invested? Her answer is most definitely, yes!

After just three months of implementation of Tabor Rotation, Jane Long Elementary School’s 4th grade overall passing rate on district assessments rose 9%. The 4th grade surpassed the district by 18% while district scores remained flat. Jane Long Elementary was also realizing overall growth in all at-risk sub-populations and advanced learners. The commended scores in 4th grade at Long were 11% higher than the district. Recent mid-year tests have shown even greater gains.

What about qualitative data—the things you can’t measure easily and put into a graph? After sharing her amazing results with me she related how Tabor Rotation isn’t just changing scores—it’s changing the entire community.

“…a parent called me this morning, in tears! She was blown away at the treatment of her daughter by one of our teachers, Mary Baumgardner, and wanted me to know. Her daughter, after being tutored for years, and feeling distraught about math finally is showing confidence in her ability, and is showing exceptional academic progress. This student has grown 1 yr and 2 months in just 4 months time this year. I thanked the mom and told her I would make Mary’s day with this news…”

What can an administrator do to support Tabor Rotation and effective, differentiated, small-group instruction in the classroom? John Maxwell said it well,

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

Lorrie Kloss, and all other successful Tabor Rotation School principals, are doing just that. My hats go off to all of them as they guide our schools into the next century!

Encouraging Simultaneous Interaction

Posted January 5, 2015 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Differentiated Instruction, Engaging All Learners, Fundamentals of Differentiated Instruction, Math Stations, Small Group Instruction, Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework.

Positive Group Interaction at Hambrick Middle School

“If you have a candle, the light won’t glow any dimmer if I light yours off of mine.” -Steven Tyler, Aerosmith

A participant in a recent Tabor Rotation Institute asked me this question,

“Why is simultaneous interaction so important?”

Jeff Sapp writes about the transformational power of simultaneous interaction in at-risk schools in the Electronic Journal of Science Education, Number 30: Fall, 2006. One of these schools states, “Student interaction at every level of school fosters comfort and confidence..it increases academic achievement and equips students with the ability to speak across lines of race, class, and gender.

Sapp also found that group activities radically altered the typical teacher-fronted classroom’s sequential interaction. Instead of one person speaking at a time, one person per group or many pairs were discussing simultaneously, hence the term used frequently by Spencer Kagan, “simultaneous interaction.”

Simultaneous Interaction is included in the Tabor Rotation Framework as one of its 14 Essential Elements because it has proven to be highly effective in all three phases of Tabor Rotation. When I first created the Tabor Rotation Framework I knew that the components of balanced literacy needed to be included in the components for balanced mathematics. In fact, in the book, Cases of Successful Literacy Teachers, Lacina and Silva found that every successful teacher they studied believed that social interaction is critical to oral language development. A math classroom, filled with complex vocabulary and challenging concepts, is no different.

After attempting to implement simultaneous interaction back in her own classroom, the same teacher emailed me with this next question.

“I believe that simultaneous interaction in essential, but how do I make sure my students do it?”

Here are my Top Ten for Encouraging Simultaneous Interaction:

1.   Model, model, model! Provide an exemplar for your students. When working with a group at the Teacher Time Station, model how to ask questions of a partner and how to actively listen. Show video clips of people interacting effectively.
2.   Practice what you modeled. Students need to see the model and then practice with their partner and their team. Make it a purposeful practice that reflects what they should be discussing during the Whole-Group Mini-Lesson or during station rotations.
3.   Assign partners for Whole-Group Mini-Lessons and in Teams. I assign partners based upon their complimentary abilities to communicate with each other. Having an assigned partner eliminates student concern when a teacher states, “Turn to someone next to you and share.”
4.   Extrinsically reward appropriate interaction. A teacher can observe group and partner interaction, note those behaviors, then give teams points for the positive behaviors. The responsibility of observing effective simultaneous interaction could also be assigned to a team member, noted, and then shared with the whole group.
5.   Write specific questions you want students to ask each other. This could be as simple as putting the questions each student asks their partner or team on a sticky note and placing it on the Leader Folder.
6.   Cultivate active listening techniques in your classroom. Teach students how to have positive facial expressions, physically turning toward the person speaking, and responding in a way that the person knows you’re listening.
7.   Schedule times to have students stop and interact. Many teachers write notes to themselves in their lesson plans or set a timer that reminds them to stop and let students share what they have learned so far.
8.   Post key statements that help students encourage each other in a discussion. Two of these are “How did you know that?” and “Explain your thinking.”
9.   Accept and encourage the “hum of productivity.” Classrooms where students interact and discuss will not be silent. They will have a positive hum of discussion, elaboration, and display of understanding.
10.   Give opportunities for students to work in varied settings. Some students crave quiet time and working alone. Give them a chance to do this at some point during the day or week.

Begin with…

Have Materials Managers from each team distribute supplies.
Stopping every 5-8 minutes and having students share a summary “word” with their partner and why they chose that word.
Have students practice listening to an answer given by their partner and restating it in their own words.

Why plan for simultaneous interaction? Why make it a purposeful and vital part of your classroom? Noreen Webb, in 1989, conducted research with primary level students learning mathematics in mixed-ability groups. She found that both high and low achievers benefited when lower achievers requested and received explanations, but no one benefited when answers without explanations were provided or requests were ignored.

Simultaneous Interactions provides for active engagement of all students, gives students a chance to regularly process information, and allows students to work together and learn from each other. For those students who only learn if they are talking and interactively engaged, simultaneous interaction is non-negotiable!

Hands-On Expanded Form

Posted September 29, 2014 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Differentiated Instruction, Engaging All Learners, Guided Math Instruction, Manipulatives, Math, Math Activities, Math Games, Math Stations, Number Sense, Small Group Instruction, Small Groups, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework.

What is expanded form and how do we make the practice of expanded form hands on and engaging?

Let’s start with the first question.

Expanded Form is…
…the writing of a number to show the value of each digit.
…the sum of each digit multiplied by its place value.
…a helpful way to rewrite numbers in order to show case the place value of each digit.
…method of writing numbers as the sum of powers of ten or as the sum of its units, tens, hundreds, etc.

For example, 3000 + 400 + 10 + 7 is the expanded form for 3417.

But, if you’ve searched for this blog, then you’re really wanting is the answer to the next question.

How do you make expanded form hands on and engaging?

The game, “Excellently Expanded,” is hands on, engaging, and deepens a student’s understanding of how to compose and decompose numbers up to 999,999 using expanded form.

Each pair of students arranges their expanded form cards so they may easily and quickly create the expanded form of numbers.

After the leader turns over a number card, pairs of students try to be the first ones to create the expanded form of the number and be able to say what they have created. Whichever pair does this first wins that round and receives 5 points.

Every pair who has correctly created the expanded form of the number earns 2 points. Answer Keys are given to the Leader and Co-Leader.

The winning pair turns over the next number and play continues as time allows.

Of course, Exit Questions are asked and Passports are used at the end of activity to bridge from the activity content to the way a student will need to answer a high-stakes test question about the concept.

Now all you need is a group of students who need to learn expanded notation and want to have fun at the same time…

PBL & Tabor Rotation Rock- TOGETHER!

Posted September 9, 2014 by Glenna Tabor & filed under Balanced Mathematics, Comprehension & Connections in Mathematics, Differentiated Instruction, Engaging All Learners, Fundamentals of Differentiated Instruction, Guided Math Instruction, Innovation, Math, Motivation, Planning Effectively, Project-Based Learning, Small Group Instruction, Small-Group Instruction in Mathematics, Tabor Rotation, The Tabor Rotation Framework.

I have the distinct honor of working with some of the most dedicated educators on the planet. Some of these incredible educators have been trained in Project-Based Learning before learning more about the Tabor Rotation Framework. Those who believe in the power of PBL and small-group, differentiated instruction may have ask themselves this question,

“Can a classroom use Project-Based Learning and Tabor Rotation?

The answer is YES!!!

The Tabor Rotation Framework is a way of structuring a classroom so that a teacher is able to meet and exceed the needs of all students using the 14 Essential Elements of Tabor Rotation and the 3 Phases of Tabor Rotation. It provides a platform that ensures every level of student is being moved a little bit further than they were the day before. Tabor Rotation makes sure that everything a student needs in planned for–including projects.

What is Project-Based Learning? The NEA- Research Spotlight on PBL gives a simple explanation:

…As far back as the early 1900s, John Dewey supported the “learning by doing” approach to education, which is the essential element of PBL. Today, PBL is viewed as a model for classroom activity that shifts away from teacher-centered instruction and emphasizes student-centered projects.

Teachers who use Tabor Rotation know that’s exactly what they do–move away from teacher-centered and emphasize student-centered. In fact, participants who attended “TR2: Taking Tabor Rotation to the Next Leve,” spent a portion of the day exploring how to bring real-world, meaningful and purposeful projects into the Tabor Rotation Framework. What PBL proponents may not realize is where, when, and how PBL and Tabor Rotation mesh seamlessly in a week of Tabor Rotation. Keep reading…

I have always used project-based learning, so I was using it when I created Tabor Rotation. It just may have been packaged differently. My district, Prince George’s County Public Schools, in Maryland was using the Dimensions of Learning Model created by Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering. This tool helped me facilitate the type of learning that I knew my students needed and it complied with the district initiatives. Learning that is purposeful, meaningful, qualitatively challenging, and enduring beyond the classroom is called Meaningful Use of Knowledge or Dimension 4 in the Dimensions of Learning Model. For an overview of the Dimensions of Learning Model you may want to view this brief slide show.

My students needed the intense instruction and on-going preparation for state tests that Tabor Rotation provided. I fine-tuned Tabor Rotation using teams, team roles, math stations, on-going assessment, and guided math based on readiness levels, but I never gave up anything else I was doing. This included projects (See the video clip of the space station my students built in the blog post, “The Origin of Tabor Rotation.”) Marzono’s discovery of this project was the catalyst that began our work together as a theorist and a practitioner. Marzano later learned about Tabor Rotation and its impact on my students in the in-depth exploration of mathematical concepts.

Ready for the nuts and bolts of where PBL fits in a week or unit of Tabor Rotation?

Tabor Rotation Phase 1 emphasizes setting the stage for the unit of concepts. This is the time for building connections to what is about to be studied. It’s also the perfect time for generating the essential questions that will drive the projects produced by students.

Tabor Rotation Phase 2 is about varying the modality in which students learn by using math stations. It also gives teachers the opportunity to teach students, in a small-group, guided setting, the most difficult concepts for the week.

The Technology/Application/Innovation Station is where teachers place the projects. Students can work in pairs, triads, or quads as they develop their projects. The use of technology and innovative strategies is the emphasis here. Guidelines are determined by the students and the teacher and are driven by the in-depth understanding of the state standards that will be needed to complete and share the project.

Phase 3 of the Tabor Rotation Framework is focused on meeting individual needs via readiness groups for all levels of students. While the teacher is meeting with readiness groups, based upon the on-going assessment conducted during Clipboard Cruising, [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T5nZmevfxY[/youtube] students are working on Choice Boards. A large portion of a Choice Board or Menu of Options may be the projects students are developing.

When will my students have time to share? When planning for a unit of study, a quarter, or a semester, you will plan for and schedule the presenting and sharing the information. The same way you schedule district tests and events, you schedule presentations and projects.

Are there other ways to combine the small-group instruction in the Tabor Rotation Framework and Project-Based Learning? I believe there are and together (thanks for the challenge, Chris) I can’t wait to find them!