Posts Tagged: Planning for Small Groups in Math

Meaningful Math & Meaningful Management!

Fun isn’t always educational and education isn’t always fun, but when the two come together – it just doesn’t get any better.”     -Tom Jackson “Research consistently shows that the more time students spend involved in learning activities, the more they learn. That is, there is a strong positive relationship between the amount of time students are actively engaged in learning activities and their achievement.…

Objective Observation

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”     -Dorothy Parker One of the most powerful tools a teacher has available is objective observation. In a differentiated math classroom, especially one that makes use of math stations, observation is essential. I was reminded of this in a conversation with an administrator who had hired me to assist her school in the sophisticating the ways in which they instruct mathematics.…

Math Apps Students (and their Teachers) LOVE!

“Do you use IPads in the Technology/Application Station of Tabor Rotation?” “What apps do you recommend?” “Could I write a grant to get more technology in my classroom?” These questions are frequently asked by Tabor Rotation teachers in math and science, since one of the Tabor Rotation Stations is the Technology/Application Station.…

What can you hear in your room?

“There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for. And questions are the breath of life for a conversation.”     -James Nathan Miller “You were the first person to stop talking at me and give me something I could move in Algebra.…

The Power of Teacher Observation

Maria Montessori says, “We cannot create observers by saying “observe,” but by giving them the power and the means for this observation.” I cannot agree more and that is why Clipboard Cruising is one of the 14 Essential Elements of the Tabor Rotation Framework. Clipboard Cruising, or constant and consistent teacher observation is complimented by two other Essential Elements of Tabor Rotation, Exit Questions and Math Journal Writing.…

Accountability in Small-Group Instruction

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world.”     -Anne Frank Many secondary teachers are fine-tuning the use of small-group instruction in their classrooms. The email below is an incredible exchange with great information. Hope it helps some of you, too.…

More Tabor Rotation Trainer Tips

Yesterday’s blog gave the first half of tips and “aha” moments from participants in Tabor Rotation Training of Trainers Institutes. Here’s the second half. may they encourage you to try using small-group, differentiated instruction in your school. Tip #16: Every learner ‘s brain craves moving from the concrete to the pictorial to the abstract.…

Tabor Rotation Tips from Trainers

  The following tips and “aha” moments came from participants in Tabor Rotation Training of Trainers Institutes. They allowed me to share them with you in hopes that they might ignite your fire for sophisticating the use of guided math groups, math stations, and differentiated instruction in math using The Tabor Rotation Framework.…

Readiness Groups in Tabor Rotation

“Every success is built on the ability to do better than good enough.” I’m beginning to understand Tabor Rotation, but what are readiness groups and why are they important? The Tabor Rotation Framework asks teachers to flexibly group students in a variety of ways. Each week includes partner work, whole-group instruction, teachable moments with individual students, small group work with students of mixed abilities, and working with small groups of students who are grouped together according to their level of understanding of the concepts that are being explored that week.…

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.”…