The purpose of my study was to determine if differentiation during the Math Workshop model would affect student achievement. Before this study I taught my math lessons as a “whole-class” event. I found myself at the front of the classroom teaching while my students sat at their desks trying to understand new concepts. There were always some students who found the lessons too easy and likely out of boredom, tried to do the work before I even finished teaching the lesson. On the other hand, there were also those students who struggled to understand the concepts and felt lost unless I stopped teaching and went to their desks to help them. For these reasons I found teaching math frustrating. In my fourth grade classroom I had students scoring at all different levels. Many of my students came into fourth grade knowing basic concepts from previous grades. My students' test scores were very broad. They were scoring high and low on topic and state tests. In general, I had a broad range of ability in my classroom when it came to mathematics.

 

After I spent time reflecting, specifically on my Fall and Winter MAP scores, I realized I needed to differentiate my math instruction. Support by research assured me that by differentiating my math instruction, I would meet the needs of all of my learners (above level, at-level and above level). I could meet the needs of my above leveled learners by pushing and challenging them in small group as well as during their independent practice time. I could differentiate for my at-level students by finding ways to give them supplemental opportunities to grow and practice. I could also meet the needs of my below level performers because I could catch their mistakes in small group and give them games, as well as practice activities that met them at the level of achievement they were at. When I compared the quintiles of Fall to Winter, the percent of students in the High category decreased by 13%, and the students in the low average category increased by 4%. I wanted all of my students to show growth and move toward the higher quintiles.

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Fall-map 

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winter-map
 

 

 

 

 

 

Another reason I chose to focus on Math differentiation was for my students performing below grade level. Three of my students participated in Math Club. Math Club is our before school intervention group. Students were placed in this group because of daily performance and various test scores (topic and district). As a grade level our SMART Goal is to have all fourth graders pass their multiplication facts (3-12) by the end of the year. 2 out of 25 of my students were still on threes and 6 of my students did not make the progress we projected them to make by Quarter 2.

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Through data analysis and informal observations, I came to the realization that my class contained a broad range of abilities. From this discovery, I began my action research to find a way to teach math to meet all of my learners where they currently were performing and help them each succeed. After researching different ways to teach math I found the Math Workshop Model. This allowed me to teach whole group and meet in small groups with my students each day. The math groups were differentiated to be more individualized and tailored for each group of students to meet all the needs of my learners. These groups changed each topic based on their scores from topic pre-tests and MAP scores. My end goal by having differentiated groups was that my students would become more engaged and test scores would improve. Another reason I wanted to do math groups was because differentiation was something that I wanted to improve on and get better with. I wanted to improve on not only differentiation for my struggling students, but I also wanted to provide rigorous and challenging content for my high achieving students during math groups.

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Data

Quantitative:

• Mad Minutes-Timed Multiplication Tests (2 of my 25 students were still on 3’s at Quarter 1, when we projected them to be at 7’s)

• MAP Data

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Qualitative:

• Informal Observations/daily work

• Differentiation is something that I wanted to improve on, I felt as though I was strong at teaching whole group and tailoring to the needs of re-teaching or helping my students that were below grade level, but I wanted to improve differentiation for my students that were above grade level or at grade level.