“But…I Don’t Understand!”

As you know students have different learning styles. What works for some students does not work with others so how do you fix that? You may hear, “I don’t understand” from one or two students. But I guarantee that for every student who is willing to admit they do not understand there are at least two more who won’t say anything. I found a simple solution to this problem. Use students as teachers. I am not talking about using your A students to tutor the students who have been struggling, although that is not always a bad thing if they are open to it and have a trusting relationship. What I am talking about is allowing students who have found unique ways in which they understand to share their ideas. Most students are excited to share their ways of learning and as a bonus it helps their self-esteem. I suggest letting those students share their “lesson” on the board where others can see and experiment. If they are not willing to come up on their own suggest working with them at the board or ask if you can share their idea with others. You would be astonished at how many creative ways a student can figure out how to solve a problem. First, have that child explain it to you. If they are able to communicate it to you then let’m at it! What is most important is the students understand what the lesson means. Try not to hang onto your preconceived ideas about HOW they should get to their answers and you will be amazed at how their test scores improve! Remember: “Should” is often a dangerous word in education.

The Hands-on Learner

What does geometry have to do with baseball? I’ll discuss this further on, but for now let us consider the hands-on learner. Many students have a difficult time applying what they read in a book or see written on the board. Even though we carefully explain lessons to the class and spend countless hours one-on-one, it appears futile with some learners. It seems some just don’t get it so we move on, losing valuable opportunities to teach important concepts. I’ve heard teachers say it before, “sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but time is of the essence and evaluations are looming so we need to move on.”  But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Many students are hands-on learners and in order to communicate lessons properly we must use concrete examples. Mind you, I am not saying that oral lessons and worksheets are not valuable but if supplemented with hands-on activities you will see marked improvement.

Now on to baseball! It’s a game of angles, take the diamond for example. Four right angles lie within. The perfect word problem exists. If we know the measurement from the pitcher’s mound to home base and the distance from home base to first base, we can figure out the distance from the mound to first base.

Picture this:

1. The batter hits the ball 60ft to the glove of the pitcher       
2. The runner is trying to get 90 feet to first base 
3. How far  does the pitcher need to throw the ball to get the runner out at first base? 

Now, you may have a little trouble picturing this or sorting it out in your mind. But if you bring your students outside, have them measure the distances, figure out the problem in groups, and then measure the final distance to check their answer, the class will have fun while learning. Meanwhile the concept becomes firmly embedded in the kinesthetic learners’ memory. Of course, those numbers are for a major league baseball diamond so your playground diamond will be much more manageable. You can use this example to figure out arcs, circles, ratios, and the list goes on. The same goes for soccer fields, basketball courts, hopscotch areas, etc. I think you will find that a trip to the playground or gym will also help those sleepy after-lunch students. If you lack the time or are unable to take the students outside, these methods may be used around the classroom or even at table time. If funds are the issue with manipulatives all you need is some cardboard and a few rulers. It’s that simple. 

Another trick you can use is flashcards. I made my own fraction and decimal flashcards from index cards and created a game with them.

1. Separate the students into groups and set a timer 
2. Line them up in front of the board 
3. Give each team five random flash cards
4. When you say “go” one person from each team had to go up to the board and put the mixed-up cards in order (each student has a turn)

Note: Since classroom volume is an issue, those that exceeded a certain noise level had to start over. I can’t tell you how well this worked during the timed event! I always made sure all teams contained students with mixed abilities being careful that each pair who went up to the board were evenly matched (write this out before class so no lesson time is wasted). This insured that none of the students were singled out.

  

Even though I used sports as example it is important to know your class and what is meaningful to them. Know your students and just remember the name of the game is movement and touch. I guarantee you will see a difference in everyone’s grades and attitudes, not only with math lessons but all subjects you adapt to these methods.  

 

Awakening the Learner

Silence, ah yes, at times the dreaded nemesis of the teacher. We work to involve the students and we prepare brilliant questions to inspire participation in classroom discussions. But alas, we are met with silence or hear from a few students who love to talk. So how do we inspire those who are too shy or even worse, seem not to care? We must lay the foundation of the inclusive classroom by inspiring a family atmosphere with our students. We must seek to attain an attitude of, “we are all in this together.” This may seem like it will take pain staking effort but it will be rewarding in the end.

The Individual

We must first get to know our students and help them get to know each other. This is most successful if it begins at the start of the year but is never too late. It is important to teach the students to be proud of who they are and what they have to offer. What are their qualities as an individual? Can they connect with their pride in ethnicity or how about their strength in disability? One year, during language arts one of my students spoke with a strong accent while reading aloud. Another child laughingly commented and I took this opportunity to point out that this student had an amazing ability to speak two languages. While making an effort to speak in a strong Southern accent, I explained that I came to Washington from North Carolina. This inspired a conversation about accents and we all took turns reading aloud in our favorite accents (this included a few science fiction accents as well).

One day when a child was struggling with her wheelchair we talked about how “cool” it was that she was able to drive a vehicle everywhere. I was truly inspired by a teacher who had a “disability day” when each child drew a disability card and was required to go through the day living in someone else’s shoes. This included reading disabilities (she printed their work backwards for the day).  At the end of the day the class talked about each student’s given assignment and how strong a person had to be to live with each disability.

I was also amazed by a PTA sponsored parent night when each family brought food from their native origins. They also set up mini workshops in the gym where they taught their “students” (kids, parents, and teachers) their own special talents such as knitting, playing guitar, origami, dance, etc.  

Creating a Team Spirit

Use these techniques to teach the students to appreciate each other and the strengths that each person offers to the team (class). For about 5 years I organized and directed a summer camp. I started off each summer by incorporating team building in everything we did. The campers were taught that they were not in competition with each other but had an attitude of “we are the best group in the county and we attained this together.” This was not to create an adversarial attitude towards other camps but created an attitude which helped them believe in themselves as successful and an example to the rest of the campers in the county. This can easily be adapted in the classroom. 

Curriculum and Discussions

Now we can begin to create a curriculum which is inclusive to all students. What inspires them? How can they connect?  Note: If you are provided a required curriculum it is relatively simple to work with what you are given as you can see with my “accent example.” Soon I will be posting some helpful links for this in the resource section of my blog. Remember, every incident can be used as a learning opportunity. Through the development of an inclusive classroom and curriculum you can build a strong team spirit. You will soon find that more and more students feel comfortable sharing their own thoughts and attitudes in the classroom.

I hope you found this helpful. As always feel free to contact me with questions and comments.