Teaching Strategies for Inclusive General Education Algebra I Classrooms

1. Teaching Strategies for Inclusive General Education Algebra I Classrooms Shane Smith, Saili Kulkarni, Min Chi Yan University of Wisconsin-Madison

2. Least Restrictive Environment • Least restrictive environment (LRE) under IDEA mandates that students with disabilities have access to general education curriculum among their peers without disabilities to the greatest extent possible. • Students with disabilities in general classrooms have access to high quality curriculum and instruction • Students with disabilities in general classrooms demonstrate improved performance compared to those in segregated settings.

3. Math Facts • Knowledge of math is important for future success • 64% of students with disabilities perform below the basic level in math (NEAP, 2009) • Students with disabilities stand a greater risk of becoming resistant to math and eventually dropping out (National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 [NTLS2], 2006). • 36% of 12th-graders scored below basic compared to 24% who scored at or above proficient

4. Instructional Challenges • Traditional drill work and computation: 1) may perpetuate the idea that students with learning disabilities are passive learners. 2) fails to fill the gaps in conceptual understanding of core concepts in mathematical thinking for students with disabilities (Baroody & Hume, 1991; Parmar et al., 1994; Torgesen, 1982; Woodward & Montague, 2000)

5. Challenges • Research in reading instruction is well established, while instruction in math is still limited. • Many students with disabilities have language issues, which makes it difficult for them to learn from language intensive verbal instruction. • Math content is getting increasingly complex at earlier ages.

6. Addressing Challenges • Giving students opportunities to practice math terminology is helpful • Have students use visual representations (pictures, symbols, maps, or number lines)

7. Six Principles of NCTMNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics • Equity- all students should have access to meaningful math instruction regardless of ability, socioeconomic status, race, culture, language, etc. • Curriculum- instruction follows a logical and orderly progression • Teaching- avoids one-size-fits-all approach, allows professional development content (math) and methods (teaching techniques) • Learning- moves beyond simple factual knowledge to include procedural and comprehensive knowledge • Assessment- should be authentic and informative for teachers and students • Technology- incorporate appropriate technology

8. Instructional Strategies-Teachers • Advanced organizer • Cooperative learning • Real life examples • Guided practice • Self monitoring/questioning • Supplemental (Web-based)

9. Advanced Organizer Using familiar concepts to link what students already know to new information • Begin by describing the goal of the lesson • Present the material • Promote active receptive learning • Elicit a critical approach to subject matter • Clarify

10. Cooperative Learning Groups

11. Real Life Application • Rationale • Math can be connected to daily life • Real world examples make algebra less abstract • Numbers are everywhere! • Connections between textbook material and life

12. Real Life Examples • How far can you get on a tank of gas • Budgeting • Guitar http://www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/realworld/building_guitars/ Loans/Financial Information Credit Card Statement Cell Phone http://imet.csus.edu/imet3/yee/portfolio/cell_phone_webquest/step3.htm

13. Guided Practice modeling procedures in steps and fading until independence • Levels of guided practice • High: Verbalize the procedures and have students restate and/or apply • Medium: Have students verbalize each procedure and apply • Low: Have students verbalize all of the (chunk together) and apply • No prompts

14. Self Monitoring Keeping track of one’s own work • Checklists cue students to specific steps • Student checks off items • Checklists can target individuals • Encourages students to make fewer mistakes • Students can respond consistently and accurately to problems presented

15. Self Monitoring Checklist Example

16. Supplemental Materials Using technology to supplement classroom based instruction • Characteristics • Educationally relevant • Grade/age appropriate • Meaningful/engaging/connects to student learning • Builds on a continuum of learning • Affords for interaction

17. Examples of Supplementary Material • http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/MathWebResources.asp • http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=U157 • http://thinkfinity.org/ • http://www.aaastudy.com/alg.htm • http://www.worldplenty.com/grade8.htm

18. Demo • Please feel free to walk around and look at some of the examples of math materials

19. Solving Binomial Expressions: 2 Approaches

20. Process Oriented Approach NCTM Standards • Learners will engage in problem solving and representational processes to engage in an algebraic activity with distributed practice in the geometric concept of area. • Steps • Curriculum based assessment and planning • Advanced organizer • Demonstration • Maximize student engagement and monitor student learning • Guided practice • Independent Practice • Processing • Extension

21. Process Oriented Approach To illustrate this example using tiles, fill in the binomials in the correct positions like it is shown below.

22. Model To illustrate this example using tiles, fill in the binomials in the correct positions like it is shown below. Now you simply fill in the center.  As a teacher, you already know that... x·x = x2, x·1 = x, and 1·1 = 1.  By simply filling in the correct pieces of the rectangle, the students will see and feel these results.  Take a look:

23. Drawing out the example

24. Try it out • (x+1)(x+1) • (x+2) (x+2) • (2x+1)(x+2)

25. Structural Issues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBP5wuPf6f8 Can you think of structural issues to inclusion in your school(s)/district(s)? Take a few moments to jot some down. • Professional Development • Classroom Supports • Resources

26. Scenarios • Group 1: John has a learning disability and is in an 8th grade algebra program with grade level peers of all abilities. He works well with others and enjoys math class. He has difficulty with abstract concepts. His class is learning about the least common multiple. Design a short lesson plan for this student and his peers. • LCM: The least common multiple of two numbers is the smallest (nonzero) number that is a multiple of both numbers. (LCM of 4 and 5 is 20) • Group 2: Franco is in high school algebra. He has just been placed in an inclusive 9th grade class. He reads at a 9th grade level, but has difficulty solving word problems. His teacher has never worked with a student with disabilities before, how can the teacher approach instruction for Franco? • Group 3: Ms. Celia uses has been using a curriculum with her 9th graders for algebra that has been effective for several years. This year, however, she has a new student in her class with emotional behavioral disabilities. The student shows little interest in the textbook material and individual work that were part of Ms. Celia’s math instruction. What might Ms. Celia do that would engage her new student?

27. Questions/Feedback? Contact us: Shane A. Smith sasmith@wisc.edu Saili Kulkarni sskulkarni@wisc.edu Min-Chi Yan mikiyan@gmail.com