2 Quick Tips for Math Differentiation – Defeat the Dilemma
A strategically planned math lesson can come to a halt when one student finishes (because the task was too easy) while another struggles to know where to begin. Teachers are faced with the challenge of meeting the various developmental needs of students daily. Differentiation is a philosophy grounded in knowing the students’ needs and responding to them in thoughtful and flexible ways. Here are just a couple of easy ways to differentiate and defeat the dilemma.
- Interactive Problem Solving Notebooks
These notebooks enable students to be creative and organize information in ways that are meaningful to them. Choose a problem and vary the difficulty or strategy to be used according to the students’ needs. Problems can be printed with a template, on cards for students to copy, or placed in learning stations. Each student will solve a problem that meets his/her developmental needs and be asked to show thinking with words, pictures, or numbers. This tool allows students to be creative and use a variety of strategies while providing instant feedback for the teacher. It is a quick activity that can be easily built into the daily learning routine and can be as simple or complex as needed depending on the teaching goal.
Here is an early elementary example. The teacher would cut out and deliver the appropriate problem to each student to solve. The children then glue the problem in their notebooks and are free to solve the problem creatively showing their work.
2. Math Challenge Cards – Math challenge cards can be purchased or teacher created. These cards can be handed to students who finish other tasks quickly and need a challenge or can be used for flexible small group instruction. They are also great to use for “Brain Breaks,” place in centers, use for math journal entries, or send home for differentiated homework assignments.
Carson-Dellosa Math Challenge Cards
These are just two simple and quick ways to support the varying needs of students and hopefully get them excited about math problem solving in the process. We would love for you to share some of the creative ways you differentiate math instruction with us.
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