Small Group NT Model

Before the holiday break I had modeled a number talk for a special education teacher in one of our CCT classrooms. Let’s call her Sarah. Sarah had been concerned that during whole class number talks a select group of girls, all with IEPs, were unable to engage with the content and discussion. At that time, the class had been working on visualizing doubles and near doubles addition combination on a double tens frame.  This small group of girls was missing the opportunity to develop new mathematical understanding and skills related to being a mathematical community member. Sarah was becoming unsure that these students would ever be able to talk about their math ideas clearly. I wanted her to see, that when provided with accessible but challenging work, her girls would be able to talk about math in meaningful ways and develop new understanding through their conversation. I also wanted Sarah to see that there is flexibility in the approach to a number talk.

We decided to do some small group number talks with this group of girls that focused on subitizing small numbers. I would model the first one around seeing 4. I decided to also video tape this number talk so that during our debrief Sarah, her co-teacher, and I could talk about what we noticed. It was a good opportunity for them to see me reflect on my process and question asking in a critical but positive way and use that information to inform my instruction. 

Highlights from the Debrief:

·         Sarah shared that she was surprised girls were able to articulate their ideas in a clear way.

·         Sarah said the girls shared strategies that were more efficient than what she had expected.

·         Sarah reflected on my ability to stay calm and said that sometimes after a long day working with the girls she can get frustrated by the challenges they face to in terms of attention.

·         I was able to point out a specific aspect of my number talk that I would have done differently.

·         It informed out instruction in the sense that this approach and content was appropriate.  

Frustrations from the Debrief:

·         It was difficult to hear the video.

·         I should have put together thoughtfully chosen clips of the video and created questions around those clips.

·         I am not sure how useful the process was for Sarah’s co-teacher.

This week I received Sarah’s Mid-Coaching Cycle Feedback. In response to the question “What’s missing for you in this cycle? Any suggestions for how this cycle could be improved?” Sarah wrote that she would like me to model some number talks with the whole class. I have not seen a whole group number talk and asked that I see one first and then we plan the model together. I am interested in what they are working on in number talks and how they are feeling about the small group of girls participating with the whole group. What skills or understanding have the girls developed that will allow them to participate with the whole group? What did you do to support them with this development? Are there any supports you can provide while the girls work with the whole group?