Giving Compass' Take:

• Kelly Rust describes three personalized strategies for teaching math: grouping students, customizing pathways for each student, and practice. 

• What are the benefits for students when educators personalize math lessons? 

• Read about the reasoning behind math anxiety for students. 

Every year my classroom and the needs of each student become more diverse. Just teaching my grade-level curriculum is not enough to close the gaps for struggling students or to keep my advanced students moving ahead. For every student to make at least one year’s growth, I have to find ways to individualize their learning.

But how? Here are three ways that I am personalizing the math experience.

  • Group students. Differentiation in math class requires you to know your students very well. I use several assessment tools to identify my students’ strengths and weaknesses.
  • Customize pathways for each student. I have been using the Wowzers math program to help meet the unique needs of my groups. This program has helped me to customize a pathway for each student or groups of students.
  • Practice, practice, practice. Creating this personalized environment requires an effective use of time and resources.  Since I don’t have a device for each student, I use a rotation system.

Read the full article about personalized math strategies by Kelly Rust at SmartBrief