As this school year is coming to an end, I am working on getting my next school year prepared and organized. One thing I am going to try to do throughout the year, and for each class, is to ensure group work and differentiation is available to the students.
I have found that throughout the year, we all get busy with teaching responsibilities, life and other things, and the lessons are not always 100%. I am hoping that spending my summer holidays preparing for the upcoming weeks in August/September, I will be able to ensure that that does not happen.
At our school, there is a huge push for group work. All of the classrooms have been changed to include group tables and most lessons should have at least one of two aspects of group work and discussion. As I am a mathematics teacher, this will be one of my biggest challenges for the next year. I am, however, up for this challenge.
My school wants to see group work and paired work throughout the lesson which will provide the students with the opportunity to help one another with the material being presented instead of always seeking the help from the teacher. I am worried about some of my classes with this set up with behavior of some students and the risk of students getting easily off task, but I think if I start it from the beginning of the year, my classroom management strategies will be even better.
With the tables set up as groups, I am able to change the table groups around to allow different abilities to sit where it would be most beneficial for them. Depending on the activity, I can have students of lower ability sit together to complete the work with scaffolding, where as other tables will have less support. I can also change the table groups to allow a mix of abilities so that students can support each other and learn from one another.
Overall, next year is going to be a challenge, but I think I am up for it. My first step will be to ensure that I am prepared for the next year before it begins and I stay ahead!
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