Kenters Kontinued

That's correct I spelled both of those words with a capital K. The reason, well recently as part of the professional development being done in the district I came across a Kindergarten classroom at Davenport Ridge School where young scholars were working in centers.

This classroom has completely transitioned over the last couple of weeks, moving from primarily whole-class instruction to using small groups and differentiation during the math instruction block. Math time was completely engaging from the mini-lesson to the closing. Students were introduced to the Penny through the use of Promethean Board and various interactive prompts. Students in Miss Kanel's class then disbursed into four centers. Students also played an array of games both on the computer (Penny Cup, Top-It, Train Game, etc.) and in collaborative groups (The Number Grid Game).



Most impressing about this experience was that these students transitioned flawlessly, constantly utilized math vocabulary among their peers, and knew all the routines and expectations even though they just recently began using centers. One particular student even arrived late (returning from the nurse) and was excited to see Math had begun. Instead of interrupting the group Miss Kanel was working with he walked right up to the board to determine where he should be in the rotation schedule, then he jumped right in and paired with another young scholar.



Miss Kanel provided differentiation in a number of ways; working with students and appropriately selecting problems for them in their small groups, modeling different strategies and terms, and providing multiple games to reinforce student learning.



Kudos to Miss Kanel and her wonderful students for embracing small groups and differentiation, as well as for implementing both successfully in a very short time frame. As we move forward and prepared for the CCSS it is important for students to persevere, collaborate, and receive differentiation. If you would like for SPS Elementary Math to see what any innovative curriculum or instruction techniques that you’re using please feel free to contact me.