Strategies for Managing Math Intervention

  

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I never stop reading. During the summer, I try to squeeze in some non-fiction, but I always find myself searching the internet for new ideas and tips that I can use in the classroom. My most recent find is from the website www.jimwrightonline.com. Jim Wright is the creator of the Intervention Central which provides a plethora of information about how to meet the needs of intervention students.

The article School-Wide Strategies for Managing Mathematics caught my eye because it provides suggestions, as well as an accompanying rationale, for seven key areas of mathematics intervention:

• Applied Problems
• Encourage Students to Draw to Clarify Information
• Improve Performance through a 4-Step Problem Solving Approach
  Understand the Problem, Devise a Plan, Carry Out the Plan, Look Back
• Computation
• Boost Fluency through Explicit Time Drills
• Motivate with Errorless Learning Worksheets
  Include answers to problems for quick-check approach
• Two Ideas to Jump-Start Active Academic Responding
  Break a longer assignment into shorter ones with immediate feedback; Allow students to respond to easier items orally rather than in writing
• Homework
• Motivate Students through Reinforcers, Interesting Assignments, Homework Planners, and Self-Monitoring
• Instruction
• Consolidate Student Learning during Lecture through the Peer-Guided Pause
  Students work in pairs to review concepts in lesson
• Increase Student Engagement and Improve Group Behaviors with Response Cards
  Use individual whiteboards to elicit response from students
• Maintain a Supportive Atmosphere for Classroom “Math Talk”
  Model behavior and allow students the opportunity to talk through concepts
• Support Students through a Wrap-Around Instruction Plan
  Includes assessment, direct instruction, guided practice, feedback, and review
• Unlock the Thoughts of Reluctant Students through Math Journaling
• Problem-Solving
• Help Students Avoid Errors with the Individualized Self-Correction Checklist – Remind students to pay attention to their common mistakes
• Review
• Balance Massed and Distributed Practice
  Provide lots of practice on recently learned skills while also encouraging opportunities to review older material
• Teach Effective Test-Preparation Strategies
• Vocabulary
• Preteach, Model, and Use Standard Math Terms

Review these suggestions and try adding just one or two to your instructional practices during the new school year. Let us know how it goes!