How to differentiate input for class with 2b - 4b mathematicians?!

[KateBeckett]

Just looking for a bit of advice as I'm starting to tear my hair out...

This year we have decided to not set for maths. I have a T.A for the first 45 mins of my maths lesson, and 4 computers in the classroom.

The spread of ability in my (year 4) class is quite large - I have a group of children working at 2b, and a group working at 4b, with other groups of 2a, 3c, 3b/a in between. As an RQT I am finding differentiating my input a little tricky!

At the moment I usually have either my top or bottom group working through a related 'lesson' on mymaths.co.uk and the other either working on an independent activity (tops) or working with my T.A (bottoms) whilst I input to the rest of the group.

The problems I am having are;

1. Even with giving my top and bottom groups different tasks during input I still have a wide range of methods to input when e.g. teaching multiplication. This leads to...

1. Sometimes my 2a group struggle to understand the input, OR my 3b/a group find it really easy.

Maths lessons at the moment feel really chaotic because there is so much going on during input! If my T.A is working with a group during input, it can be quite noisy as well.

Just wondering if anyone had any tips to make my maths input a bit smoother??

Thanks!

[KateBeckett]

Oops, wrong topic! Have asked MNGQ to move this to The Staffroom! Doh!

[JulieMumsnet]

Hi,

Just to let you know that we're moving this.

MNHQ.

[KateBeckett]

Thank you!

[teacherwith2kids]

The way I did it (I had P6 to 4c in a class last year, which was fun!) was to start the lesson with a simple activity that could easily be differentiated by materials (so e.g. turn over 2 number cards, add the numbers mentally - tables had different cards, or order the numbers on your table - highers had decimals, lowers had numbers 1-10) or through additional challenge ('Show me ways that you can make 12. Lowers - addition, with 12 objects to help. Next group I might prompt - or have prompt cards -to use subtraction, next to include only 2 digit numbers etc etc).

Then for the main teaching (very quick) I tended to focus on 3 or 4 success criteria that were cumulative. First slide - lowest group friendly, but everyone try out task on whiteboard. TA hoovers up all of lower group and anyone else identified as not getting that, then goes off to activity set up on that table. Next couple of slides - middle groups, main 'meat' of the lesson. They then go off - I tended to have 1 group rehearsing it on some kind of 'self-marking' interactive task to provide instant feedback - TopMarks have good ones for free, and we had Education City - other group either independent or working with me. Final slide, if needed, was additional stretching for most able - or on the second and third slides I would have more challenging examples for the more able to try.

I rotated myself around the groups so had a diffferent 'focus' group each day. TA(s) - one year I had a second working 1 to 1 with a very disabled statemented child - also rotated around groups, chaning their focus each day (if I was working with the lowest group, the P6-1b group, I would send them initially with the TA, then replace her once input was finished.)

I found speed and preparedness to be the key - with children leaving to their allocated tasks at different points in the input, it was easy to train them to be quiet and focused as long as EVERYTHING that they needed was already laid out.

[KateBeckett]

So you had them all on the carpet for input? Sounds good in theory but I don't have any carpet space near my SMART. But thanks, some good things to think about! Will go check out TopMarks!

[teacherwith2kids]

Carpet is optional. Sitting in desks and then turning to / away from board to listen / do independent work would be fine - I did have a class of confirmed fiddlers, though, and as I had to have ALL the equipment laid out on each table I found carpet time useful. Additionally, as children left for their tasks remaining groups could shuffle further and further forwards, so I could speak REALLY quietly e.g. to my top group for their particular input, thus keeping the whole class noise down.

[KateBeckett]

Thank you :)

[RosemaryandThyme]

I'm a TA in a class like this. We work it by me TA taking groups of children out of the class - do you have somewhere else in school the TA could go with half a dozen or so children ? I book out space in our library.

Mental warm-up is followed by TA + 6 going off for input and activities, with top set children, meanwhile teacher inputs with mid and low students, on carpet, sending them of to differentiated tasks at tables.
Top set return and have teacher input for further extension while I collect bottom set and struglers and take them to library for wave 2/3 recapping.
All back for round up at the end.