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Math Small Groups, suggestions wanted

We had a great meeting on Thursday, October 17th. The hot seat question was about how to implement math small groups.  While small groups are an expectation of our county, it is difficult to find time to do small groups everyday. The 90 minutes allotted for math flies by. With iReady time, ten minute math, whole group lesson, questions, examples and practice time 90 minutes doesn't seem to be enough. It seems the time just has to be chiseled out and a schedule stuck to, to make this happen. One of our group members shared a rotation done on her grade level to ensure math groups are done. Students rotate through different activities including math games, iready, zearn, and meet with the teacher. This is done for 30 minutes each morning.  I am hoping to implement something similar if only for 1 or 2 days per week.  I usually form my small groups while grading papers.  I sort the papers into students who have it and those who need help.  Then I sort those who need help according to
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Students Nowadays

     I've recently been in a meeting that seems to be indicting a shift in education. I love learning something new about teaching. I love trying new things in my classroom.  I do have some excitement about this opportunity. The meeting and the shift seems to be based on the the idea that children today are different than children in the past.  Hmmm.  I don't know if I totally agree with that.I think there are more similarities than differences in the children of today and the children of the past. I think they need a lot of things from their parents and families that children have always needed and will always need. I think their needs at school are also similar.       I think most children need the guidance and support of their teacher. I think most children enjoy the structure of school, knowing what to expect when, the consistency of discipline and all that comes with process and procedure. I think school is a safe, somewhat predictable place that students can count on. 
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September 26 meeting....technology can be frustrating but the discussion must go on.

Unfortunately during our meeting on 9/26 my internet connection was not strong and I had to drop out of the meeting. Before that happened we discussed soft starts.  I have used soft starts briefly a few years back.  I did it with playdough, paints, legos, stationary, and a few other things I scared up.  It went well but I always feel pushed for time, now more than ever.  Trying to get my iReady minutes, my interventions, my writing conferences etc... done I feel like I can't do soft starts.  I do realize that the benefits could provide me with more time later but I am not ready to  implement this in my room this year.  However another member or our mastermind group is giving it a try so I will await her evaluation.  If you use soft starts, can you share your experience with it. We also discussed what to do with students well below grade level who are EC but have a chunk of time in the regular classroom other than stick them on the computer. Websites were suggested other than iRea
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This is a great podcast. Cult of Pedagogy.  5 teaching practices I am kicking to the curb.
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Look at the cool sticker.
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September 12, 2019 The Second Meeting --- When we learned about Talladega Nights being filmed in Allie's room

Our 2nd meeting was epic.  Everyone was there.  We didn't really talk over each other that much.  After a bit of catching up Allie asked for some technology suggestions to use in her 2nd grade class.  Several of us immediately suggested Seesaw.  Seesaw was recommended for its versatility and ease of use. I used Seesaw when renewing my National Board Certification.  Students were observing force and motion principles while playing a marble game.  They would have their shots videoed.  Then they reviewed their videos and selected ones they could use to illustrate force and motion ideas being discussed in class.  It worked great and it's fun.  Last year we used Seesaw to write and respond to book reviews.  Flipgrid was mentioned.  I have no experience with this one.  We were all in agreement that Google slides is another resource for the creation of student projects in any grade level.  Students can use the features to their comfort and ability level.  Teachers can send out temp
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Cult of Pedagogy #124 Open Educational Resources

    Cult of Pedagogy is one of my favorite podcasts. Thank you Jennifer Gonzalez for all of your hard work ! There's a lot of episodes. They are not too long and they are full of good ideas, and resources.  I've implemented many ideas in my classroom I learned about in the podcast, from notetaking to TQE (thoughts, questions, ephianies) strategy during read aloud. In fact the inspiration for creating a mastermind group came from this podcast.      Tonight, after saying I was not going to work anymore, I decided to listen to a episode while in the shower. It was episode #124 which sent me down the rabbit whole of OER. I didn't even know what that stood for before I listened.  So OER are open educational resources. I learned about Amazon Inspire, EdReports, Core Knowledge etc...      I looked up EdReports on some of the curricula I am familiar with and found some interesting information. According to the podcast some of the highest rated curricula are free for anyone to use
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