#EduRead: Creating a Differentiated Mathematics Classroom

This week's article is Creating a Differentiated Mathematics Classroom.

• "Student differences in learning mathematics tend to cluster into four mathematical styles."
• Mastery- works step by step, favors repetitive practice, and struggles with abstraction
• Understanding- looks for patterns and reasons, favor concepts and reasoning, struggle with collaboration and routine drill and practice
• Interpersonal- through relationship, conversation, and association, favors cooperative learning and real world applications, struggles with independent seat work
• Self-Expressive- visualize and create images, favors exploration, and struggles with step-by-step computation
  
• The big idea with differentiated instruction is that you have the same learning goal and expectation for all students and they can take different paths to achieve them.
• Resource: Differentiated Instruction Learner Profile
• Resource: Me at a Glance
• Resource: Learning Styles Discussion
• Resource: The Four Types of Mathematical Students
• Resource: Math tools and Strategies for Differentiating Instruction and Increasing Student Engagement
• Resource: Styles and Strategies for Helping Struggling Learners Overcome Common Learning Difficulties
• Resource: The How-To's of Planning Lessons Differentiated by Learning Profile
• Resource: Task Rotation
• Resource: Assessing Middle and High School Mathematics and Science Supplemental Downloads

My Thoughts:

• I'm still envisioning some kind of template whether for class work or homework split into the four different types. Maybe two problems per type and they have to complete 5? That way they can choose their strongest two styles and then attempt one they aren't very comfortable with.
• If the template was simple and versatile enough, it could work for quizzes, tests, homework, and class work.
•  When I think about choice boards, I think I would have to develop one choice board of options that could last the whole school year. Each option would have to be hard enough that I would feel okay about a student picking the same option all year long. That seems tough. 
• If students are taking multiple paths to achieve the same goal, that sounds like a lot of work to assess all of the paths.