We hear that the days of forward facing rows are over, that the teacher is no longer the disseminator of all information and the students are no longer passive consumers of knowledge. Teachers in CUSD are working hard to make this a reality; to make their classrooms interactive places where students take an active role in their own learning. Last year many of our middle school math teachers started using blended learning to individualize instruction. They used digital tools to administer formative assessment so they could get an instant snapshot of their students needs. This year, they are taking it to the next level with a low-tech tool that is quickly proving to be transformational: whiteboards.What's with all the whiteboards?
After attending Ed Campos' session on 360 Degree Math at CUE Rockstar Math, several of our teachers came back motivated to implement it in their own classrooms. What is 360 Degree math? The idea is brilliant in its simplicity: whiteboards are placed all around the classroom and each student has a spot on the whiteboards to complete their work. The teacher's primary location is in the center of the room, with the ability to float to individuals needing assistance.
The benefits include: - increased movement
- opportunities for peer support
- an instant snapshot of what each student in the class is doing
- Huge benefit: the teacher is able to quickly identify common misconceptions and address them in a timely and relevant manner
But where do the get all those whiteboards?!
Many of our CUSD teachers got creative as wall whiteboards are expensive and not readily available. Anna Lawrence from Monroe recommended going to Home Depot and grabbing some shower board, which proved to be a $65 solution for CMS teachers James Peng, Pedro Garcia, and Maria Cammisa (have them cut an 8 X 4 piece of shower board into four 2 x 2 pieces).
Let's see it in action!
Students in James Peng's eight grade classroom solve a problem from Jo Boeler's week of inspirational math.
Other Tips & Tricks
- Don't plan on having students standing for the entire class period! Even standing doesn't count as "movement" if you are just stationary. Alternate between table work, 360 problem-solving, and rotating around.
- Incorporate music cues into the 360 math routine.
- Have students rotate to respond to each others' solutions (awesome for my favorite math practice: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others)
- Build in "My Favorite No" as a warm-up to help establish the mindset that we learn/grow from mistakes.
Additional Management Tips
- James Peng and Pedro Garcia use strategic student placement with playing cards. The students have a playing card on their desk with an associated card on one of the whiteboards. This allows you to shake up pairing throughout the period.
- Velcro markers, erasers (pieces of cloth work) and needed materials in pouches where the students will be working.
Sold! Ready to join the 360 Math Revolution?
- CUSD teachers, simply reach out to me! I am happy to support you in getting started and continued implementation of 360 degree math.
- Ed Campos and I will be presenting 360 Math as a CUE Rockstar Jam Session at Fall CUE. More info here!
