Learning Strategies, Motivational Beliefs, And Attitudes Towards Fifth Grade Mathematics

According to UNESCO (2004), teachers around the world are exerting efforts in trying out innovative teaching strategies. There were dedicated and committed teachers who make a difference to the students’ lives and even providing important learning opportunities in their communities. To meet the students’ diverse learning needs, teachers cater variety of learning opportunities and experiences. In an interview of Carol Ann Tomlinson, an American author and educator known for her works with techniques of differentiation in education, she described differentiation as shaking up the classroom to be more appropriate for the learners. Regarding the methods of instruction, there should be a variety of techniques for collecting and presenting the lesson considering the students’ needs, abilities, interests, and backgrounds of experience.

A final way differentiated instruction prepares students from the 21st century workplace is through direct instruction. Whether students go to college or enter the workforce, students will be required to receive information directly from one, or many, people and think critically about it. Whether it is sitting through a lecture in college, or a meeting at work, students will need to have the ability to take in information verbally and apply it to their area of study or expertise. In my classroom, I try to begin a lesson and end a lesson with some form of short discussion or lecture. I believe that it helps to either set up, or bring closure to, the information we are covering. For example, at the beginning a lesson this week I spoke for about fifteen minutes introducing the struggle for equality that African-Americans faced in the early 1900s. This short lecture helped lay the groundwork for the next two days and assisted in giving my students context for the upcoming hybrid stations.

Nash Central Middle School (NCMS) is public middle school with many diverse groups of students. At NCMS, the motto is Student’s First and as Tomlinson states, “the practice of differentiation is rooted in a student-centered philosophy or ethic of teaching”(Tomlinson, 2010). Moreover, a primary school improvement goal and focus for the 2015-2016 school year is to provide professional development for teachers on differentiating instruction. The Collaborative Professional Learning Project researched and conducted by this candidate provided an introduction to differentiation as well as gave valuable resources related to implementing differentiation.

She was faced with the challenge of teaching a wide range of learner pathways while striving to maximize the learning for all her students grades first through eighth. While what my grandmother faced over eighty years ago is an obvious exaggeration in differentiation; the reality is that each class room in our schools is a microcosm of that environment. Each student learns through different pathways and it is the role of each teacher to maximize their learning potential by differentiating their instructional practices. Hence, the teachers of my school must strive to connect students and academic content through a responsive instructional practice that is reflective of the needs of their students (Tomlinson, C., Brimijoin, K., & Narvaez, L.,

The key to advancing the learning of individuals, small groups and whole classes is motivation. Our

As an educator it is imperative to provide students with instruction that fulfills their needs. These needs consist of the following: affirmation, contribution, power, purpose, and challenge. Through the implementation of differentiated instruction I am able to meet these needs and enhance learning experiences for my students. One approach to differentiation is the use of learning menus. Learning menus help students gain a sense of accountability for their learning and allows them to make decisions.

When I think of differentiated instruction I think of student’s readiness levels in all the subjects in the curriculum. I have also used many strategies to help students to be successful during lesson objectives. I’m going to incorporate six differentiated strategies into my classroom next year.

The National Curriculum Council (2000) defines differentiation as "the process by which teaching methods, resources and curriculum objectives, are planned to meet the needs of individual pupils". ‘Differentiation is the process of recognising effective strategies to meet targets, with each student’, adds (Weston 1992). Visser (1993) links differentiation to the methods that teachers choose to match the individual learner’s needs, within a group situation’. These three comments focus on individual needs and also suggest the complexity of attempting to get to grips with the implications of differentiation – let alone trying to define the term. In taking a critical view, the oppositions and tensions surrounding differentiation become even trickier.

Differentiated instruction is a very important aspect to the school environment. Every student learns at a different pace and it’s imperative to guide them at a comfortable rate. In the first YouTube video, “Differentiation and The Brain: A discussion with Carol-Ann Tomlinson,” Carol Ann Tomlinson explicitly explains her take on differentiated instruction, and how it can be applied in school. In the second YouTube video, “Getting Started on Differentiated Instructions” Carol Ann Tomlinson discusses how differentiated instruction is responsive teaching and how teachers need to proactively plan varied approaches (Tomlinson, 2005). It was interesting to read about her take on differentiated instruction through her article, “What is differentiated

It is generally accepted that learning implies a multitude of factors meant to prepare the children for life and its challenges. Some of these factors are directly related to the level of knowledge of subject matter, but others are based on individual feelings, relationships, or capabilities of developing a sense of belonging and personal worth, confidence, or attitude toward a certain content area. All these elements together form the foundation of student’s future success. On many occasions, certain factors such as the teaching approaches, encouragement from family members and school personnel, or past experiences in learning mathematics are important in creating a positive view of mathematics. From basic arithmetic to the more advanced calculus courses in first years of college, students build

When teachers develop differentiated instruction strategies for students they provide several different avenues for the student to achieve the same learning goal regardless of which path they choose. Student choice in which avenue they ultimately select creates a sense of ownership with the students and actively engages them in the lesson. The different avenues all lead to the same learning goal just as many roads might lead to one destination. Differentiated thinking empowers teachers to be responsive rather than reactive to the unique and individual personalities,

Unfortunately, the biggest struggle I face in this class is overcoming the negative attitudes that the other students harbor for mathematics. Of these, some just do not care for the subject. For these students I try to activate their curiosity by explaining the real-world connections for these concepts. Other students, however, really seem to be more afraid of it than anything else. They often feel that they are inferior to other students in this subject, are afraid of being wrong, or do not know where to start. As a teacher, I try to use strategies to overcome such fixed mindsets by encouraging all questions and not chastising students for making mistakes. I also do think-aloud examples. In these examples I go through the process I use to solve difficult questions. These think-alouds can be very helpful because they show students that it is normal to not know immediately how to solve a problem. The students watch me go through a few different strategies, including some that fail. They witness my perseverance and the strategies I use to overcome obstacles, including ways to investigate where my errors are coming from.

To my God the beginner and the author of my life who made it possible for me to start and finished well. I say thank you for your guidance. Also to my beloved wife, Oluwabunmi, and our great kids, Aliyat, Bernard Junior (BJ), thanks for all your support, love and encouragement

This study investigated the influence of psychosocial factors on the achievement secondary school students in mathematics. The variables that were addressed include test anxiety, locus of control, self concept, motivation, study habit and peer influence.

Most mathematics teachers have observed that many students have poor performance in mathematics. Classroom researches over the years show that mathematics instruction has continuously been taught in a traditional manner wherein only a few students understand and grasp the concepts (Winters, Cerulli, Bjork, & Mor, 2006). Teaching mathematics has been viewed as unappealing to the majority of students and has been outdated and not connected with their interests and experiences, bringing about poor performance in mathematics (Goodrum, Hackling, & Rennie, 2001).